Alden Richards in the press conference for “Pulang Araw.” Image: Courtesy of Netflix For Alden Richards , portraying the “untold legacies of Filipinos during World War 2” in the historical drama “Pulang Araw” was an emotional and disturbing experience, as it dawned on him how much his countrymen sacrificed for the country’s freedom. Set during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, “Pulang Araw” tells the story of four childhood friends learning to navigate their lives while dealing with their respective traumas.
Richards stars as Eduardo dela Cruz, a man who’s dedicated to protecting his sister Adelina dela Cruz (Barbie Forteza) after making a promise to his mother. “As actors, we process our emotions and thoughts before filming scenes, regardless of how light or heavy they are. For some reason, when it comes to the torture scenes — since my character was tortured by the Japanese in a concentration camp in Fort Santiago — there’s a reality aspect.
It happened,” he said at a press conference in Makati. The actor considers himself as someone good at zoning his character on and off the camera. But the “reality aspect” in Eduardo’s story made Richards feel heavy, saying he had a moment of reflection on how much Filipinos had suffered back then.
“I asked myself if this is what Filipinos experienced back then. It’s very emotional and very disturbing. Even if we merely acted in these scenes, we feel the trauma,” he recalled.
“We were.