Incognito team goes to Japan

ALREADY halfway through its run is ABS-CBN and Star Creatives’ action series Incognito, now streaming on Netflix and the Kapamilya channels.

Its seven leads — Richard Gutierrez, Daniel Padilla, Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings, Kaila Estrada, Baron Geisler, and Ian Veneracion — play members of a private special force team that undergoes various missions throughout the story. Now at 60 episodes (out of 130 scheduled to be released regularly until July), the show traverses each mission, tying together the characters’ individual pasts and continuous attempts at redemption.

It has consistently been in Netflix Philippines’ top 10 list, which shows how engaged Filipino audiences have been, according to producer Jay Fernando.

“We’re very happy as a creative team that the audiences are engaged, not just in the action scenes, contracts, and job missions, but also in each and every character’s personal journeys,” he said at an April 7 press conference in Quezon City, which was also streamed live through ABS-CBN’s channels.

FILMING IN JAPAN AND BENGUETIncognito has brought its team to various locations in service of the action-packed story, from Palawan to Italy to Baguio. At the press conference, it was revealed that the next episodes will take place in Japan and in Itogon in Benguet.

For Mr. Gutierrez, the drastically different environments have tested the cast and crew’s capabilities.

“We shot in Yamagata, Japan. Sobrang lamig doon sa lugar na iyon (It’s extremely cold in that place). [There’s] snow every day, as in nonstop snowfall,” he said.

With the help of waterproof gloves, socks, and shoes, they managed to push through temperatures as low as –6°C. “I think they chose that area because we really wanted to capture that all-white terrain,” he added.

Mr. Padilla explained that the next few episodes will show how they learned to film in extreme weather, especially his character Andres who takes part in a lot of action.

“Sa Japan sobrang lamig; sa Itogon sobrang init. Walang gitna! (It was very cold in Japan and very hot in Itogon. There was no middle ground!)” he said. “But it was all worth it.”

He added that slipping and sliding on the ice was natural in the fight scenes, making them feel more real. The trailer launched at the press conference also showed a chase scene with snowmobiles.

Though most of the team took part in the Japan shoot, one wasn’t there — Mr. Geisler, whose character Miguel stays in the country as part of his storyline.

“Habang nasa Japan sila, may intercuts sa pagligtas ko sa pamilya ko. Punong puno ng bakbakan doon, at ganun din kainit ang bakbakan dito. (While they are in Japan, it intercuts with me saving my family. There’s a lot of fighting over there, and the same goes for the action here),” he said.

COMPLEX PLOTOther threads in the plot will continue to develop, such as Andres’ search for his missing brother, and Ms. Racal and Mr. Jennings’ characters Gab and Tomas’ budding relationship.

For Ms. Estrada, who plays the female hacker called Max, having strong representation for women watching the show is important.

“One thing I’m really proud of is that both Gab and Max’s characters are strong, empowered, and independent women. They’re as skilled as the male characters, and that’s something I’m really happy about. They can inspire young girls to feel empowered and independent, to be go-getters, and to have that fearlessness,” she explained.

Mr. Veneracion, who plays the contractor who hires the others to go on dangerous missions, is a character who remains a mystery.

“Actually, he’s also a mystery to me. As he evolves, I’m also in the process of discovering his past. It’s really a journey of self-discovery,” the actor told the press.

As one of the series’ producers, Mr. Fernando said that there is more to come in terms of the overarching plot that will link each character together. The audience can also expect more action and thrills.

“We’re midway, and the contract is not yet over. When we started the program, we gave ourselves one big job order, which is to elevate Philippine action. You can definitely look forward to more,” he said.

Incognito is airing on Netflix Philippines and all Kapamilya channels, with one new episode released a day on weekdays. — Brontë H. Lacsamana