Jacob Batalon surprises family by speaking Ilocano in 'Reginald the Vampire' | ABS-CBN

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Jacob Batalon surprises family by speaking Ilocano in 'Reginald the Vampire'

Jacob Batalon surprises family by speaking Ilocano in 'Reginald the Vampire'

Yong Chavez,

TFC News

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Although he is the first to admit that he is not a fluent speaker, Jacob Batalon said he spoke Ilocano in an episode of “Reginald the Vampire” this season to represent his real-life family’s roots.

The Filipino-American actor plays the title role in the horror-comedy SyFy series.

His mother, Vangie Andres, is originally from Pangasinan province in the Northern Philippines.

She supported Batalon's performing interest from the beginning and took him to auditions when he decided to become an actor.

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In the show, Batalon even used Andres as Reginald’s last name to honor his mother.

"They asked me if I speak another language and I was like, ‘I mean, kind of,'" said Batalon as he spoke Ilocano on the show. "I don't want to sit here and pretend like I'm like fluent in Ilocano. I know my mom is shocked that I did that."

He also shared that it was a surprise for his family.

Jacob Batalon is among the stars and producers of SyFy. (CourtesyJacob Batalon is among the stars and producers of SyFy. (Courtesy" SyFy "Reginald the Vampire")

"I kind of learned a little bit through them. But then I feel like they spoke to me mostly in English," Batalon added. "So, I just had to force myself to learn to understand what they're saying."

Batalon famously starred in the “Spider-Man” series with Tom Holland and Zendaya.

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Like in “Reginald the Vampire,” his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was not originally written as Filipino but was changed into one when he was cast.

The actor is now also one of the producers of the show. Asked what he learned from the role, Batalon said it was the attention to detail "that you need in order to make a whole show."

"Actors only think about like what we're doing for the day, what we're like performing," he said. "But we're never really thinking the big picture."

Batalon also quipped: "I learned a lot through that. That's been very stressful. It makes me think twice about my acting."

As an actor, he said he liked that he can sink his teeth into his portrayal of the transformations that his character go through in season 2 of "Reginald the Vampire."

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"[Reginald] goes from this bumbling sort of accidental hero to this very purposeful, thought-out, and more passionate person," he said. "By the end of the show, you kind of see Reginald in a very different place."

On how the transformations of his character challenge him, Batalon said: "It's more fun than it is challenging to creatively explore what Reginald could be going through at the human level."

"It's cool to sort of be an emotional wreck at work and to be fine at home. I can kind of cry out all my problems at work. So that's probably been like the best part," Batalon said.

"Reginald the Vampire" airs Wednesdays on SyFy.

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