JAMES Reid considers Nadine Lustre his “best girl friend.”
Screen tandem James Reid and Nadine Lustre said their movies’ box-office success has inspired them to become more serious actors.
Collectively known as JaDine, the two were first seen in “Diary ng Panget: The Movie,” which was released in April 2014. Their home studio Viva swiftly churned out a followup, titled “Talk Back and You’re Dead.”
On May 13, they will be seen on the big screen again in the rom-com “Para sa Hopeless Romantic.” All three films were directed by Andoy Ranay.
“We are aware of our responsibility to the audience. Kids look up to us. James and I are very careful with our actions. We want to be good role models to our fans,” Nadine, 21, said during a recent press conference for “Para sa Hopeless Romantic,” a coproduction of Star Cinema and Viva Entertainment.
“We’re now more serious about our craft. We continuously work on improving it,” said James, 23.
James admitted that “things happened so fast” that he initially had a hard time coping with fame. “It’s a good thing that Nadine is beside me. We go through this
together,” he said.
“We just try to enjoy whatever comes our way. We use every opportunity given to us to inspire people,” Nadine added.
The young stars insisted that romance is not on top of their list, that they are simply friends.
James asserted: “Nadine is the closest girl friend I have. She confides in me, and when I give her advice, she listens.”
Security blanket
Nadine added: “He is always there for me… like my security blanket. We refuse to feel pressured by others.”
“Para sa Hopeless Romantic” is based on Marcelo Santos III’s best-selling novel of the same title. It also features Julia Barretto and Iñigo Pascual.
Director Ranay said he witnessed JaDine’s development as a love team. “When we did ‘Diary,’ they were understandably still awkward around each other. In ‘Talk Back,’ things got easier because they already knew each other,” recalled Ranay. “Now, they have a deeper friendship. They’re more open and mature.”
(mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)