Pinning down the voice of a known orator
Benjamin Alves talks Manuel L. Quezon
QUEZON, a historical biopic about Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon (MLQ), is currently in production. It follows the life of the lawyer, soldier, and orator who became the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944.
Playing him has been a fun challenge so far for Benjamin Alves, who plays the young Quezon in the film. In between shooting days, he hosted the launch of menswear brand Benjamin Barker at Rustan’s Department Store in Shangri-La Mall on March 26. BusinessWorld spoke to the actor on the sidelines of the event.
“They wanted me to do the Quezon voice while hosting, but I didn’t want to reveal that just yet,” he said. Aside from the voice, his classic suit and combed-back hair during the event gave him the exact MLQ look.
Mr. Alves is taking on the role for the third time, having previously played the president in two previous installments of TBA Studios’ “Bayaniverse” series of historical films: Heneral Luna (2015) and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018). Quezon is said to be the final film in the trilogy.
“There was a long gap between Goyo and Quezon, so it’s nice [to be back],” he said. “On set we call it our “last dance” because it’s going to be our [last] time filming together.”
He revealed that he has been attending workshops with Jericho Rosales, who plays the older Quezon, and director Jerrold Tarog, where they’ve been working on getting the former president’s voice right.
Compared to the subjects of the previous biopics, Antonio Luna and Gregorio del Pilar, whose only surviving visual records are photographs, there is video of Manuel L. Quezon speaking and moving.
“It’s harder for us because we have to study him and the speeches that he’s known for,” Mr. Alves explained. “We went through all his famous speeches. Without giving away too much, the vigor and passion of Quezon as an orator is very much present in the film.”
He added that Quezon will pick up right where Goyo left off, covering not only Quezon’s rise as a politician, but also the tumultuous campaign against Emilio Aguinaldo in his later years.
“It’s not only Quezon’s story. Aguinaldo is very much a part of it. Some may argue that it’s a trilogy for Aguinaldo, and Mon [Confiado] is playing him impeccably,” Mr. Alves said, referring to their characters’ banter based on script readings so far.
The actor also mentioned a figure in the movie that he said “seems like [he] could be the next lead [in a historical movie],” although Quezon has been confirmed to be the final film in the “Bayaniverse.”
Other cast members in Quezon include Karylle Tatlonghari as former first lady Aurora Quezon, Romnick Sarmenta as Vice-President Sergio Osmeña, JC Santos as Manuel Roxas, and Cris Villanueva as the older Joven Hernando, who is the only fictional character in the series.
Notably, Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen plays Leonard Wood, a US Army major who became governor-general of the Philippines.
“He just has an aura, and his scenes are great. The team were all smiling during his scenes,” Mr. Alves said.
He told BusinessWorld that the goal is for Filipinos to watch Quezon in the cinemas. “The script is so much fun. And if you wait for it to come out on, like, Netflix, you won’t get the full experience.”
Quezon is slated for release in late 2025. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
