Now it can be told: Jake Cuenca deliberately lost weight for his role in What Lies Beneath.

A fan on X (formerly Twitter), asked the actor: “Nagpapayat ba talaga si Jake Cuenca for his role in What Lies Beneath? Kasi kung oo, grabe ang dedikasyon at pagmamahal niya sa craft niya (Did Jake Cuenca lose weight for his role in What Lies Beneath? If yes, his dedication to his craft is great).”

Adressing the question, Cuenca said: “I did I lose 30 pounds for the prison sequences. I was down to 140 lbs and gained a bit back around 8 lbs to balance my look in Batang Quiapo.”

Another fan commented: “I’m watching advance episode of What Lies Beneath. Ang payat mo sa episode Sir @jakecuenca.”

Cuenca replied: “I’m watching it as well and it’s like watching another person tbh (to be honest). I’m so proud of our show. What’s crazy is somewhere in between those prison scenes I had to gain some muscle back for the Bench fashion show. I only had 2 weeks notice.”

Cuenca plays Edong in the series, a person who was wrongly accused of a crime. The show also features Kaila Estrada, Janella Salvador, Charlie Dizon and Sue Ramirez.

Cuenca stressed that his character Edong in What Lies Beneath is miles different from his Miguelito character in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.