Paulo Avelino (right) with Janine Gutierrez in “Marry Me, Marry You”
Marry Me, Marry You” lead actor Paulo Avelino may have described his relationship with Aki, his son with ex-girlfriend LJ Reyes, as a “touchy topic,” but this did not stop the proud dad from enthusiastically talking about his boy.
“He is in New York City now with his mom,” Paulo began. “He is happy that he is already based there and is in school there. We make phone calls every now and then, whenever we are free, since we’re from very different time zones.
“It’s often too late for me to call him after I’m done with work, but our usual bonding moments are spent playing video games,” Paulo beamed. “He is growing up with a huge interest in games. He surely took it after his father.”
Paulo is currently promoting the second season of his romantic-comedy series alongside Janine Gutierrez. “I’m very thankful because I didn’t expect that the audience reaction to my tandem with Janine would be this loud, not just here in the Philippines but also in Filipino communities abroad. Because the program is so successful, the two of us got invited to a show in the United States next year,” he announced.
“To be honest, I had hoped we’d be able to create a following, but not as big as those of ‘KathNiel’ or ‘LizQuen.’ I just knew people would like the pairing because it’s something new. I really didn’t expect this kind of huge support for our love team. I’m really thankful. It goes without saying that we do have chemistry and the show’s concept is working.”
‘Not to fall in love’
When asked how he has managed to create the chemistry with Janine that he just mentioned, the actor jokingly said: “We would try as much as possible not to actually fall in love with each other.”
Janine then jokingly said Paulo would often bully her. In fact, Paulo would tease her publicly by posting messages about her on Twitter. “First of all, that’s not bullying, that’s just me making pa-cute, which she would always take in another way. Janine and I first worked together in a movie (Prime Cruz’s yet-to-be released drama “Ngayon Kaya”), which we shot prepandemic. We’ve gotten much closer while doing the series because we’re in a lock-in set. We had more time to talk and spend time with each other during our rest days.”
He further said: “It’s like I got to know Janine more because of the series; actually, not just her but also the rest of the cast. It would have been more fun if the shoot didn’t end so quickly.”
Surprise
In terms of what their followers can expect from their characters Andrei and Camille, Paulo said: “That’s a surprise! Will they end up with each other or not? Will the revelations within their respective families affect their relationship?”
What has Paulo discovered about Janine that he never knew prior to doing the series? “Aside from the fact that she becomes more and more beautiful, she also keeps getting better and better as she adapts to whatever role is given to her. Compared to the one in the series, Janine’s role in the movie is really very different. I’m actually excited for it to come out so that people could see and compare what Janine did. The series is different in the sense that it’s more heartfelt. The situations presented here are things that every person goes through in real life.”
Good guy
Another person that Paulo gets to closely work with in the series is Jake Ejercito, who plays his childhood best friend Cedric. “He’s a nice guy, even though the stigma that he is mayabang has long been attached to his image. You will never know someone’s true personality until you get to spend a lot of time with him, until you are able to see through the mask that he wears in public. Jake is a good guy.”
The second season of “Marry Me, Marry You” has been airing since Nov. 15 at an earlier timeslot, 8:40 p.m., on the Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, and Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Its episodes are also available on iWantTFC, WeTV iFlix, and on The Filipino Channel on cable and IPTV for viewers outside of the Philippines.