ennis Trillo's house isn't quite a fantasy house.. but it is in a “Majikal” setting

The house of Majika star Dennis Trillo is like a palace in the mountains. Monterey Hills in San Mateo is a growing community of literal ups and downs -- but mostly ups. From the top of the hill, one could snatch a wide view of the metro. Dennis' house though is situated at a lower part, near a bridge.

Dennis's mom was the first person to greet us when we arrived. She was of course the one most familiar with the house's history. In fact, they first came in at the time when the place looked like a setting for Majika. “Kami ang mga nauna dito, tapos pinagawa ang bahay. Maliliit noon, tapos binenta ‘yung likod na lot sa amin. Actually nu'ng nakuha ko ito, akala ko mataas na ito, kasi wala pang bahay. Ngayon, marami na ring nagpapatayo ng bahay doon,” she relates.

Dennis' family is actually a business family. The family owns a long-time carpet business, though not a strong business. “Mahina ngayon, pero meron pa rin.” They also have a purified water business, while Dennis' mother has lately set u p a food stall at Sta. Lucia, selling food similar to Plato Wraps. “On The Wraps ang tawag. Nilagyan ko ng tarpaulin ni Dennis' nakatulong naman.”

Pets And Remodelings

Coming back to the house, the striking feature of Dennis' house once you enter is the large fishpond in the front yard which houses huge carp, two often unnoticed catfish, and two cute turtles. “Yan, pinagawa ng daddy ni Dennis nu'ng na-remodel ang bahay. Nagdagdag siya ng mga fish.” The wealth ofpets is actually the father's interest. “Mahilig si Mister ko diyan. May lovebirds pa kami. Nakawala nga lang. Meron pang rabbit.” And that rabbit went missing, she related -- by magic, perhaps?

Dennis himself loves pets -- dogs, actually. “Yung aso nga niyang si Max, pinapakawalan niya. Nagsisira ng sapatos, so kinulong namin. Ako, di mahilig masyado sa pets. Sila mahilig,” says the mom about her husband and son. Having pets had influenced another business as well. “Nagbebenta pa kami ng mga lovebirds sa Araneta, Cubao noon.”

The house had been through several remodelings. Dennis' room was non-existent in the first years. “Garden ‘yan dati. Iba kasi korte ng lupa dito, eh. Pati sala sa baba, mga bedrooms, wala pa. Taas lang.” The last remodeling was done ten years ago. “Wala kaming designer. Mister ko lang nagpaayos lahat.” And since labor tends to get more expensive, the Trillo family used their own labor. “Trabahador namin ang gumawa niyan.”

Fantasy And Family

Later Dennis arrived, relating his family life and how he balances it with work. “Every couple of weeks ako nakakauwi. Buti ngayon, ang location ng mga shooting, malapit sa area kung saan ako nag-stay ngayon.”

Home for Dennis now is reast and fun. “Madalas naglalaro ng video games.” Xbox Live is his gaming choice. “Meron akong mga friends na naglalaro online. Tinatamad pumunta sa mga condo. Tatawagan na lang, nagko-connect kami, tapos maglalaro.” Interesting --even console games go on line now!

“Bukod doon, nag-I-Internet din ako, nanonood ng movies and DVDs.” DVDs form a wide-ranging collectiopn. “Most of my stuff horror, to David Lynch classics, to foreign films, Marami akong napapanood na foreign films kasi roon ka nakakakita ng raw talent.” OF course, he is into fantasy. Clash of the Titans, Excalibur, Jason and the Argonauts and The Odyssey are some of the fantasy movies he loves. His fantasy interest demonstrated by his two favorite Lord of the Rings action figures: The Witch King and the King of the Dead. “Those are my two favorite characters.”

However, when it goes to the showbiz side, he does want to get out of the fantasy mold in later projects. “Halos lahat ng roles and exposures ko, fantasy talaga. Ayoko mag stick doon, eh. Gusto kong mag-explore n gibing genres and roles. Mas gusto ko sana offbeat roles, psychotic, ‘yung ibang-iba talaga,” he says. Hmm, it's probably why he likes the Witch King and King of the Dead.

However, despite his showbiz image, Dennis is every bit a family man. “Madalas every Sunday ang time for family activity. I extend my breaks para sa kanila. Kapag hindi ako free sa work, sila ang nagpupunta sa condo. ‘Pag nag-dinner sa gabi, mag-o-order kami ng pagkain habang nanonood ng movie.” He exploits away from his home do sting him in some ways. “Medyo nakaka-miss. Kasi may times na nagkasakit ka, nakaka-miss ‘yung may nag-aalaga sa'yo. ‘Pag magkasunod ang mga araw ng taping, nakaka-miss ang pamilya, ang ingay, ang kakulitan.” Even the mother said wistfully, “Bihira na siya umuwi dito.”

Dennis also helps with the family business from time to time. “Basically mommy and daddy ko ang in-charge. Ako, patulung-tulong, like when may kailangan na bilhin na piyesa ng mga makina.”

In addition, Dennis is older brother to two adopted children, one male and one female, aside from his two sisters. Dennis acts as a good brother, according to the mom. “Wala naman akong problema kay Dennis. Mabait. Buti hindi pa nag-aasawa. ‘Yan naman ang trend sa mga bata ngayon. Hindi kaagad-agad nag-aasawa. Alam nila na mahirap ang buhay.”

From A Distance

Dennis' home occupies 1,000 square meters of San Mateo soil. You could certainly do some magic whit that much land, but right now, the mom is considering selling it. “Malayo eh. Saka mahal ang gas ngayon,” she says. Today, she hopes for a place in Quezon City , much closer to where Dennis is, and restoring that time and togetherness that Dennis sorely misses at his home in the hills.

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