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Fresh from winning the Best Supporting Actor award in this year's Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Kapuso actor TJ Trinidad is back on primetime as Paolo in the adventure-drama series Genesis. We sat down with TJ during the show's press conference, where he candidly shared his thoughts on his new role, his reunion with his Stairway to Heaven co-stars, and being a dad 24/7. 

Fresh from winning the Best Supporting Actor award in this year's Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Kapuso actor TJ Trinidad is back on primetime as Paolo in the adventure-drama series Genesis. We sat down with TJ during the show's press conference, where he candidly shared his thoughts on his new role, his reunion with his Stairway to Heaven co-stars, and being a dad 24/7.

"Si Paolo, medyo hot-tempered siya. At medyo lugi siya dito in the love equation, kasi nga pinanagutan niya 'yung anak ng character nina Dong at Rhian. So no problem naman, they fell in love, then inalagaan niya 'yung anak until one day, bumalik 'yung character ni Dong, nagkagulo na ang lahat. Imagine, it's like he gave his life to this family, then all of a sudden parang babawiin sa kanya," he says.

Dagdag pa niya, "In a sense, it's not really one dimension. My character is not really bad, he wasn't born bad. Pinaglalaban lang niya 'yung pamilya niya and it's a losing battle for him because wala, mas mahal ni Raquel si Isaak. His frustration manifests through violence, so he ends up hurting Raquel."

How different and similar is Paolo to TJ?

"Well, I've never hurt a woman. Very different. Kawawa 'yung si Paolo eh. I guess similar in the sense that I would also do everything for my family. I would fight for my family, tooth and nail. 'Yun ang similarities ko, but I would do it in a more intelligent way. Medyo naging barbaric si Paolo dito eh."

He is also happy to be working with Dingdong, Rhian, and Direk Joyce for the second time. "It's good, it's easier because magkakakilala na kaming lahat. So wala ng paalam-alam. When we're doing scenes, it's understood that we got to do this as soon as possible to make the scene work. Parang we know na the boundaries already, or rather the limitations, of each actor. Hindi na kailangan mangapa pa, so it ends up making the scenes more organic."

We also asked TJ about how he felt when he won as Best Supporting Actor for Jerrold Tarog's Sana Dati, which happens to be his first acting award. "Ang sarap pala ng feeling. I can't explain it. It feels nice. I mean, the reward for me is the work itself. I didn't expect to feel that way when I won the award. I am thankful that I got involved in that project. There are so many actors here compared to the amount of work that is being given so I feel blessed."

May next indie project na rin siya after Sana Dati. "I have one more film coming out by Alvin Yapan, he's our director. Mga Anino ng Kahapon. Different character naman ito. It's more of a psychological thriller. Family drama also."

As for being a dad to 15-month old Alonso Guillermo, TJ says he goes straight home after work to spend time with his son. "Oh, it's great. It's a challenge pero I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it very much. He can say words already, he walks and he runs. My time is spent at home. That's how I manage it. After work, I go home."

Catch TJ Trinidad as Paolo in Genesis, weeknights after 24 Oras, on GMA Telebabad. -- Text by Michelle Caligan, Photo by Bochic Estrada, GMANetwork.com