Matt Lozano and Raphael Landicho Celebrate The Armstrong Brotherhood

Matt Lozano and Raphael Landicho give life to Big Bert and Little Jon Armstrong, the other two brothers in Voltes V: Legacy.

Voltes V: Legacy premiered on May 8 and aside from Steve Armstrong played by Miguel Tanfelix, two of his brothers, Robert “Big Bert” Armstrong and Little Jon Armstrong are part of the team. Matt Lozano and Raphael Landicho give life to the two other brothers.

In an exclusive interview with Modern Parenting, Matt and Raphael share what’s like to play iconic characters, doing the scenes, and how a main event will change the Armstrong brothers.

The brotherhood between Raphael and Matt

Nabbing the roles of Big Bert and Little Jon was different for both Matt and Raphael. In Matt’s case, he had to audition while Raphael got word he was chosen to take on the role.

“Sobrang tuwa, sobrang proud kasi sa dinami-dami ng pangarap ko, isa ito sa mga pangarap ko at natupad siya,” Matt said of Big Bert’s role.

Raphael, who is the youngest among the cast, admitted that when he got word from his mom about the role, he was initially confused because he didn’t grow up with the anime.

“Pero nung nalaman ko na po about Voltes V, sobra na po akong natuwa,” the 10-year-old child actor said. “Kasi malaking project po ito ng GMA kaya sobrang thankful ako na I’m part of it.”

A brother relationship has developed between Miguel, Matt, and Raphael, and for Matt, this also helped him in channeling the role of Big Bert upon the death of their mother Mary Ann Armstrong.

“Simula nung unang cast meeting namin, Rap is very sweet sa aming lahat. And nung nagkaroon na kami ng eksena na magkakasama kami as brothers, naging natural na lang. Kasi may mas nakakabata akong kapatid sa totoong buhay. So yung pakiramdam na iyon, automatic ko nang naramdaman iyon kay Rap-Rap.”

Raphael on the other hand admitted he was challenged with his role as Little Jon who never had a father. “Iba kasi yung sitwasyon po namin dalawa. Si Little Jon hindi nag-grow with a dad, ako I grew up with a dad. So inaral ko po talaga yung story ng Voltes V, lalo na kay Little Jon.”

Iconic scenes in Voltes V

For those who have watched the anime, it is easy to say that there are many iconic scenes. Matt recalled the challenges he and Miguel went through in doing the butterfly technique scene.

“Napakahirap at isa sa napaka-challenging [na scene] iyon. Kasi nasa loob kami ng kweba. Doon namin ginawa yung scene. And yung sword na ginagamit ni Steve at that time [was] sobrang bigat,” Matt shared.

“Natatakot talaga ako i-full swing yung sword kasi pwede matamaan sa ulo. So isa talaga iyon sa pinakamahirap na paulit-ulit namin ginawa para lang ma-perfect yung stunt.”

Another memorable scene they had to reenact was the crying scene when their mom Mary Ann Armstrong played by Carla Abellana dies in front of them. Matt shared that because they were acting with CGI effects, they really had to put in extra effort to visualize the death of Mary Ann in front of them.

“Siguro ang making tulong nung available yung stimulus script sa amin. Medyo tricky siya kailangan mo maramdaman yung emotion at the same time mapaniwala mo na nakikita mo sa harapan iyon,” he said.

“Pero dahil na rin sa mga trainings sa workshops, malaking bagay naitutulong sa amin ni Ate Ana [Feleo their acting coach] and sa acting coach namin doon [sa taping] para mailabas yung ganun klaseng emotion.”

Raphael for his part admitted he had a hard time doing the scene. “Ang bigat po ng scene na iyon kasi lalo po naapektuhan po ako. Na-imagine ko what if si mommy yung nandoon. What if siya yung nasa situation na iyon, siya yung mag-sasacrifice? And si mama po yung nag-aalaga sa akin. Alam ni Kuya Matt iyon.”

Voltes V: Legacy is about family

For Raphael and Matt, the story of Voltes V: Legacy is about family both on and off the camera.

“Relatable po din siya sa family ko,” Raphael said of the storyline. “Ganun din po kami – tulungan po kami, nagmamahalan po kami. We protect each other. And si mama pag may nagkasakit po sa amin, talaga pon nag-aalala po siya at gagawin niya lahat mapagaling kami. Kaya yung reaction ko is parang same lang as a family. Ramdam na ramdam ko po iyon.”

Matt on the other hand said that the death of Mary Ann Armstrong will definitely change the brothers in the series. “Yung scene na iyong was definitely important for the Armstrong brothers and para kay Big Bert. Malaking pagbabago kasi mas naging tough si Big Bert. Ayoko masyado magsalita kasi magiging spoiler pero definitely Big Bert will have a change of his outlook in life.”

And like Raphael, family is also important for Matt. “The thing with Voltes V is this is all about family. And para sa akin important ang pamilya kasi sila ang nagbibigay ng motivation at ng inspirasyon araw-araw. Sila yung nag-susupport sa akin and iba yung love na nakukuha mo sa family. At iyan din yung naramdaman ko sa mga scenes namin ni Miguel, Rap-Rap and Ms. Carla. Napaka-genuine at nararamdaman ko yung aspeto na iyon at nararamdaman ko di iyon sa family ko.”

Voltes V: Legacy stars Ysabel Ortega, Miguel Tanfelix, and Radson Flores. Dennis Trillo, Albert Martinez, Martin del Rosario, and Carla Abellana are also part of the cast.

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