Dennis Trillo enjoys newfound inspiration for work and family life

MANILA, Philippines — Dennis Trillo is two decades strong as a Kapuso. He never expected he’d last this long in the industry, especially when he looks back on some early struggles before stardom.

Before stepping into acting, he worked in commercials. One particularly demanding shoot made an impact on his mindset as an actor.

“Meron akong ginawang commercial na medyo na-depress ako habang ginagawa ko siya. Dahil meron isang eksena roon na umabot ako ng 70 takes bago ko siya makuha,” Dennis told The STAR.

With the mounting pressure to meet the production’s expectations, he recalled crying out of frustration. “May hinahanap sila na specific (accent ng) isang dialect na kailangan kong ma-perfect tapos hindi ko magawa for some reason,” he shared. “Hindi ko alam kung bakit but hindi nila nagustuhan yung mga ginagawa ko so after the Take 60, I went to my car and naiyak pa ako kasi napapahiya na ako.”

Inexperienced as he was back then, Dennis persevered. “But after ng mga take 70, nakuha ko na rin siya,” he happily recounted.

The struggle became a lesson that would shape his approach to acting challenges.

“That experience became a lesson sakin na sa susunod hindi ko na uulitin ‘to. Hinding-hindi na ako papayag na mangyayari ulit itong incident na ‘to.”

With a newfound understanding of the word “professionalism,” he vowed to exhaust all means to avoid inconveniencing others again in the future.

“Gagawin ko lahat para hindi magkaproblema yung mga tao sakin. Wala akong maabala and maging smooth lahat ang mga experience sa mga katrabaho.”

This paper spoke to GMA’s “drama king” — a title that speaks a lot about his professionalism — shortly after he renewed his ties with the network. His career is co-managed by Aguila Entertainment.

His very first project for GMA was Kahit Kailan where he got paired with Sunshine Dizon as replacement tandem then for James Blanco and Jolina Magdangal. Prior to GMA, he was introduced in showbiz as part of ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Batch 10 along with the likes of his Love Before Sunrise leading lady, Bea Alonzo.

At first, he was just trying out this career to see if he would like it. “I know it’s not a joke; I know it’s difficult and demanding in