‘RabGel’: When action speaks louder than words
On the set—and in life—Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji let their actions speak for themselves.
From their colorful, often loud Wattpad proving ground, the two actors make their debut as movie leads in roles that reward subtlety. In “A Werewolf Boy,” where dialogue is sparse, Angeles conveys what words can’t through his eyes and movement. This, in turn, compels Muji to be especially perceptive and respond with measured sensitivity.
As Boy, a mysterious young man who acts like a wolf, Angeles handled his non-verbal scenes with Muji by discerning the emotions he needed to express, and running them over and over in his head. “‘Di ko ma-explain, pero ‘yong mata po mismo ang pinagsasalita ko,” he tells Lifestyle Inquirer. “Sobrang hirap para sa ‘kin kasi bago ko lang din natutunan.”
Getting down and dirty
Angeles’ preparation included sessions with acting coach Ana Feleo, who made him watch hour-long footage of wolves in the wild. He studied and mimicked how they moved, how they reacted to humans. By the time filming began, he had already developed his own unique way of standing, sitting, and walking.
He even went so far as to get dirty to have a better feel for the character, which was originally portrayed by Song Joong-ki in the 2012 Korean version.
“Sa shooting ‘di na ‘ko masyadong nahirapan kasi feeling ko werewolf na ‘ko,” shares Angeles, who tried to stay in character, even in the lulls between takes and sequences. “Tahimik lang ako sa set. Wala akong makeup at minsan dinudumihan ko sarili ‘ko.”
While much of his performance required big movements, the actor put just as much effort into fine-tuning the nuances and smaller gestures—something Muji instinctively picked up on. That was a challenge on its own, but she acknowledged that it was Angeles who still had to bear the heavier burden in their scenes. And because he had already done much of the heavy lifting, Muji was able to reciprocate his energy more easily.
“The way he acts, para siya talagang walang alam at ‘di marunong magsalita. Maaawa ka sa kanya, so you feel like it’s your responsibility to teach and help him—that’s what Rabin’s actions made me feel,” she tells Lifestyle Inquirer. “Through his physical cues, naitawid namin ‘yong gusto naming iparating. It made my work so much easier.”
Effortless rapport
If there was a particular gesture that stood out to her—and needed no interpreting—it was Angeles’ head bows.
“That means he’s asking for pets and rewards for helping out,” shares Muji, who plays Sara, a sickly and melancholic teenage girl who moves to the countryside to improve her health. Around their home, she discovers Boy, whom she tames and with whom she inevitably forms a life-changing bond.
“When we’re acting together iniisip ko na pet dog ko siya!” she quips. Seriously, though, Muji had nothing but admiration for Angeles’ commitment to the craft. Wounds and all, she recalls, his feral leading man ran through forests, braved the rain, endured the cold—without a single complaint.
“I could tell that the things he did was hard. Pero ‘di siya takot madumihan or tumakbo nang nakapaa at habang buhat pa ‘ko,” she relates.
Perhaps the reason this kind of dynamic feels effortless for Angeles and Muji—whose love team is fondly called “RabGel”—is that it mirrors how they actually are in real life.
After working together in such series as “Ang Mutya ng Section E” and “Seducing Drake Palma,” and going on promo rounds for “A Werewolf Boy,” their relationship has only grown stronger. They have never been more comfortable with each other, so much so that all it takes now is a knowing look to understand what the other has in mind.
“Tititigan ko lang siya, gets niya na ‘yong gusto kong sabihin,” Angeles says. “Memorize na po namin ang isa’t isa.”
Online vitriol
But while they thrived in their shared silence on set, the noise outside had become too much to bear.
During their shoot last year, they became a target for hate comments, which they found deeply hurtful, they say. It was even harder for Muji, who, at one point, found herself crying in her dressing room for “two hours straight”—unable to stop reading the negativity, no matter how unhealthy she knew her compulsion was.
She’s no stranger to bashing, she says, but the intensity it reached last year was something she wasn’t prepared for.
“Hate comments have become so normalized. People can easily hide behind fake profiles and dummy accounts, and don’t have to take any accountability for the things they say online,” Muji says. “But even if we don’t see your faces, just know that God is always watching us.”
But if there was anything positive at all to be gleaned from this experience, it’s that all the hate gave her a sense of vulnerability that she needed to do her role justice. “That pushed me to bring out the emotions,” she says. “Naging mabigat at totoo ‘yong mga nararamdaman kong sakit.”
And just as they let silence fill what words couldn’t in the film, they also choose the same in the face of online vitriol. “Kahit ano pa ang sabihin nila sa ‘min nang paulit-ulit, wala kaming gagawin. ‘Di kami babawi,” Angeles says, adding that he and Muji decided to just channel the hate into inspiration. “Ginalingan na lang namin and did our best.”
Cathartic experience
In the end, “A Werewolf Boy” turned out to be a surprisingly cathartic experience. “During shooting, I was holding onto a lot of depressing emotions. But afterward, I was finally able to let go of them, which I found healing,” Muji says.
Angeles isn’t one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He doesn’t like feeling sad, much less being seen crying. But this time, he allowed himself a good cry—and it felt liberating. “Nakaiyak ako nang maayos at nailabas ko ‘yong emotions ko talaga,” he says. “I realized na hindi masamang maging mahina at magpakita ng emosyon.”
Now, they eagerly anticipate the premiere of their film on Jan. 14, even if the pressure is hard to ignore. Still, the excitement for what awaits them this year far outweighs any challenges they might face. In fact, it’s only January, but they’re already manifesting a Metro Manila Film Festival entry in December.
Angeles hopes for good health and more substantial roles with Muji. Muji, meanwhile, wishes for Angeles to win an acting trophy. She dreams of seeing herself on a billboard on EDSA, and is determined to help her father retire comfortably.
Now, these things they have no qualms about saying out loud.
