Richard and Dawn back in each other’s arms

FILE PHOTO

“Being in love makes people happy. It affects them no matter how old or young they are,” said Richard Gomez when asked about the secret to his effective onscreen partnership with Dawn Zulueta.

Gomez and Zulueta will soon be seen in the drama series “You’re My Home,” which will air on ABS-CBN in the first quarter of 2014.

At a media gathering on Thursday, both actors said they were flattered by the comparison of their love team to that of the popular and much younger tandem of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.

“Our (love team appeals) to a wider audience,” Gomez explained. Zulueta added, “I think the advantage we have over other love teams is that Richard and I had a history. This makes it easier for us to express emotions to each other onscreen. We have chemistry.”

Zulueta said, unlike other tandems, she and Gomez “don’t need to exert too much effort improving our working relationship. We don’t need workshops or focus groups. We’re friends so things come naturally. We enjoy each other’s company.”

She added, “When we work on sensitive scenes, we sit down and discuss what we should do. We’re very technical. First, we set our limitations, then discuss our angles … We don’t have to worry about tender moments. Anyway, what we’re doing now is nothing compared to what we used to do when we were younger.”

Both insisted that their marriages remained unaffected by what they did at work. “We don’t discuss the past. We don’t have ‘what ifs?’” said Zulueta.

Gomez said his wife, Ormoc City Representative Lucy Torres, was a big fan of their love team. “She knows about all my projects with Dawn. Like our fans, she has long been waiting for a follow-up to the series ‘Walang Hanggan,’” the actor said.

The pair is also slated to do the Iglesia ni Cristo film “Sugo” in 2014.

Not the meddling type

Zulueta’s husband, Davao del Norte Representative Anton Lagdameo, is not the type to meddle in her show biz commitments. “His only request was for me to set limits on my work hours—that was why I have a cut-off (time). As for my roles, for obvious reasons, I decided not to accept those that would require me to be more daring than what I did in ‘Walang Hanggan.’”

Asked how their roles in “You’re My Home” were different from the previous show, Zulueta said, “This time we start off as a married couple. We struggle with (the) usual … conflicts, differences.”

Gomez added, “Of course there would be kilig moments, absolutely! It’s important that viewers learn from this series the value of family, of coping with problems, of taking care of each other no matter what happens.”

Zulueta’s other drama series, “Bukas na Lang Kita Mamahalin,” is currently airing on ABS-CBN and will end in December. “I doubt that it would have an extension. Its story is only good for 13 weeks,” she said. Zulueta plays Zenaida, mother to Gerald Anderson’s character, Miguel, who is accused of rape and is imprisoned. Zenaida helps her son seek justice at all cost.

Zulueta has only good words for her costar. “Gerald is such a sweet boy. He is very promising. He has already showed so much potential to be a really good actor. He just has to continue what he started in ‘Budoy,’ then his movie ‘On The Job’ and our show. I saw a lot of improvements in him in terms of acting.”

Aside from Gomez and Zulueta, “You’re My Home” also features Cherrie Pie Picache, Iza Calzado, Shaina Magdayao and Enchong Dee.

Zulueta said she expected to have “fun” on the set. She explained, “We’re with people that are so easy to work and to get along with. I’ve been friends with Cherrie Pie for a long time now. Iza was my daughter in [the GMA 7 series] ‘Encantadia.’ I get along with everybody—it’s really just the kids (Shaina and Enchong) that I haven’t worked with. I’m looking forward to that.”

Education first

Zulueta, mother to Jacobo, 7, and Ayisha, 4, in real life, is determined to have them finish school first before allowing them to join show business. “I don’t encourage it now that they’re still young. Once they’re done with school, they are free to do what they want,” she told the Inquirer. “Jacobo is into commercials but my daughter cannot since she is enrolled in an exclusive all-girls school that doesn’t allow it.”

Of the two, it is Ayisha who is inclined to go into show biz, according to Zulueta. “She likes to dress up. She’s interested in makeup. She’s taking up ballet. She likes the stage and isn’t shy at all, but she’s only 4 so it’s too soon to really know what she likes.”

While she wanted to have more kids,  she said: “’Di na kaya ng powers ko. That would have been possible if I were five years younger, but not now that I’m already 44.”

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