Maine Mendoza (left) and Alden Richards in “Destined To Be Yours”
Three months after its tale commenced, the love story of Benjie and Sinag finally found its happily ever after last May 26 in the 63rd episode of “Destined to be Yours”— Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza’s first teleserye together.
However, AlDub’s “love” affair with their avid followers continues to unravel. For their fans’ avid and perfervid delectation, Inquirer Entertainment is releasing exclusive photos taken from Benjie and Sinag’s recent date at the altar.
The tweet-generating tandem’s popularity and appeal wouldn’t be possible if Maine and Alden didn’t trigger enough sparks between them.
When we asked Alden last Wednesday how he felt about their characters’ fairy tale ending, even the 25-year-old heartthrob couldn’t resist waxing romantic about “Destined to be Yours’” dreamy nuptials.
Read between the lines, AlDub Nation: “Maine and I really enjoyed the finale’s many ‘kilig’ moments. The series allowed us to show kung ano kami off-cam dahil nadadala namin siya onscreen. What you see is what you get. Ang gaan (it was light) … and it was gratifying because we were confident we gave our all for the show,” Alden told the Inquirer.
What is the secret to AlDub’s potent and copacetic chemistry? Well, it involves an alluring brew that isn’t all that easy to quantify. But, if we go by the telegenic pair’s recent pronouncements, it isn’t hard to deduce their genuine fondness for each other.
The blushing bride
When Alden visited the Inquirer office last month, he even disclosed what Maine’s pet peeves were (among them, dirty feet!) after disclosing that long and dirty fingernails turned him off.
The last time we met Maine, we asked the actress to pay tribute to their fans by recalling what her first impression of Alden was the first time she “formally” met him. “He was as gentlemanly as I was told he’d be,” she told us. “It may have been our first time to meet [formally], but he didn’t look like he was ill at ease with me at all. Eventually, nahawa rin siya sa akin at natutong magpa-wacky at magpa-bebe.”
When asked about the things the AlDub Nation knew little about her regular screen consort, Maine disclosed: “Alden vividly remembers things. Siguro mga 10 years from now, he’ll recall even the seemingly inconsequential things that you do for him now—kaya niya pong ibalik ’yun (he can bring them back). That’s what I keep telling him, ‘Grabe, ang tagal nang nangyari nun, binabalik mo pa rin (laughs). Hindi ’yan away ha (we aren’t fighting); that’s just how we tease each other.”
We’ve been told that Alden and Maine’s respective management teams are cooking up another project for the popular duo—this time, a big-screen follow-up to Michael Tuviera’s blockbuster rom-com, “Imagine You & Me.”
But, are their possessive fans ready to see them pursuing solo projects or collaborations with other partners?
“Not just yet, I’m afraid,” Maine replied with admirable candor. “I always read feedback from fans, and every time names of other people come up, the AlDub Nation gets affected—nagagalit sila. Jake Ejercito’s case was a surprising exception, though, kasi siya pa lang ang ‘third party’ na tinanggap nila.”
Maine is appreciative of the blessings that have been coming her way. She also believes in the pertinence of right timing.
She explained: “It’s been two years since AlDub began. If this [fan frenzy] happened five years ago, I don’t think I would’ve handled it well, because I was very immature then. For example, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with the bashers—who could be very harsh and cruel. Now, they don’t affect me anymore.”
The much-awaited wedding kiss