With the first episode of Philippine animated web series "Sun Chaser" now out, its star and co-producer Liza Soberano revealed she played an active role in casting its Filipino voice actors, including Charo Santos-Concio.
Speaking during an Instagram Live with directors Bobby Pontillas and Bernard Badion, Soberano said she read the script around 30 times before production.
"I wanted to picture all these different artists with each character," she said. "We had the Fil-Am cast already filled out, so I had brought up the idea of bringing in Filipino actors to do the voice acting."
She noted that she went through different actors, listening to the quality of their voices and matching them with different characters. The voice cast includes Soberano herself, Santos-Concio, Manny Jacinto, Eugene Cordero, JR De Guzman, AC Bonifacio, Dingdong Dantes, Zia Dantes, and KD Estrada.
For the character Lola, Soberano already had one person in mind.
"When I read Lola, I was thinking of Ma’am Charo right away. I don’t know why. She was just like... she was perfect for the role," she said.
Zia was also her first choice for the character Sessa.
"I always wanted it to be Zia, because I have seen videos of her on TikTok, and she has the cutest little voice," Soberano said. "She has a lot of energy and, like, aggression to her voice, too, which is really adorable."
Soberano, who voices the ally manananggal Angie and antagonist Queen Marisol, said producing the series taught her a lot about casting.
"Casting is really fun," she added.
"Sun Chaser" revolves around Jordan Santos (Jacinto), whose summer break is upended when a supernatural curse strikes his Lola's island. Santos discovers their family secret: he's destined to be the next Spirit Guardian, who must protect the human and spiritual world.
It premiered on June 22, with more episodes planned be released through fundraising.
Soberano has been steadily building her space in animation. She previously voiced Alexandra Trese in Netflix's supernatural series "Trese," and will appear in DreamWorks Animation's Philippine mythology-inspired "Forgotten Island."
(✍️: Dane Rubite)
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LUKE & LIZA FUTURE COLLAB? 👀
Japanese-American actor @thelukevoyage said he is open to working with @lizasoberano when asked which Filipina actress he hopes to collaborate with in the future. | via @eon_sanchez
May today be:
A day of blessings filled to the brim,
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A day of beauty,
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God bless you always @lizasoberano
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@lizasoberano
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Let us thankful to GOD for His Divine Providence. He is more than enough.
God bless you always. Be safe & healthy @lizasoberano