Following mixed reactions to Liza Soberano’s voice acting in Trese, director, producer, and showrunner Jay Oliva took to social media to praise the actress, saying her performance was “better than I could have imagined.” 

Since its premiere last Friday, June 11, viewers have weighed in on the Filipino actress’ work on the titular babaylan Alexandra Trese, with some describing it as “monotonous.”

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, June 15, Oliva said that the character is supposed to be “cold and unemotional.” 

“When casting for the role of Alexandra, I spoke to creator [Budjette Tan] about how he envisioned the character. He basically said that she’s like Batman/Bruce Wayne. She’s cold and unemotional at times because of all the things she experienced in life,” he explained. 

I’ve cast A LOT of Batman/Bruce Wayne’s in my career so I know a thing or two about tortured souls who persevere to do right and defend those who cannot defend themselves. Both @shaymitch and @lizasoberano brought unique performances that was better than I could have imagined. 👍

— Jay Oliva (@jayoliva1) June 15, 2021

He added, “I’ve cast a lot of Batman/Bruce Waynes in my career so I know a thing or two about tortured souls who persevere to do right and defend those who cannot defend themselves.” Oliva has directed several animated shows and movies such as Justice League Dark and The Legend of Korra. 

He then praised Liza and Shay Mitchell, who voiced Alexandra Trese in the Filipino and English version of the animated series, respectively. “Both [Shay Mitchell] and [Liza Soberano] brought unique performances that was better than I could have imagined,” he said. 

Oliva said instead of nitpicking which version is better, viewers could celebrate the release of a Filipino mythology-inspired series to a worldwide audience. 

“So whether you like one more than the other or if you like them both, I think the thing to celebrate the most is that we have brought Filipino mythology and lore to the world, and the world is responding by how much they love it,” he said. 

He added, “Thank you Philippines, your support made this happen.”

Olivia also praised the other teams who worked on other language versions of Trese. “The other language actors who play Alexandra are pretty dang awesome, too. Watching it in the other languages, I actually forgot I worked on the show and it felt so new and fresh,” he said. 

Liza has previously admitted that she was “hesitant and scared” to accept the offer because she was new to voice acting. “I didn’t want to fail anyone because I know just how much hard work and passion was put into the project,” she said.

Trese is set in a Metro Manila where humans co-exist alongside supernatural beings. The series revolves around the titular character, who is called on to investigate crime scenes that appear to have supernatural involvement. 

The series, based on the graphic novel by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, is written by Yuson, Zig Marasigan, and Mihk Vergara. – Rappler.com