Individually, they're hot! Whenever, wherever...you will find the face of at least one of them in a TV show, movie, commercial, billboard, magazine cover or poster. Danilo Barrios is already awarded Best New Movie Actor; James Blanco is Best New TV Actor; and Cogie Domingo, a three-time Best Actor nominee.
Put them together and they're explosive! Together, they have the capacity to change the current youth-oriented scene. Together...well, that's the key word - for it is near impossible to get these three cute and talented guys together. And, it's not just a case of highly in-demand stars having conflicting schedules.
In this group of three, you have two stars who are part of fiercely competing soaps (Danilo is in Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan; Cogie is in Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin); fiercely competing youth-oriented shows (Danilo is in G-mik; James and Cogie are in Click); fiercely competing musical variety shows (Danilo as part of Streetboys is a regular of A.S.A.P.; Cogie, a regular of S.O.P.) and heck, fiercely competing networks! But here they are, behaving like regular kids -- kicking sand and having fun while shooting Cool Dudes 24/7 in a beach in Subic. They're really like their title, quite kewl, none of them taking the competition seriously.
The other problem that usually turns up when you cast three hot stars is the managers. Most fans may not be aware of this, but some managers go so far as counting close-ups, timing the lengths of dialogue, or having the script revised to make his talent rise above the rest. Not so with these three -- even their managers are kewl.
Cogie's manager, Joji Dingcong, Danilo's Chito Rono, and James' Popoy Caritativo are the so-called new breed of talent managers: progressive, sensible and transparent, understanding the creative process.
So what makes the team-up of the three stars click on-cam as well as off? As with most groups, even barkadas, they hit it off well because they are very much alike but also very much different. As Direk Ruel Bayani (famous for directing quality dramas like Maalaala Mo Kaya, Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako, and Larawan, and now directing his first movie under Regal) says: "They're all the typical 'bagets', so full of energy and very active. Pero may dating ang bawat isa that makes them different from each other".
For Direk Ruel, Cogie is the effortless star. "Kahit ano pa ang gawin mo, hindi mo mapipigilan ang pagsikat ng batang 'yan", he declares. "He exudes that Leo confidence, yung alam niyang he's the king (of all zodiac signs). He's good and he knows it. Pero hindi naman mayabang."
Danilo is no doubt the dancer. "Very makulit, very spirited. A bundle of energy talaga," says Direk Ruel. "Kahit hindi gumagalaw at naka-close-up lang, pati mukha nag-e-exude ng energy."
James is the opposite of the two in terms of attitude. "He's so shy and unassuming. His smile is sheepish, hindi 'yung bigay na bigay. When the three are talking about a certain topic that they are so passionate about, James' voice can hardly be heard. And when he's with people, he doesn't act as if he's in showbiz. It's like, he's cute but he doesn't know it."
In the trio's first movie together, they play characters close to their true selves. Cogie is this rich kid who is used to getting his way. A brat, in short. James is the quiet, often serious nerdy type. Danilo is street-smart, resourceful, cute, and endearing.
The roles are tailor-made for the actors. "My job as a director is to let them be and get out of the way," Direk Ruel laughs. "The challenge is to set up the atmosphere where they can be themselves. For them to project what is natural because even what is natural to them already has value. So amusing. And besides, you have a cast whom you don't have to teach how to act. They're very good despite being new in the business."
The story takes place all in one day. The group just wanted to score tickets to a bikini/beauty contest held at the beach. Getting fake tickets instead, the three go on separate adventures, all fast paced and full of energy, says the director.
"One-day movies are exciting because the audience is aware that there's a time limit. You know that it's not going to drag. Plus, our audiences now are so much exposed to the pacing of American movies and MTV, they don't just want you to be fast, they expect it!"
Cogie, James, and Danilo converge in the end, but somehow, with everything that they went through, they are transformed forever; they undergo a coming-of-age. They discover something about themselves, and they become a bit more mature for it.
The title Cool Dudes 24/7 is youth-speak, very now. As in: kids now want to know what a person goes through," says Direk Ruel. "It's a necessary phase, so it's not shallow. Despite what seems like a shallow mission, good youth movies also tackle family, friendships, self-esteem, asserting one's place in society," he explains.
Adds Direk Ruel, "More than the story, I am very excited over the fact that it's such an event. To bring together Cogie Domingo, James Blanco, and Danilo Barrios is not an ordinary everyday thing. There's so much electricity in the air. As they say, even the casting is an event in itself!
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