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Tom Rodriguez makes a daring switch in ‘My Husband’s Lover’
FOR fans of the daytime series Please Be Careful With My Heart who kept wondering when Tom Rodriguez a.k.a. Papa Pards would be returning to reunite with his family, it probably came as a big surprise to see the actor on GMA 7, and an even bigger shock to see him getting romantic with Dennis Trillo in the trailers of the new drama My Husband’s Lover.
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But the hunk actor said he simply couldn’t pass up on such a unique opportunity, which he believes could elevate his career to a whole new level.
“I’ve enjoyed working with ABS-CBN and I am thankful for all the projects they gave me, but I only had a guesting role in Please be Careful [with my Heart] and when the character of Vincent was presented to me, I felt it was just too good to pass up,” the actor told The Manila Times.
In the primetime series that premieres tomorrow, Tom will play Carla’s husband who has an affair with a gay lover (Dennis).
In preparing for his role, Tom said he did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people; “Nag-interview ako ng maraming-maraming tao, and nanood ng mga pelikula like Brokeback Mountain, na dati iniwasan ko talaga. Twice ko pa nga pinanood kasi nung unang beses, hindi ko talaga matingnan.”
The 2005 movie by Ang Lee, tells the secret romantic relationship of two cowboys played by Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger.
Tom also clarified that he didn’t do it just for the money.
“It wasn’t because of that. Before kasi, I was offered similar roles, kaya lang I was a bit apprehensive. Kasi feeling ko, as an actor, baka hindi ko pa kaya. Baka hilaw pa ako, baka hindi ko magampanan nang tama. Tapos nung nakita ko yung script for the audition, nandoon pa din yung takot na baka ganun din, baka hindi ko magampanan nang tama. Pero sabi ko, bihira lang dumaan yung ganito kagandang materyal. Kaya sabi ko, ‘Sige na, kunin na natin!’”
Carla Abellana shared Tom’s sentiment and believes that even though the series may be a bit edgy and controversial, she trusts the writers to focus more on the story and the characters rather than exploit the more “sensitive” topics. The actress also said being part of the series was worth the nine-month wait.
“Oo naman, it’s worth the wait, kesa naman na binigyan lang nila ako ng something. Mas gugustuhin ko namang maghintay na lang for something as beautiful as this,” she said. “At least, I know na pinag-isipan nila nang mabuti and hindi sila nagbigay nang basta-basta.”
Different love story
Director Dominic Zapata says he wasn’t surprised when GMA decided to give the go signal to the project. “The network has always been a front runner, a trailblazer when it comes to conceptualizing shows, such as Mulawin, Encantadia and most recently Indio. But we’re not here just to shock people but to present a different kind of love story.”
In the series Vincent got her girlfriend Lally (Carla) pregnant while they were still in college. The two decide to get married even if Vincent’s mother, Elaine (Kuh Ledesma) was very much against it.
But unknown to Lally, Vincent is keeping a secret from her; a secret he has kept from everyone else since he was young—he is a closeted gay.
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He has kept this secret hidden for so long, afraid that he’ll destroy his family. However, everything changes when he meets his best friend Eric again. Eric was and still is Vincent’s great love. But unlike Vincent, Eric is openly gay and he is still in love with Vincent as well. Because of their strong feelings for each other, they started having an affair.
Vincent tries to hide the affair from Lally by showering her with gifts but no secret remains hidden and she eventually finds out about her husband’s lover.
Will Lally give up on her husband or will she fight for her pride and their marriage? Will Vincent choose Eric and sacrifice his family?
“Our ultimate goal here is not to make judgment or patronize this kind of affair. We just want to show the love story of Vince and Eric,” says Tom.
The newest Kapuso adds doing the show opened his eyes about the plight of closet homosexuals. “Being Vincent sa taping, ang hirap pala. Ang hirap ng pinagdadaanan niya so imagine people who have to go through this, 24/7.
“Ako, nae-experience ko lang ng mga ilang minuto, ilang oras, hirap na hirap na ako. Paano pa kaya sila na every day?”
Although he doesn’t see himself being in a gay relationship, he has become more understanding of what these individuals go through. But if he does get into a homosexual relationship, would he be proud of it?
“If you love someone, you should be proud of it. It shouldn’t be about gender. Siguro nga kung mahal mo yung isang tao, love is never wrong unless of course you are married because that would be infidelity,” he reasoned.
check out the teaser and trailer below