The spice in Rocco’s romantic relationship

Rocco Nacino

Writing a love story is a tricky thing. There’s more to it than schmaltz, mush and razzmatazz. TBA Studios’ entry in the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), “Write About Love,” lets us in on the story behind the tale of a romcom-in-the-making.

The charming film centers on the collaboration of newbie writer (Miles Ocampo) and seasoned writer (Rocco Nacino). Their creative juices don’t exactly blend well. She’s Ms Mainstream, while he’s Mr. Indie.

So the characters they create (portrayed by Yeng Constantino and Joem Bascon) are stuck in love limbo. Will their hearts ever get to paradise?
Here’s my chat with Rocco:

How did your movie change your perception about relationships? I learned that relationships shouldn’t always be perfect or what we asked for. It consists of ups and downs, and getting through them together is what makes a relationship “perfect.”

When it comes to love, are you more of a realist or idealist? It mixes a bit. Everything must be put in proper perspective and practicality comes into play. Discussions have to be logical. It can’t just be spontaneous and you hope for the best. It takes two to tango. One needs to be a realist, the other can be an idealist (laughs).

What’s your fave line in the movie? Love pushes us to make decisions—right decisions, wrong decisions, sometimes selfish decisions, sometimes selfless.

In what ways can you relate to your character? It’s the complete opposite of me. But sometimes, just like the character I play, I put up a wall when I feel things aren’t going my way.

What makes your relationship with Melissa (Gohing) work? My line of work is different from hers, so we always have something new to talk about. That adds spice to our relationship. Mel likes to share lots of facts about the world and her experiences. I like to listen.

Do you and Melissa talk about marriage already? It’s unavoidable, but we said, there’ll come a time when we’ll sit down and really talk about it. Now is the time to take advantage of what we have with work as we reach the peak of our careers before moving on to anything else.

What’s the naughtiest and nicest thing you did this year? I had no time for mischief because I’ve been swamped with work. The nicest would be making my mom’s 60th birthday a memorable one with our family’s surprise.

Cesar’s cutoff

Cesar Montano bagged the best actor award for the short film, “Heart for Victory,” at the 9th Manhattan International Film Festival recently; another addition to his trophy collection.‍‍‍‍

Buboy is revved up to shoot “Last Man Out” in Palawan. When the clock strikes 12 on the set, he is the “the first man out.” He strictly follows a midnight cutoff time. INQ