As their series embarks on a fiercer new season, the cast of “The Iron Heart” recollects their most memorable happenings on- and off-cam, so far.

With a string of action-packed sequences comes the inevitable pain and bruises, which the actors wear like a badge of honor. This only shows the amount of dedication they put into every action scene choreographed by international fight director Wang Yan Bin. Richard Gutierrez explained that safety is their top priority but they also understand what they signed up for. After all, they are determined to do whatever it takes to elevate Pinoy action.

He further mentioned that the team had a great time in Cebu City, their filming location in the past 9 months. “We want to thank Cebu for accommodating us, for welcoming us. ‘Yung local government at lahat ng mga tao doon talagang winelcome kami, full support sila sa amin,” shared Richard during their press conference for the series’ Season 2.

For Jake Cuenca, working with an ensemble cast of this caliber is one thing he’s grateful for. At the core of the series is family, the same value that the cast imbibes behind the cameras. “I just enjoy every second working with everyone here. Sobrang pamilya na talaga kami with the staff and the crew, production,” said Jake, who has built a mutual admiration with Richard. Respect is seen as they credit each other’s hard work.

Amidst all of the action-packed drama in The Iron Heart are mind-opening references, such as the impact of women doing action. Dimples Romana imparted that playing Selene – who fights in heels – lets her champion women empowerment, taken from the fact that she joined the action series after giving birth.

“When you talk about women empowerment, napaka-sensitibo niyan, eh. May mga pagkakataon kasi na nape-present siya pero hindi siya na-e-execute nang maayos. But I feel like with ‘Iron Heart,’ we have done very well in terms of presenting and executing that myself. Imagine, I am a mom of three. Kapag nanay ka ng tatlo, nakaka-empower kapag nakakanood ka ng isang nanay na bumabaril in heels,” Dimples reflected, adding that fighting in heels wasn’t intentional but she did it anyway. “’Yung mga boys nga, hindi tayo nag-a-adjust pag nahihirapan, eh bakit ako mag-a-adjust dahil babae ako? Heels ba kamo? Simulan na ‘yan!”

She continued, “Just the challenge alone is so satisfying that when I read the comments, and I will not speak only about Selene because I work alongside Lou Yanong, Kiara Takahashi, Sofia Andres, Sue Ramirez, everybody, all these amazing strong independent women fighting alongside men, is revolutionary.”

Young stars Louise Abuel and Anthony Jennings are thrilled to explore the action genre through their respective characters Troy and Cronus. They take pride in being part of a Pinoy action series with fight scenes that are increasingly implausible and fresh for the modern audience.

“Unlike before na ‘yung punches pasimple-simple lang, ngayon mas maganda na ‘yung choreography, so ang ganda panoorin sa TV,” Anthony commented. Meanwhile, Louise thought, “Dati po kasi, noong bata ako, panay drama mga ginagawa ko. Now, kaya ko pala mag-action and mas na-excite ako na mas gawin pa.”

Roi Vinzon expected to showcase his action chops anew in the series, but to his surprise, his character is pegged for dramatic scenes. And that makes it more exciting for him. In The Iron Heart, even the actors themselves never know what they’re going to get in terms of their characters and scenes.

Christian Vasquez enjoys infusing his natural humor into his action scenes, “Dito na-explore ko kung paano mag-work together ang pagiging comic and action. Sobrang nakakatuwa kasi hindi rin biro ang mga action scenes dito, talagang binibigyan ng oras.”

A lot of exciting things are in store for the loyal viewers of The Iron Heart. Catch all episodes, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5, and A2Z.