Elijah Canlas plays an “a**shole” for the first time in a project
Elijah Canlas is playing an anti-hero for his first teleserye with ABS-CBN and Dreamscape Entertainment, “Senior High.”
In the series which currently airs on Primetime Bida, Elijah plays the role of Archie, a popular student at Northford High who is secretly a bully and a rebel.
Archie belongs to the popular group who is friends with Luna (Andrea Brillantes) but is actually bullying her to do everything they want.
A scandal in their school then arises when Luna falls off the building of their school and is dismissed as suicide, but Luna’s twin sister, Sky, thinks otherwise.
During a Q&A after the screening of “Senior High” on August 21, FreebieMNL spoke to Elijah about his experience in doing a teleserye with ABS-CBN for the first time.
He says, “When I got this, I’m very grateful that Dreamscape considered me for this, and I’m blessed, I guess.
“Yung projects, most of the time na nao-offer, nati-tick yung boxes na gusto ko, e. It’s just two boxes, like, one, a role that is different from anything I’ve done, something na challenging, something I can have fun with.
“Second, a theme and a message that is I think, personal or important and this show has all of that kaya yes agad. Nalaman ko pa na ito yung cast and Direk Onat Diaz, Direk Andoy Ranay, game na game!”
READ ALSO: Elijah Canlas Explains It All
Elijah enjoying the kontrabida role
What Elijah enjoys about the kontrabida role he is doing is that it is written in a three-dimensional way.
He explains, “Yung writers, three dimensional na agad yung pagkakasulat kay Archie na hindi lang siya sinulat bilang bully. Hindi lang siya masamang bata, may pinanggagalingan siya.
“Mas malalim pa yung dynamics ng family nila. Yung pressure from the father, pressure from the mother, paano nila tratuhin yung isa’t isa and yung power na nabibigay ng tatay sa kanila kaya naaabuso nila kasi bata pa sila, e. Hindi pa nila alam paano i-handle yun.”
Playing Elijah’s parents are Baron Geisler and Desiree del Valle. Elijah’s younger sister is played by Daniela Stranner, who also plays one of Luna’s bullies.
Elijah continues, “Sa pagkakasulat pa lang, ang magagawa ko na lang, e, i-justify and have fun with it kasi first time ko nga rin ganito ka-a**hole. I mean, malayo din talaga siya kung sino ako in real life and I like that. Sobrang nag-e-enjoy ako kapag ganung klaseng challenging [na role].”
But Elijah does not remove the fact that there is a responsibility portraying the role because it tackles bullying and mental health that teenagers experience in real life.
“May pressure and responsibility because of the topics na tina-tackle namin sa show but laki ng tiwala ko sa buong team and sa buong cast.
“Lahat kami, we’re in it to justify and really send a good message out there na hindi i-romanticize, hindi mag-trigger, mas mag-spread ng awareness and mag-open ng conversation.”
“Senior High,” which is headlined by Andrea Brillantes, also features Juan Karlos Labajo, Zaijian Jaranilla, Xyriel Manabat, Angel Aquino, Sylvia Sanchez, Mon Confiado, Ana Abad Santos, and Kyle Echarri.
READ ALSO: Elijah Canlas Reveals The Rule He Broke For Miles Ocampo
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The post Elijah Canlas Plays Anti-Hero In First ABS-CBN Teleserye appeared first on FreebieMNL.
