On her last taping day for “FPJ's Batang Quiapo,” Tessie Tomas made sure to soak in every moment, during and after the filming of the trending episode featuring the Caballero family massacre.

The behind-the-scenes action shared in Tessie’s vlog was intense, particularly during her scenes with Ara Davao. As the tension escalated with the hostage situation orchestrated by the Montenegros, netizens could truly feel the drama come to life. The rawness of their portrayals is sure to send chills down your spine!

After filming the heavy death sequences, Tessie returned to vlogging, candidly sharing with her followers, “Kakatapos lang po ng [eksena ng] pagkamatay namin, kaya hinahapo pa ako... Kanina pa po kaming umaga. Isa po ito sa pinakamahirap at pinakamalungkot na nangyari sa Pamilya Caballero.”

Despite the emotional weight of the scene, the cast quickly shifted back to lighthearted bonding moments once the cameras stopped rolling. Tessie seized the opportunity to vlog with her co-stars, starting with a quick interview with McCoy de Leon, who has been facing public ‘hate’ due to his portrayal of the cunning and villainous David.

Their conversation was both insightful and entertaining. McCoy shared that he views ‘David’ as a stepping stone for his growth as an actor, allowing him to push his boundaries. Despite receiving backlash from viewers—including some alarming death threats—he finds validation in knowing that the harsh comments from netizens indicate he’s doing his job well. While it affected him at first, he learned to see it as a sign that he was making an impact.

When asked about his family's reaction to his role, McCoy chuckled and revealed that his mother sometimes gets worried about his evil deeds on TV, hence his frequent reassurance that it’s all for the character and that he knows how to draw the line between fiction and reality. He’s learned from his character what actions are bad and greedy and should not be done in real life.

Tessie also had a chat with Renz Fernandez, who plays Bullet in the story. Renz talked about how much he enjoys his role, as action is truly in his blood. He fondly remembers going to movie sets with his father, action superstar Rudy Fernandez, when he was a kid. Now, it’s his turn to take on the action genre, and it’s even more exciting for him because he’s playing a bad guy for the first time.

Renz admitted that he often receives comparisons between himself and his dad, which he understands given that his father was a huge personality, along with his mother, Lorna Tolentino, who is also part of “FPJ's Batang Quiapo.” He doesn’t mind the naysayers and instead focuses on doing his work.

However, there are positive comparisons as well, with people remembering his dad through him and what they see on TV. I'm happy na 'yung memory ng tatay ko ay nabubuhay ko," he stated.

But Renz has so much more to offer and wants to explore his artistry further. He’s interested in portraying fictional or fantasy characters, like the devil, since he’s coming off a villain role, as well as roles in historical genres.

When asked what he would do differently if given a character like Coco Martin’s Tanggol in the future, Renz thought of his father's past characters who were shot, injured, or even died in the end. Thus, if he were to take on a similar role, he would infuse it with more realism.

Irma Adlawan also shared her insights on acting, particularly portraying the cunning Olga. She emphasized that the first rule for actors is to genuinely root for their characters to make them relatable.

"Kailangan mahalin mo kung ano 'yung binigay sa'yo na role at intindihin mo. Walang prejudice, walang judgment," she explained. "Pero dapat bibigyan mo ng reason 'yung ginagawa ng character, lalo na kung kontrabida."

When it comes to bashers and violent comments about her role as a villain, Irma sees it as part of the job. Having been in the industry for decades, she’s learned not to be affected by negativity. In fact, she’s aware that if audiences are responding strongly, it means her acting is effective.

Irma has played a diverse array of characters throughout her career, yet her bucket list remains full. One of her dreams is to portray a character with schizophrenia, as it presents the challenge of embodying multiple personalities within a single role.

Don’t ever underestimate Irma’s commitment to her craft; she is willing to do whatever it takes for a role. In fact, one of her boldest performances required her to be naked for a scene, and she also starred in a provocative project with Ricky Davao, whom she considers her most trusted leading man in the industry. She recalled that doing those projects was both frightening and challenging, especially since she was already a mother then. However, she took the risks in the name of artistry.

As the vlog wrapped up, Tessie reflected on her and the Caballeros' trending exit from “FPJ's Batang Quiapo.” She acknowledged the sadness surrounding her family’s fate in the story but found satisfaction in Bettina’s heartfelt moment of asking forgiveness from her granddaughter, Katherine (Ara Davao).

The veteran actress also expressed sincere gratitude to Coco "para sa isang magandang role na ito." She added, "Nagpapasalamat ako at talagang nag-enjoy akong makasama ang mga mahuhusay na artista tulad nina Jaime Fabregas, Charo Santos, Lou Veloso, Malou Crisologo, ganundin sina Ara Davao, John Rendez, Yce Navarro, at Elijah Canlas."

*Photos credit to Ara Davao FB