Reuniting tandem examines breakups in ‘Exes Baggage’

Angelica Panganiban (left) and Carlo Aquino

Actor Carlo Aquino said he and Angelica Panganiban are thrilled about the public’s support for their onscreen tandem and hope this would translate to their film’s box-office success.

“Whenever I would post something about me and Carlo on social media, I’m excited to read the comments because I’m confident that all of them are positive. Some of the posts are hilarious,” Angelica told the Inquirer over lunch on Tuesday.

“One said ‘OK lang na ’di ako magka-love life, magkabalikan lang kayo.’ It’s like they will finally believe in ‘forever’ if Caloy (Carlo’s nickname) and I reconcile. Sa amin nakasalalay ang forever nila,” she added.

Carlo and Angelica dated in 2005. They will soon be seen in Dan Villegas’ romantic film “Exes Baggage,” which will be shown in cinemas starting Sept. 26.

“Filipinos are hopeless romantics. For them, our reconciliation is the fulfillment of a fairy tale, an ultimate dream coming true,” Carlo observed.

And even their friends are pranking them. “When they see us together, they would chant: ‘Cargel! CarGel!’ It’s so funny! We feel like we’re as young as KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla),” Angelica said. “Another comment said, ‘Kahit ’di na matapos ang ‘Probinsyano,’ OK na sa amin, maging kayo lang ulit.’”

“It’s funny to be part of a love team when you’re already in your 30s,” added Carlo. “Although we don’t think we’re a love team. This is work, and we’re simply trying to enjoy it.”

He said the renewed interest in the CarGel tandem started when he posted a series of random thoughts on Twitter in February while promoting “Meet Me in St. Gallen,” his film with Bela Padilla. “People tried to connect my posts with Angelica.”

The actress said the idea to work again with Carlo first came from her friend, film and TV director Andoy Ranay. “He called me in January to say that he has a good script for us. I got excited about it, too, and called Caloy right away. He also liked it.”

Things took an interesting turn when Carlo and Angelica finally asked the permission of their ABS-CBN bosses if they could work on Andoy’s film. “Since we’re network talents, they thought we might as well do it for Black Sheep (Star Cinema’s new production arm).”

She said CarGel has been approached by other producers, too, “so I hope they’ll still push through with their offers after this movie.”

Angelica plays Pia in the film. “She’s a rebel. I’m actually afraid of her,” she said. “We’re similar in the sense that she is strong and fights for what she believes in. Our only difference is that I don’t sleep around.”

Carlo, meanwhile, plays Nix. “We’re similar in a lot of ways. He likes music. He cherishes his alone time. He hardly goes out with friends, and prefers to stay in his workshop and tinker. Like him, I also get self-conscious sometimes, and tend to overanalyze things.”

Angelica described the film as “something light, but not shallow.”

The actress added: “We want to show the things that cause breakups. They often start from small misunderstandings that get blown out of proportion, because they never got settled.”