Enrique Gil (left) and Liza Soberano
It was just a slip of the tongue when actress Liza Soberano finally admitted on Thursday that she and onscreen partner Enrique Gil are a couple for real and now “exclusively” dating.
At the media gathering for their latest drama fantasy series “Bagani,” the cast members were asked the question: “Are all the members of ‘Bagani’ already taken in real life?”
To this, Liza replied: “Yes,” which caused an uproar from the crowd.
The actress then stopped herself, raised her right hand, and quipped: “Just wait. We are still too young!”
When Enrique’s turn to reply to the same question came, he simply said: “Yes.”
Before this, the couple was asked if they missed each other whenever they were not at work.
Enrique said: “We’re so used to working together on different projects, but there were times when our schedules don’t match. When that happens, we just call each other. Of course, I miss her…She had shooting for ‘Darna’ recently so we just did a video call.”
Liza, who said it had been over four years since they first teamed up, added: “There were also days when we don’t get to talk to each other, especially when the signal in our location gets really bad. But we make up for lost time. Quen (Enrique’s nickname) sometimes visits me at home, and then we would have dinner.”
On another issue, Enrique admitted he “felt hurt” by comments that he and Liza were “not Filipino enough” to play the lead characters of “Bagani,” saying that “being a Filipino is not just about one’s physical look.”
“Everybody has his own opinion of what a Filipino is. For me, it’s not just the skin color. I know I’m a Filipino at heart. I was born here and raised by Filipinos,” he told reporters. “I love this country. This is my home.”
Enrique, 25, was born in Cebu City to a Spanish father and a mother who is Filipino but of German descent. Liza, 20, was born in Santa Clara, California, in the United States to a Filipino father and American mother. At age 10, she moved to Manila to live with her father after her parents separated.
“The fact that we are half-Filipinos doesn’t make us less Filipinos. We respect other people’s views, but we also want to let them know that we feel and are proud to be Filipinos,” declared Liza. “I may have not been born here, but I’ve learned to love the Philippines as if it was actually my birth country. I love Filipinos. I love the fact that I am one, and am proud to be one.”
In “Bagani,” Enrique plays Lakas, a warrior from the desert region and whose parents were branded as traitors for standing up for what is right. Liza is Ganda, the loving but feisty younger sister of the farm region’s leader, Dilag (Precious Lara Quigaman). The series also stars Matteo Guidicelli (Lakam), Sofia Andres (Mayari) and Makisig Morales (Dumakulem).
“We just want to give a show that viewers will want to watch and enjoy, and at the same time, share lessons about the history of the Philippines,” Enrique pointed out.
Incidentally, Liza started working on the latest adaptation of the Filipino superheroine “Darna” on Wednesday. The Star Cinema-produced film will be directed by Erik Matti.
“It’s really fun working with the whole crew. I have yet to wear harnesses, and I’m already enjoying the experience,” Liza shared with reporters.
Enrique, however, will not be her leading man. “I think it’s also good that we have separate projects so we can grow individually. It’s also so that we can get to work with different actors.”
To this, Enrique said: “It’s perfectly fine with me. I will support Liza in whatever project she does.”