FPJ’s Batang Quiapo lead star and director Coco Martin revealed that McCoy de Leon’s character was initially planned to appear only in the pilot episodes of the series.

During the press conference for the show’s second book, Coco admitted that McCoy’s character was originally set to exit early, but his strong performance convinced the team to extend his storyline.

“Si David talaga, si McCoy, ang original niya, hanggang pilot lang siya. Kinausap ko na siya,” Coco said.

“Pero dahil ngayon nakita namin yung pagpupursigi, talagang gusto niya matuto, nakita namin yung galing, yung willingness, ayan, umabot na ng two years,” he added.

Coco also described McCoy’s character as resilient, often avoiding his supposed demise in the series.

“Sabi nga namin, ‘May pagkasa-pusa to.’ Kapag malapit na namin patayin, laging ginagalingin na nanghinihinayang kami, kasi nga di ba, as in, parang sayang naman,” he expressed. “Parang nakakatulong siya sa show eh. Ang daming mga incident na gano'n.”

For his part, McCoy expressed his gratitude for being part of the hit Kapamilya action series.

“Bilang alam naman po natin sa generation ng mga cast sa Batang Quiapo isa ako sa pinakabata, ako mas lalo kong iniisip na sobrang suwerte ko dahil nag-uumpisa palang ako (kasama ko na sila),” he expressed.

He recalled the first instruction given to him for his role, saying, “First day ng Batang Quiapo, sabi lang sa akin, ‘Huwag kang ngingiti’. Sabi ko,’Bakit po, Direk?’, ‘Kasi nakikita yung dating McCoy. Kailangan natin dito iba.’”

To maintain his character’s dark persona, McCoy said he adjusted his mannerisms on set.

“Kaya hanggang ngayon hindi ako nguminigit sa Batang Quiapo. Yung ngiti ko lang, pangdemonyo na ngiti. Ngisi lang,” he added.

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McCoy shared that playing a kontrabida role gave him a newfound appreciation for acting.

“Kaya masarap po sa pakiramdam na yung swerte ko din. At the same time, na-discover ko pangkontrabida din pala ako,” he remarked.

“Actually, masaya pala na ngayon ko na nang naramdaman ulit, from a love team, ngayon ko naramdaman na mas effective pala ako na masama. At hindi ko magagawa yun kung hindi sa paggawa ng karakter ni David,” he continued.

McCoy plays David, the half-brother of Coco’s Tanggol. His character pretended to be Ramon’s (Christopher de Leon) son with Marites (Cherry Pie Picache) to inherit the fortune that rightfully belongs to Tanggol. 

David has since become one of the most despised characters in the series due to his manipulative and cruel behavior.

Playing such a complex role was challenging, but McCoy credited the Batang Quiapo team for their guidance and support.

“Thank you so much talaga. Maraming salamat. Kuya (Coco), Alam kong nahirapan ka sa akin talaga, alam ko yun. And sa mga director na nagtsatsaga rin sa akin noong una, sa mga director,” he stated.

Being part of the series also helped McCoy gain confidence in his craft.

“Ako po yung talagang actor na hindi magsasalita. Kung ano lang sabihin niya sa akin, yun yung gagawin ko. Pero dito, ako na mismo yung tinatanong nila, ‘Kuya, tingin mo, ano gagawin dito?’ Minsan nabibigla ako, ‘Hala, sumasagot na pala ako sa mga pwede kong gawin,” he expressed.

“Ganoon kasarap maging cast ng Batang Quiapo. At kapag nagawa mo yun, ang sarap sa feeling,” he added.

Despite receiving strong reactions from viewers due to his character’s actions, McCoy remains appreciative of the response.

“At the same time nga, yung pakiramdam pagka-uwi mo galing sa ibang event, hindi na McCoy ang pangalan ko, David na. Kaya maraming salamat. Kaya di ko makalimutan ito, Batang Quiapo,” McCoy said.