MAX Collins is currently being seen regularly in the replay of “Innamorata” on GMA-7’s Afternoon Prime, but she has now also started lock in taping for a new soap, “To Have and To Hold”.

This is her comeback project after giving birth to her and Pancho Magno’s first child, Skye Anakin, who was born in July of last year. She admits having some anxiety leaving her son while she’s away on lock in taping, but she’s confident hubby Pancho will take good care of their baby boy.

In “To Have and to Hold”, she will share topbilling with Carla Abellana and Rocco Nacino. Max and Rocco first got to work together in the soap “The Good Daughter” in 2012. “To Have and to Hold” was first assigned to Derek Ramsay, who’s now so busy with Ellen Adarna so he backed out.

Rocco says he doesn’t mind being a replacement for Derek as he’s just so happy to be back to work after his stint in “Owe My Love”.

“It’s a great role,” he says. “I play a husband who was hurt by his wife, played by Max, then I meet Carla who gives me hope. The story is about betrayal and redemption in relationships that people can easily relate with.”

As for Max and Carla, they’ve worked together before in an episode of the drama anthology, “Karelasyon”, entitled “Martir”. “So we’re all fine kasi nagkatrabaho na kaming lahat before,” says Max. “I’ve also worked with Carla’s fiance, Tom Rodriguez, in ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ so we’re really comfortable with each other.”

For sure the stars of “To Have and To Hold” will not be linked with each other since everyone knows Rocco has just married non-showbiz bride Melissa Gohing. Max is happily married to Pancho and Carla will tie the knot soon in October with Tom who’s now also busy with the lock in taping of his soap with Alden Richards, “The World Between Us”.

In “To Have and To Hold”, Max and Rocco will play a married couple, Dominique and Gavin Ramirez. They seem so happy together but a big scandal will tear their relationship apart. Carla will play Erica Gatchalian, a woman who will later figure in Rocco’s life. All the show’s cast and crew underwent the required swab test before the taping started and all of them got negative results.

No network war in Direk Perry’s movie

DIRECTOR Perry Escano got sick last year with shingles and inflamed lymph nodes due to a very weak immune system. He also had a growth near his neck that had to be operated on. But now, he has fully recovered and back doing a new movie, “Caught in the Act”, a youth-oriented story about some high school students who invent a new mobile app that helps report ongoing crimes around them. But their lives are put in danger after they stumble on the illegal activities of a corrupt cop who then hunt them down.

“I did a lot of research before writing the full script,” says the director of the drama “Gurong Hindi Marunong Magbasa” and the comedy “Ang Lihim ng Piso”. “It’s my first time to do a youth movie and I connected with a global app that helped me a lot. This is an exciting mystery-adventure movie intended for millennials. What’s nice is that I have a cast that combines Kapuso and Kapamilya stars, so dito, walang network wars. I really believe industry people should unite, lalo na ngayon we’re going through a crisis that has badly affected the moviemaking industry.”

How did he cast the film that has GMA’s Joaquin Domagoso of “First Yaya” and ABS-CBN’s PBB runner up Andi Abaya as the lead stars, supported by Karel Marquez, Shido Roxas, Lance Raymundo, John Gabriel, Tony Co, EJ Panganiban, Roy Sotero, Ella Sheen, Jiana Aurigue and Edna Hernandez?

“I conducted virtual auditions but most of them, napanood ko na before, like Joaquin in ‘First Yaya’, so I know which actors will fit the characters I have in mind. I want actors na ang personality, opposite sa characters na gagampanan nila sa movie. We’ll start our shooting on June 9 and we’ll have a workshop muna on the set to train them. There’s is no love story in the movie, so the two leads are not paired as a love team. It has comedy but I told them there will be no slapstick and no teleserye acting as I want this to be something different from what people usually see on TV.”

The movie is produced by MPJ Entertainment Productions, JCB Production and Golden Brilliance with Josie Paynor and Reagan Romero as executive producers. Since the main villain is a cop, won’t the police complain about their negative portrayal in the movie?

“Not all the cops are bad, may good cops din naman, so balanse lang sila. The film also promotes good Filipino traits, like not giving up when you are facing trials and adversities in life. I want to show Pinoys are very responsible, hopeful and hardworking in achieving their dreams in life. We’ll also show the influence of social media and today’s gadgets in interacting and connecting with each other. The various Apps we have are now necessary companions that are literally very significant in our daily lives, especially on emergency matters, like what we will show in this film.”