Seasoned actor Ian Veneracion top-bills the new six-part series One Good Day produced by Studio Three Sixty and directed by Lester Pimentel-Ong. The action drama can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video starting this month.
The project is a homecoming of sorts for the actor, who, in his younger years, starred in various action-hit flicks. Some of these are Ben Balasador, Isa Lang ang Buhay Mo, Totoy Hitman, Zaldong Tisoy, Boy Praning: Utak Pulbura, Pedrito Masangkay, and Alyas Baby Face.
How does it feel to be back in a genre which catapulted him to massive stardom?
“I’m happy and at the same time, excited considering that I’ve done a lot of action movies before. I can consider it as my home court. For one, I’m very comfortable with it both with its physical and emotional requirements,” he says.
Talking about his preparation for the project, Ian listed Martial Arts as one of the physical elements of the series that he is “really proud of.”
“I had to train rigidly with the stunt men and the camera works as well since it is part of the choreography. Actually, action buffs would surely enjoy watching it because it’s like a combination of the movies The Godfather, James Bond, and John Wick. I highly recommend it.”
Apart from One Good Day, Ian is also busy with the concert titled, Kilabotitos opposite Ogie Alcasid. It’s good he still has time to do it considering his hectic schedule.
“The reason why I am able to do the concert is that I don’t have an ongoing soap opera. It will definitely be hard if I have one. I can’t imagine myself doing all those things simultaneously. Although I enjoy the different entertainment platforms these days. The landscape is expanding on how I can creatively express myself and perform in various mediums,” Ian relays.
“I can say that it’s a good time to be an actor and to be alive, too because we have numerous channels where our works can be viewed. You can even create your own channel and content. Like in the case of One Good Day, it can be viewed not only here in the Philippines but in other countries as well. Hopefully, we’ll be able to attract foreign audience,” he carries on.
He is currently celebrating his 40th anniversary in showbiz, which can be considered a major feat since until now, he’s still active and gets to headline his own projects.
“Passion is very important for you to last long in this industry and so is professionalism. I’m never in it for fame or money. If you’re going to be an actor just because you want to become rich and famous, I think you won’t succeed,” Ian concludes.
In the recent media conference for the film Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told produced by Borracho Films Production, Atty. Ferdie Topacio (who is one of the film outfit’s main producers) said that it has been a long, hard battle. The movie was recently selected as one of the eight entries in the forthcoming 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival.
“Looking back, we fielded the script in 2020 but unfortunately, it was not accepted,” he reveals.
“I didn’t know any better. Now, we decided to give it another try though we already have a November 30 playdate fallback in case since it coincides with National Heroes Day.”
Topacio believes that a festival should aim to uplift the quality of movies in any country. He likens film festivals to fiesta.
“You don’t serve foods that are already common but rather, extraordinary ones. Last September, I traveled to San Sebastian, Spain to witness the Donostia Film Festival. Then, I flew to Switzerland to attend the Zurich Film Festival. All the entries are great.”
The controversial lawyer-producer hopes the same for the MMFF and he wants to contribute via Mamasapano: It Can Be Told, which stars Edu Manzano, Aljur Abrenica, and Paolo Gumabao.
“Of course, in film festivals, it’s important that all genres are present—from comedy to drama to action to horror. But they should be a cut above the rest. The level of entries should be elevated.”
Atty. Topacio remembers those days when Filipino movies are critically acclaimed abroad and considered world-class.
“During the ‘70s, we were the darling of Asian Cinema because of our films like Genghis Khan, Anak Dalita, Ora Pro Nobis, and Oro Plata Mata. I hope that we’ll be able to reclaim those glorious days by coming up with meaningful and quality potboilers,” he states.