KathNiel now exclusively dating

KATHRYN Bernardo and Daniel Padilla

Daniel Padilla, the lead star of “Barcelona: A Love Untold,” has admitted that he and screen-partner Kathryn Bernardo were already “exclusively dating.”

At a media gathering to promote Olivia Lamasan’s screen drama, which will be in theaters starting Sept. 14, the 21-year-old heartthrob declared: “We’re exclusive for each other. Wala nang pwedeng dumagdag pa doon (We will not allow other people to be part of that relationship).”

Collectively known as KathNiel, they have been working together for five years now. Asked to describe their relationship, Daniel said: “When we encounter problems, we take the extra effort to make things work. We just remind ourselves of the reason we’re doing what we do and think of the people we are working hard for.”

Kathryn, 20, added: “At this point, we already know each other very well. Next to my mom, DJ (Daniel’s nickname) is the person who knows me best. I can just be myself when I’m around him. We just try to enjoy each other every day.”

The duo also hinted that, for the first time, their supporters will see them in a kissing scene in “Barcelona.”

“This movie is our gift to them,” said Daniel.

Kathryn added: “The audience will see us in our most mature performances, so far.”

“Even the two of us got surprised about what we can do for this project. The problems we had while filming, as well as the emotions that we had to feel, we have never encountered in our previous projects,” she said.

Kathryn described their romantic scenes in “Barcelona” as more mature than their kilig projects “She’s Dating the Gangster” (2014) and “Crazy, Beautiful You” (2015).

Working on the film was tough for the duo, both emotionally and physically. “Inang (Lamasan) wrung us out like washcloths. She noticed every single detail, including our posture, how we walk, how we deliver our lines and even how we breathe. It was while working with her that we realized that all the workshops we attended in the past were not enough. We still had a lot to prove as actors,” said Kathryn.

Daniel confessed that Lamasan, who is a stickler for detail, told him to do some scenes repeatedly. He had the most difficulty in doing the scenes where he had to deliver long lines in English. “I didn’t know how to do it—I was thinking of my lines and how I should be feeling all at the same time. There was a scene when I had to tell Mia (Kathryn), ‘Stop psycho-analyzing me!’ I don’t think that would still be included [in the final cut]. That took me 400 takes!”

The movie centers on Ely (Daniel), who cannot get over his past love; and Mia, who is rebuilding her life in Spain after escaping a painful past in the Philippines. Their lives cross in Barcelona, where they unexpectedly fall in love.

Lamasan cowrote the script with Carmi Raymundo. It also features Aiko Melendez, Joshua Garcia, Joey Marquez, Ana Capri, Cris Villanueva, Liza Diño and Ricky Davao.

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