Lance Pimentel talks about working with the cast of 'Incognito' and dream of making action projects

Although they play enemies onscreen in the hit Kapamilya action series Incognito, stunt choreographer-turned-actor Lance Pimentel talked about the genuine bond he has formed with his fellow cast members.

In an intimate media conference, Lance opened up about how close he has become with the show's star-studded cast—particularly Ian Veneracion, Richard Gutierrez, and Daniel Padilla, whom he previously worked with on other projects.

“Lahat kami very close naman like even the crew, cameraman, lahat kam the cast. Pero siguro yung pinaka-close ko si Tito (Ian Veneracion). Matagal ko na kasama since actually our first project yung 'One Good Day' yung TV series which was shown in the Prime Video,” Lance shared.

He added, “Noong The Iron Heart, kasama na namin si Richard noon ang tagal din noon. So, very close with Richard and Ian but got really close din with DJ, and Baron (Geisler) din. We did a project with Baron before this too. DJ and Anthony (Jennings) got really close in this project. Actually, we were just together yesterday. We watched the UFC fight, me, Anthony, DJ, and Richard.”

Bonding off-cam was also a big part of their shoot, especially with their shared love for basketball. 

“May nili-look forward kami kahit pagod na pagod na kami. Two days bago mag-basketball, nag-aasaran na kami. Competitive talaga kami kasi nakikita mo ang gustong manalo ng lahat,” he said.

Photo credit: @lancepimentel Instagram

When it came to acting, Lance revealed how much support he received from the main cast, especially as a newcomer.

“I have the cast members din naman to help me out. They've been really supportive. Lalo na si Tito Ian Veneracion. I go to him for advice. Lahat tinatanong ko sa kanya how to do this. And pati si Daniel, si Baron, they all give me advice on how to do it and they've all been supportive,” he said.

Lance admitted he learned a lot just by watching his co-stars work.

“Talagang when they act, talagang pinapanood ko sila. I don't look at the monitor, I look at them live. Talagang tinitingnan ko yung mga choices nila, how they do it. And ang bilis ko lang matuto sa kanila na kasi they're not greedy with their knowledge and acting talagang they share it with me,” he explained.

Although he's now gaining attention for his on-screen presence, Lance clarified that acting was never his original goal.

“It wasn't really my dream to act or being on-cam. More of my dream was to always make a good action film, action series and action scene. And you know, kung whatever it takes to do that, I'm happy na nabigyan ako ng opportunity to do it,” Lance shared.

He also shared his surprise and gratitude over the positive response he's received from viewers.

“Actually, it's very surprising. Parang my friends would show me yung TikTok. 'Uy, tingnan mo 'to!' Hindi ko talaga in-expect yan because I was doing this stuff for that. I just try to do my best, try to look good for the show and contribute to the show. So added bonus na ngayon but I'm very thankful for that response from our fans,” he happily expressed.

“I'm very happy that people are watching the show talaga. Ngayon ko lang na-appreciate how much people are watching our show,” he added.

“Mostly mabilis lang yung interaction namin. So, tinatawag lang nila akong Kenji and sinasabi nilang ang galing ko sa fight. That's more than enough for me to appreciate.”

READ: Director Lester Pimentel talks about shooting his favorite scenes in Incognito

Catch Incognito weeknights at 8:45 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, TFC, and Kapamilya Online Live via ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Advance episodes are also available on Netflix and iWantTFC.