“Three years of rollercoaster ride, man. I enjoyed every minute of it. My role was the best.”
These were the words of highly acclaimed veteran actor Christopher de Leon as he reflected on his stint in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” during his exit interview with CCM Film Productions following the tragic death of his character, Ramon Montenegro, in the March 6 episode during his final and fatal encounter with Roberto, played by Albert Martinez.
Christopher began by conveying how much he enjoyed portraying the role of gangster, which may not have been his first, but what made Ramon remarkable for him was that he was the leader of a syndicate dealing with drugs and that he was rebuked by his own child, Tanggol (Coco Martin), who could no longer stand the wrong he was doing.
He went on to reminisce about how he had fun every moment and every day of taping together with the cast and crew of the top-rating series, as well as how truly thankful he is to them for being so supportive, caring, and thoughtful to him for the past three years, which makes him consider them as his family.
While Christopher may have done a variety of roles throughout his five decades that indeed displayed his brilliance and versatility as an actor, did you know that he actually almost backed out from “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” upon realizing how huge and intense his character was going to be?
“Unang-una, to be honest, kinabahan ako. I wanted to actually back off,” he confessed, recounting how the excitement he initially felt towards his role and being part of the project was suddenly replaced with fear and apprehension on his first day at work, as the thought of backing out briefly crossed his mind, sensing that what he was about to undertake would be difficult.
However, after a while, he eventually enjoyed the grind as he got to know his character deeper. He may be the kind of actor who prepares a lot for a role, but this habit was completely challenged during his time in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” as every day unfolded differently, especially since Coco tends to make instant big changes in the scenes to make it more entertaining, exciting, and intense. He remarked, “Noong una, natakot ako talaga. But after three years, okay na. We can do it again.”
He also described the production as both intense and deeply fulfilling, with many of the scenes they executed in the series—particularly those led by Coco Martin, whom he fondly referred to as Señor Coco—being the kind rarely seen in Filipino films. Despite the physically demanding nature of the sequences and the difficulty of the work required from the cast and crew, he shared that the entire team found joy in bringing the ambitious scenes to life. Thus, he uttered, “I enjoyed it really. Honestly, I’ll miss it.”
With regard to working alongside fellow veteran actress Cherry Pie Picache as his love interest Marites, he described her as “a very good actor” as they did each scene realistically. He went on to reminisce about the journey of their characters together, reflecting on how Ramon committed a mistake against Marites and how he subsequently changed, upon realizing that he already loved her and that he wanted to be reconnected with their son, Tanggol.
Christopher then imparted his greatest takeaways from the series, with the first one being Coco’s style in directing, in which they had to peruse and memorize the script right there and then on the set. At the same time, he also got to learn from his castmates’ various approaches to acting and from the research he had carried out that could help him portray Ramon well. Besides, he related how they get inspired by Coco’s relentless and hard work, which for him are among the good traits of the actor-director.
“Napaka-humble. He's very serious with his work, he’s almost like a genius kung makikita mo siya sa set, if you just listen to him. I’ve been in the business for almost like 40 plus years, I’ve never seen a person like this, like Coco Martin. He thinks of even the dialogues,” he shared, as he mentioned that they were actually allowed to tweak their lines.
As he talked about his learnings from his character, Christopher looked back on one of his favorite scenes, which was Ramon and Tanggol’s first time speaking with each other. There, he was able to unleash the genuine love of a father to his child that Ramon didn’t know he had in him since he was a gangster and top drug syndicate leader until that moment finally happened. As a dad to several children in real life, he said that he got to pour his love as a father to Tanggol.
What further gave him the excitement and the inspiration on how to approach his role was Director Malu Sevilla telling him that their story arc would revolve around or anchor on the father-and-son relationship. And the scenes showing his bond with Tanggol were among the ones that he really liked. Moreover, he also shared how it thrilled him whenever Ramon held a gun and fought, especially alongside Tanggol, who obviously inherited his expertise in handling firearms and combat.
The “King of Philippine Drama” also fondly looked back on another unforgettable scene he did with Coco, which was the intense battle between Tanggol and Ramon that happened in San Dimas, as it made him realize how Coco had indeed changed from the previous projects he got to work with him on, particularly in terms of his physical strength.
Christopher gushed, “Matibay, matikas. Kapag wuma-wallop ako, kapag sinasalag ko ‘yong suntok niya, nagkakaroon ako ng black and blue sa braso. Sabi ko, ‘Tumigas ka na, ah. Noong araw kayang-kaya ko pa e.’ Ang galing niya na sa fight scene, ang tibay niya na. Sabi ko, ‘Ang layo na ng narating nitong kaibigan kong ito, itong anak kong ito.’ Fantastic. Unbelievable guy. He’s doing his best, and we can all see it.”
Seemingly, another favorite scene of him was Ramon’s moment of enlightenment as he was on the brink of death. As we all know, it impressed a huge change in him, as he eventually listened to Tanggol and joined him in his pursuit of truth and justice for the people of Manila.
“Señor Coco, maraming, maraming salamat at pinagkatiwalaan mo kami sa project na ito. Pinagkatiwalaan mo ako bilang iyong supposed-to-be ama sa series na ‘to na ‘Batang Quiapo.’ Salamat sa experience, salamat sa kabutihan mo, salamat at hindi mo itinago sa amin ang tunay mong pagkatao as Coco Martin,” Christopher said when asked for his message for the Primetime King.
Then he added, “Nakita namin ang husay ng iyong leadership bilang direktor, bilang aktor, bilang producer, bilang writer, bilang everything. Nakita namin how you handled it. Fantastic. Hats off, man! Thank you for this project, and I enjoyed every minute of it, man. Every minute of it. Thank you very much!”
He also made sure to express his heartfelt gratitude to CCM Film Productions and the devoted viewers of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” for supporting his character through every stage—from the time he was still on the wrong path to when he finally found redemption. The interview concluded with him sharing another lesson he took away from his experience in the series, which was the importance of finding work that you genuinely love. He went on to reflect on how fortunate he felt to have been entrusted with the role of Ramon Montenegro, a role that, in his view, he was able to fulfill with utmost flair and dedication.
For sure, Ramon’s death has only fueled the fire within Tanggol, so audiences should brace themselves for the next thrilling and jaw-dropping moments in the “Ang Huling Laban ni Tanggol” finale of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.” Catch the action-packed conclusion weeknights on Kapamilya Channel sa ALLTV2, A2Z, iWant, and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL).