JERICHO Rosales and Janine Gutierrez were supposed to merely do a script reading for their first working project together, Kapamilya Network’s newest teleserye, ‘Lavender Fields,’ that premiered in September last year.

The actor initially invited his first-time co-star in the series where they play husband and wife in the revenge drama.

“Would you like to do a script reading with me?,” Jericho asked Janine. “I’m sure she has her own version of the story. But why will I ask for a script reading? Because she’s the only person in the cast I haven’t worked with yet.”

‘Lavender Fields’ premiered with a star-studded cast, headlined by Jodi Sta. Maria in the title role. Aside from Jericho and Janine, the cast of the action-drama-revenge include Maricel Soriano, Albert Martinez, Edu Manzano and Jolina Magdangal.

Jericho detailed what transpired the first time they saw each other outside their work stations. He initially thought Janine was only in her 20’s and was too young for him to go out on a date with, as he is already 45.

“There was no way I’m dating a 24-year-old girl,” Jericho earlier maintained. That would mean Janine was 20 years his junior as Jericho initially thought.

However, when he Googled her age and found out that she was already 34, Jericho was convinced it will be good to see if they would click together.

The day they agreed to meet up in a café, Jericho brought his iPad for the script reading, which Janine made Janine laugh.

“Like, Holy God, you have an iPad!,” Jericho recalled Janine’s first remark. “Yes, this is a work meeting, I told her.”

However, the actor never got to open his iPad the whole time they were together for six hours. It ended with Japanese food at 3 p.m. and Janine even invited Jericho to go with her when she visited her grandmother, Asia’s Queen of Songs, Pilita Corrales.

Jericho was amazed at how he could spend six hours talking with Janine. He was surprised how fast six hours swiftly went by the whole time they were together. He admitted to be drawn to Janine’s good energy.

“Wow, I could spend six hours talking to this girl,” Jericho said. “That was when I felt something.”

It really helped Jericho and Janine that they had a workshop for their roles and they discussed their respective characters from the start.

“On our first day, they made me wear a bikini and Echo and I already had a kissing scene together,” Janine shared. “We also had a fight scene. They wanted to establish our relationship as a couple.

“We talked about our roles to help our portrayals. More of familiarity so we don’t look awkward on the set since it’s out first time to work together.”

The actor expressed his admiration for Janine’s personality. “She talks calmly,” Jericho offered. “A person who’s like almost never upset about anything. She handles herself really well with such humility.

“She’s the type of person that, ‘Okay, a ‘no’ is a ‘no’ and a ‘yes’ is a ‘yes.’ She knows her decisions and she does it in a very smooth, soft and tender kind of way.

“She is an amazing person, very sweet, very kind, very funny, very dedicated, very good actress. It helps that we are getting along together even off-camera.”

Last December, Jericho admitted in a TV interview that he and Janine were dating after they were spotted together in a number of public places on different occasions.

They were seen watching a movie at Powerplant Mall Cinemas in Makati. Jericho also posted on his social media that he once took Janine on a walking tour in Intramuros and they had a great time together.

Jericho also joined Janine when she invited him to grace the launch of her brother’s single, ‘Huling Sayaw,’ released last September, when he got to meet her whole family.

When Janine went to Japan last November to grace the 2024 Tokyo International Film Festival (for the premiere of her Lav Diaz film, Phantosmia), Jericho was her willing travel partner and they got to explore the streets of Tokyo.

The actor was previously married to model Kim Jones, but has since separated from his wife. For her part, Janine was known before to be in a relationship with actor Rayver Cruz.

Meanwhile, Janine, who turned 35 last October, is undoubtedly challenged with her first-time contravida role as Iris in Lavender Fields, where her co-stars are equally competent actors.

“I always think about the things which make me mad to achieve the Iris character,” said the Urian best actress awardee for Rae Red’s action-crime-thriller, Babae at Baril (2019). “My co-stars have all been helpful.

“Kami ni Echo (Rosales), we even did a workshop together. We play husband and wife in the series. We don’t have sweet moments. We despise each other. We just need to make our relationship strong. ‘Yun ang hugot ni Iris.”

In the beginning, Janine started doing a number of takes for her Iris character. She was advised by her director (Jojo Saguin) not to display her vulnerability for her role.

The scenes with Jodi Sta. Maria as Jasmine, who took away Iris’ husband, Tyrone (Echo), were initially hard for Janine.

“They even talked to me that my face looked really tame,” Janine shared. “When that happened, even during lunch break, I avoided smiling already so they will not see me happy and smiling.

“At the start, I didn’t know if what I was doing was right. I wasn’t sure if I did my scenes right. But when Lavender Fields started airing and I saw that the bosses were happy, I was so relieved.”

AUTHOR PROFILE

Leah C. Salterio