Janine Gutierrez and Charlie Dizon Enter the Unknown in Balaraw: Blood Island
Charlie Dizon as Bulak and Janine Gutierrez as Sabina Tejeros in Balaraw: Blood Island. Courtesy of Netflix Philippines
Courtesy of Netflix Philippines
From filming underwater scenes to navigating the show’s eerie setting, the actors discuss the experience of working on the series.
What would you do if your mother disappeared and the search led you to a mysterious island? In Netflix’s original series, Balaraw: Blood Island, each step forward brings more questions.
Directed by Rae Red, the series follows the story of Sabina Tejeros (Janine Gutierrez), who travels to the uncharted Balaraw Island to search for her mother, Rebecca, who went missing years ago. Accompanied by her girlfriend, Bulak (Charlie Dizon), and her uncle and godfather, Arturo, she uncovers dark family secrets, island cult dynamics, and dangerous supernatural truths linked to local myths and folklore.
Ahead of its premiere, Vogue Philippines quickly chatted with its lead stars Gutierrez and Dizon on their characters and on-set experiences.
Vogue Philippines: Janine, what was it about Sabina that immediately drew you to the character?
Janine Gutierrez (JG): I found similarities between her and myself. We’re both super stubborn. If I want to do something, even if other people tell me no, parang mas nagaganahan pa ako to like, oh my God, I have to get this done. Especially if it’s anything related to family.
I’m a panganay, and I’ll do anything for my sisters. Like if may umaway sa kanila, parang nagiging warrior din ako. Like, I feel like I can become the Hulk to protect my family. And I think ganun din yung determination ni Sabina when her mom went missing. And sumuko na yung police. Nobody believed in her anymore, but she was so determined to find her mother.
Charlie, what was your first reaction when you read the script and learned what kind of world Balaraw was?
Charlie Dizon (CD): Super exciting. Na-excite agad ako. Hindi siya yung typical stories kasi na napapanood din natin. And lalo na nung nasa set na kami, nung naging totoo na yung napapasa ko sa script, yung nakikita ko na yung setting, mas na-excite ako, mas na-feel kong makatotohanan siya.
And yeah, ang daming themes nitong story na to. May about Filipino drama, about family, about folklore, Filipino folklore. Tapos horror siya pero hindi yung typical horror na nananakot.
What was the first thing that you two talked about when you found out that you’d be working together on the show?
CD: Exciting. Mas pinag-usapan namin yung previews na pinagsamahan namin ni Julia bago kami nagka-work. Siguro parang mostly yung pinag-usapan namin.
JG: And I think our looks. Kasi, I think the first time that we really got into character was the look test. So ako, I had like super short hair and a cool outfit. And then si Charlie naman had like red hair. So I guess that helped with kind of figuring out din yung mannerisms or yung personality nung character.
Janine, there is a strong physical element to the story. What was the most challenging part of filming in the world of Balaraw?
JG: Dalawa. First would be filming on the boat. We filmed on a boat for two days. And I have bad motion sickness. So I was like, super downing Dramamine. Para hindi ako mahilo. I could go filming nang tuloy-tuloy. But that was really hard. Kasi syempre skeleton yung crew. Everybody’s on the boat. There was like a smaller boat that was our portalet. You would jump to the other boat if you had to use the toilet. So it was challenging but, at the same time, super cool. Kasi you know it wasn’t fake. We were really in the middle of the ocean.
And then the second one would be the underwater scenes. Kasi, we had to train for that. And it was super hard. It was so much harder than I expected. Nung training, ‘kala ko, “Ah, kaya,” ang galing ko. Nung eksena na pala, I was like, oh my god, ang hirap. Super hirap.
CD: Technical kasi din.
If you have to spend one night on Balaraw Island, which member of the cast would you want beside you?
CD: Si Janine na lang. Of course, si Janine. Kasi, yeah, siyempre mas comfortable if girl yung kasama mo din. Pareho kaming naghahanap nung adventure, feeling ko. And mas magtutulungan kami together. Pareho takot, pero at the same time, pareho matapang din.
JG: Si Charlie na din. I think kaya namin ma-survive ang kahit anong situation together. We will do everything to get out (laughs).
Balaraw: Blood Island is now streaming on Netflix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Balaraw: Blood Island is a Netflix original series directed by Rae Red. It follows Sabina Tejeros, played by Janine Gutierrez, as she travels to the uncharted Balaraw Island to search for her missing mother, Rebecca. Alongside her girlfriend Bulak, played by Charlie Dizon, Sabina uncovers dark family secrets, island cult dynamics, and supernatural mysteries connected to Filipino folklore.
The series stars Janine Gutierrez as Sabina Tejeros and Charlie Dizon as Bulak, Sabina’s girlfriend. The story also features Sabina’s uncle and godfather, Arturo, as she investigates her mother’s disappearance.
Janine Gutierrez plays Sabina Tejeros, a determined daughter who refuses to stop searching for her missing mother. Charlie Dizon plays Bulak, Sabina’s girlfriend, who accompanies her on the journey to Balaraw Island.
The series brings together family drama, romantic relationships, Filipino folklore, and supernatural horror. As Sabina searches for her mother, she encounters secrets and dangers that challenge what she believes about her family and the island.
Janine Gutierrez described filming on a boat as particularly challenging because of her motion sickness. She also discussed the difficulty of underwater scenes, which required specialized training. Despite these challenges, filming at sea allowed the cast and crew to experience the setting firsthand.