JaDine zeroes in on LGBT issues in ‘Till I Met You’

Seeing the potent chemistry of James Reid and Nadine Lustre at work on the silver screen is one thing, but witnessing how they drive their feisty followers crazy in a meet-and-greet setting—at SM Mall of Asia’s Music Hall last week—is a different matter altogether.

James and Nadine were there to sing songs for the crowd to promote Jollibee’s Burger Steak, their latest endorsement. We were there for our exclusive two-in-one chat with the couple, endearingly called JaDine by their fans.

To say the least, there was a lot of screaming, swooning and shoving going on—but JaDine didn’t mind going through the ear-splitting frenzy.

“We’re used to it already. But, for me, it wasn’t always like this,” 22-year-old Nadine told the Inquirer  backstage. “Long before I became part of ABS-CBN, I wanted so much to be a part of show biz. I’ve been trying my luck since I was 9 years old, when I hosted ‘Storyland,’ a show for RPN 9.

“Thereafter, I became a member of the girl group Pop Girls on GMA 7. Then, I moved to TV5 to do ‘Bagets.’ As you can see, I’ve been around.

“But after that, everything stalled. I was depressed and was ready to give up. I told myself, ‘Wala na… (It’s over).’ Then, my movie with James, 2014’s ‘Diary ng Panget,’ came along—and everything turned around. So, if newcomers ask me for career advice, I tell them to never give up. You can’t always get what you want, but you have to keep trying!”

James’ ascent to the top was quicker, but not necessarily easier: He won the “Teen Clash” edition of “Pinoy Big Brother” in 2010. But people only began to see him in a different light three years later, when the 23-year-old matinee idol released his self-titled debut album.

Fortuitously, Nadine was chosen to star with him in the music video of “Alam Niya Ba?,” the album’s carrier single—but, they didn’t even like each other in those days.

No sparks

Nadine recalled with a smile, “Actually, we met for the first time in a workshop. We ignored each other. I hardly remembered him. There were no sparks. I found it hard to get along with him, because he didn’t talk much—that was my first impression of him. I would show him the games [installed] in my phone, and I did much of the talking (laughs).”

“The first time I met her, Nadine struck me as someone simple and down-to-earth. It was somebody else who chose her for my video, not me. I was trying to jump-start my career back then. It still surprises me to realize how far I’ve come,” James noted.

Details of the story of their coming teleserye, “Till I Met You,” are still under wraps. How different is it from their previous projects?

James said, “It’ll come as a shock to some of our fans, because its theme is more risqué than usual. Like ‘On the Wings of Love,’ its tone is unlike most of the conventional drama series televiewers are used to seeing on a daily basis—because its story tackles pertinent LGBT issues. So, it’s something they should look forward to.”

(James and Nadine are currently in picturesque Santorini in Greece to shoot scenes for the series.)

How has their relationship evolved since their public declaration of love for each other last February?

James answered, “We’ve been friends for two years before we got together, so I know pretty much everything about her now.”

What do they enjoy doing together? Nadine said, “We like computer games. And we enjoy traveling….”

“…Because we enjoy taking photos and videos of different places,” James added.

It’s been two years since they began working as a love team, and Nadine has never looked lovelier.

To borrow a line from Tina Turner’s hit song: What’s love got to do with it? With a smile, Nadine quipped: “People look their best when they’re happy.”