Andrea Brillantes and Seth Fedelin ready for more mature roles, but still without kissing scenes

Seth Fedelin (left) and Andrea Brillantes aka ‘SethDrea’

Seth Fedelin and Andrea Brillantes, collectively known as “SethDrea,” both said “yes” to being open to playing more mature roles in 2022, but draws the line at doing kissing scenes.

The two are promoting the Dolly Dulu romantic drama series “Saying Goodbye,” which has been showing on the Chinese streaming platform iQiyi since Dec. 4.

“We’re very grateful for the big breaks we’ve been getting. Who are we to turn down a project, as long as the story isn’t super mature?” Andrea said during a virtual media gathering to promote the last three episodes of “Saying Goodbye.” “I’m confident that Seth and I can handle more mature stories, especially when he turns 20 [in July]. I’m just not too sure about kissing scenes.”

Seth and Andrea are part of the popular quartet “The Gold Squad,” which also features Kyle Echarri and Francine Diaz (KyCine). They were first seen together in the hit drama series “Kadenang Ginto.” This was immediately followed by another dramatic series titled, “Huwag Kang Mangamba.”

In “Saying Goodbye,” the two play Ricky (Seth) and Elise (Andrea), respectively. They first crossed paths at an old record store where they fought over the last remaining copy of a Yeng Constantino album. This first meeting eventually turns into a lasting friendship, which gets threatened when Elise discovers Ricky’s secret.

“Actually, quarreling with each other is normal to us. I’ve known Ali (SethDrea’s term of endearment) since I was 16. But it doesn’t mean that because we’ve been working together for a long, long time that I already want to say goodbye to him. I think the longer we work with each other, the better we become as actors. It’s hard to imagine doing a project without him,” said Andrea, 19, when asked whether she has had disagreements with Seth in the years they’ve been working as a love team.

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Andrea recalled that the most recent fight they had was when Seth failed to show up in their scheduled dance workshop. “He said he wasn’t feeling too well at that time. He showed up the following day, so everything is fine,” she said.

Andrea further said: “We know each other too well, including each other’s trigger points. We’re used to doing scenes together. We’re a good team. I think it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to him if ever that happens. Sometimes, when I get really mad at him I don’t reply to his messages, but that doesn’t mean I already want to say goodbye to him.”

Asked what lessons they’ve learned from working on the series, Seth replied: “I guess it’s how to be open to my coworkers, especially our director, in terms of their suggestions. I realized that when we combine our ideas, the outcome is always good. I also gained a lot in terms of acting experience in this series. My knowledge in acting widens each time I take risks and agree to portray a particular role.”

Scene from ‘Saying Goodbye’

Preparations

Andrea, however, admitted to first having a hard time relating to her character in the series. “I needed to do research first. I watched similarly themed movies and read books. I was worried at the beginning that I won’t be able to portray her effectively. I later realized that you shouldn’t limit yourself in relation to what you can and can’t do. It’s all in the preparation. I found myself crying because of the book I read—that’s when I became sure I can portray Elise.”

They were then asked to comment on the fact that theirs has become an established onscreen partnership that they are now asked to help another love team, Kobie Brown and Andi Abaya, also known as “KoDrea,” who are also part of the cast.

To this, Andrea answered: “This is funny because Andi is older than me and I call her ‘ate.’ I never considered myself as someone more popular or more experienced in acting. I refuse to feel entitled. Besides, I’m not perfect. I also commit mistakes while on the set. I jumble my lines and still get tongue-tied even though I have been doing this for quite a while now. I also get called out by Direk for something I did or didn’t do.”

Open to suggestions

Meanwhile, Seth, said that up to now, he would sometimes catch himself staring into space while at the same time feeling overwhelmed by what’s going on in his career. “Even up to when we’ve already finished ‘Huwag Kang Mangamba,’ I’m still asking mentors of what they think is lacking in me as an actor. I remain open to their suggestions on the things that I still need to improve on. I still feel nervous. You have no idea how hard it is for me to speak in front of a camera,” he added.

This Christmas, Seth said he wished to “receive more love.” He explained: “This is not just from people who are close to me, but also from people who support the work I do. As for my family, I wish for us to remain complete during the holidays. I want to be able to tell them that I’ll take care of them no matter what happens, even when the whole world crumbles.”