Alden Richards (right) and Jasmine Curtis-Smith
Though their relationship is mostly professional, Alden Richards feels that she and current leading lady, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, have developed a “secret language” that gives them spontaneous chemistry onscreen.
“The more that we don’t plan things, all the more we get good results. Maybe we already have a secret language. We don’t talk a lot outside of work. Of course, we have to rest and go about our personal lives. But for some reason … just looking at each other is enough; we already know what to do,” he said in a recent press conference for their new drama series, “The World Between Us.”
“We go over the script, do a take, and it’s all good,” Alden added. “We don’t overprepare. But for some reason, all Jasmine needs is one take.”
Alden and Jasmine previously worked together in the drama anthology “I Can See You” and the movie “Imagine You and Me.”
“Whenever we see each other, there’s this feeling that we have known each other for a long time… I find comfort in her when we work together, which translates to the characters we play,” the Kapuso star said. “Being comfortable with your screen partner is a big deal.”
Same page
It helps a lot, Alden said, when he and his costar are on the same page and are both passionate about the craft—no need to rely on personal matters.
“We want to break this thinking that there should be something romantic going on between the actors offcam [for the teamup to be effective]. I would like to believe that the audience knows that it’s more about the characters than our personal lives,” said Alden, who’s also happy that his fans remain supportive of him, regardless of who gets paired with him.
“The World,” which airs weeknights beginning July 5, is inspired by the Emily Brontë novel “Wuthering Heights.” (The series will also stream on iQiyi starting July 6.)
In it, Alden plays a tech genius named Louie. After becoming an orphan, he finds himself under the wings of Rachel (Dina Bonnevie), the CEO of a leading phone company.
Louie then meets Rachel’s children, Brian (Tom Rodriguez) and Lia (Jasmine). As time passes, Louie falls in love with Lia. But he suppresses his feelings, because he doesn’t want to betray Rachel’s trust. First, he wants to become a business asset for Rachel and then prove that he’s worthy of Lia’s love.
Playing Louie has been a refreshing change, Alden related, because this is the first time in nine years he played a character who’s not entirely good.
Grey character
“I usually play a good boy, always giving and forgiving. But because of my character’s experiences and struggles here—betrayal, getting framed up—Louie will eventually come to a point where he will be compelled to exact revenge on the people who wronged him,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it because Louie is a grey character. And I haven’t done something like it since my movie ‘The Road’ in 2011.”And no offense to his other projects, but “The World,” he said, is one of the best he has done so far. “I was apprehensive when I first heard about the series. But after thoroughly reading the script and hearing the explanation of the creative team, I realized that I haven’t done something like this before,” he said. “I learned a lot from my past series, but this is different.”
Another thing that Alden is excited about is working with veteran stars, like Dina and Jaclyn Jose, because it keeps him “on the edge of my seat” and helps bring out the best in him.
Jaclyn, for one, is her motherly critic. “I have worked with Tita Jane a lot. And even if we’re not working on a series, she would surprise me with messages about my performances. She would say, ‘O, maganda ‘to. Ito, hindi masyado.’ I appreciate that,” Alden said. “It’s like I have a mother when it comes to acting, with the way she looks after me.”
“I always look forward to working with veteran actors, because I learn a lot. It doesn’t matter how long you have been here in the industry—learning never stops. I’m always hungry for knowledge, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with talented people,” he said. INQ