JC SANTOS is glad to reunite with Bela Padilla in “Wish You Were the One”. “I am always excited to work with Bela,” he says. “Most of the movies we did are dramas na hindi kami nagkatuluyan.

In the last one, ‘366’, I was her first boyfriend who died and si Zanjoe Marudo talaga ang kapareha niya. Now, for the first time, we’re doing a romantic comedy, very light compared to the ones we’ve done before.”

He says he has special rapport with Bela. “When I watch her doing a scene, playing another character, I realize ang galing talaga ni Bela as an actress. Nagiging audience niya ako and I enjoy it while watching her. With her, nasa artist mode kami lagi. I really learn a lot from her and we’re really good friends. Si Bela ang lawak-lawak na kausap, so hindi namin hinahayaang mawala ‘yung in-invest namin sa isa’t isa after working with each other in six movies na.”

They’ve become so close he made her the “ninang” of his daughter, River Altheia. “Our friendship is the kind na we can rant to be very honest with each other. We also give advice sa isa’t isa. We can confide kung may maganda kaming hindi pinagdaraanan. Kabisado na niya ako when I’m going through something na hindi maganda.”

In “Wish You Were the One”, he plays Ellis, a landscape artist. He is reserved and quiet while his girlfriend, Franki Russel as Zoe, is an outgoing extrovert. Eventually, they part ways after JC proposed marriage and Franki rejected his proposal.

“Sa story, may mutual friend kaming ikakasal so I was invited and I’m sure she’s also invited,” says JC. “Yung mga kaibigan namin, gustong magkabalikan pa kami and they’re hoping that ‘yung pagkikita namin uli sa wedding will pave the way for our reconciliation.”

But JC doesn’t want to be rejected again and he tells their friend that he has found a new girlfriend. He then talks to Bela as Astrud to pretend to be his new inamorata. “While we are pretending that we are in a relationship, I realized that I’m really falling for her and I felt it’s really destiny that we met at the wedding. I felt that she feels the same way about me and that’s why the movie’s title is ‘Wish You Were the One’.”

In this movie, they are directed for the first time by Derrick Cabrido who’s better known for horror films and dark materials. We ask Direk Derrick how is it directing JC and Bela who have made several drama movies together.

“I’ve watched most of their past films and I know established na ang working relationship nila with each other,” says the director. “I really welcomed the chance to work with them at pareho silang napakagaan katrabaho. Sobrang kalog sila kaya masaya kami sa set. Tawanan lang.”

He likes it that they quickly open up to him. “I really appreciate that they’re both very collaborative. I really value their inputs specially in how to do the difficult scenes. When we’re not happy sa first take, they don’t hesitate to do a take two. May scene nga sila na nag-uusap lang sila habang nakaupo sa sofa. It was not part of the original script, but I decided to include it in the film kasi natural na natural lang sila.”

JC says the fans of their love team who supported their past dramatic films would surely enjoy “Wish You Were the One”. “Ibang-iba ito sa mga nagawa na namin before na mapanakit. Punumpuno ng good vibes ang pelikulang ito and they’ll go out of the theatre na masaya sila and in good spirits.”

AUTHOR PROFILE

Mario Bautista