When director Lester Pimentel Ong began developing Delivery Rider, he immediately knew who could bring the film’s two complex leads to life, Baron Geisler and Jake Cuenca.
Ong said he saw Geisler’s range early in the process, describing him as an actor who could move audiences with his sheer acting skill.
“We immediately saw his talent in acting, his ability to move you with his performance,” Ong told Manila Standard Entertainment during the film’s media conference.
He added that Geisler faced one of his most challenging roles yet, portraying Santo, a delivery rider on the autism spectrum.
“It was a difficult character to portray because his character is highly functional, someone who works and lives independently. Baron really took on the challenge,” Ong said.
For Cuenca, Ong’s decision came from a long-standing working relationship that began years ago.
“Jake and I go way back. I was the action choreographer when he was still a teenager. Even then, I saw his action skills,” Ong recalled.
After years of Cuenca focusing on dramatic roles, the two reunited for The Iron Heart. That experience convinced Ong to cast him as Roden, the conflicted son of a crime boss.
“It was always a dream to work with Jake again because I know how brave and dedicated he is as an actor,” Ong explained.
Cuenca, who immediately accepted the part, said working with Geisler and Ong made the project special.
“When we finished filming, mutual respect was given. It’s almost like when you talk about fighting—you share something intimate inside that ring, and I feel like me and Baron shared something intimate inside this movie,” he noted.
Ong shared that Cuenca’s support went beyond performance. “I told him about the budget limitations, and he said, ‘Don’t worry about the budget. Let’s just work.’ That kind of support meant a lot to us,” Ong emphasized. .
Meanwhile, Ong also hopes Delivery Rider will help raise the bar for Filipino action films and inspire the industry to aim for global standards.
“Our goal is to slowly improve the quality of Filipino action films so we can reach an international level,” he said. “We can’t compete with Korea or Hollywood when it comes to budgets, but our actors’ talent, passion, and discipline are world-class. Instead of complaining about limitations, we focus on what we have, and that’s what will take us there.”
Delivery Rider, starring Baron Geisler, Jake Cuenca, and child actor Euwenn Mikaell, will stream on Netflix across Asia Pacific and the Middle East starting Oct. 23. The film was a 2024 grantee of the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ CreatePHFilms Funding Program.
