Albie Casiño won praises for his believable, charming portrayal of LGBTQ character Raymond in the sexy-drama series Init Sa Magdamag.. Kapamilya React asked him to re-watch his trending scenes in the teleserye and now he realized how much good vibes he’s brought the show’s avid viewers.
“Natatawa ako! Natatawa ako kay Raymond,” Albie would enthuse throughout the episode, beginning with Rita (Yam Concepcion)’s birthing class. In that scene, Raymond caught everyone’s attention when he started to scream and said his water broke. Rita reacted. Raymond replied that he’s better at playing wife than a proxy husband.
It was his first time playing comic relief in a serye, far from the perennially miffed Jigs in On the Wings of Love and the cold Lukas in Los Bastardos. Raymond is different but he’s the one closest to Albie’s personality. “Mahilig ako magpatawa. Natutuwa ako ‘pag nagtatawanan. So sobrang natuwa ako na ganun ‘yung naging effect ni Raymond. It’s me putting myself in the character.”
Although he took on a gay role in the Star Cinema film “First Love,” the difference is that Raymond is a closeted one. “Habang kinakapa ko ‘yung character ni Raymond, siya din kinakapa niya ‘yung sarili niya… I couldn’t just act straight kasi hindi naman ganun. May mga nuances, eh. I couldn’t just be a guy. I had to be a gay-guy playing a straight guy.”
For Albie, it’s more difficult to etch a closeted gay character because there has to be balance in his movements. So it got easier when Raymond was finally out. Although it’s easy to laugh at Raymond’s antics, Albie wasn’t really trying to be funny. After all, Init Sa Magdamag. is a drama.
If you find him hilarious, it simply means his comedic flair was so natural. Take for instance Rita’s birthing scene with Raymond, Tupe (Gerald Anderson), and Meggy (Kate Alejandrino). It was supposed to be serious akin to a real-life birthing. But Raymond’s hysteria was so real, it appeared funny.
Another of his funniest scenes is where Peterson (JM De Guzman) watched the CCTV footage from Rita’s house and he caught Raymond pooping. Albie laughed, amused at how the scene came out. There was Peterson’s intense reaction matched with suspenseful music but Raymond running back and forth the toilet was the best part.
Albie and Kate’s friendship helped shape their onscreen chemistry. He also worked with Yam in an indie film years back so it was easy to get along with her. And altogether, they formed a trio that viewers loved from start to end. Albie said he always looked forward to his scenes with Kate and Yam. He enjoyed working with them.
The last scene shows Raymond introducing his boyfriend Paolo (Rafa Siguion-Reyna) to Tupe. It was filmed on Rafa’s first day. Albie recalled Rafa’s non-stop request to throw lines. He didn’t know Rafa is a theater guy. So when they finished the scene in a single good take, Albie said in jest, “Kaya maganda siyang eksena kasi parang mga 85 times namin ni-rehearse ni Rafa.”
As the series comes to a close, Albie relates the lessons about friendship and family. He realized through Raymond, Rita, and Meggy that quality is more important than quantity when choosing friends. The power of friendship shines in the build-up and breakdown.
Albie was also reminded of the value of family, which is one of the core elements in the series. Take for instance Peterson and how his actions – both the good and the bad – are rooted in his ‘love’ for family. His mother Olivia (Tetchie Agbayani) was his backbone; and when he lost Rita and Baby Andrew, his world turned upside down. Albie added that family isn’t limited to kinship, like how Rita treated Raymond and Meggy as her family.
Don’t miss Init Sa Magdamag “The Final Blow” tonight (September 10) on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.