Real-life couple Kathryn and Daniel share key ingredients of their successful 10-year love team

Kathryn Bernardo (left) and Daniel Padilla celebrate their 10th year as a love team (KathNiel) with the airing of “2 Good 2 Be True”

While actress Kathryn Bernardo claimed there was no formula as to how she and Daniel Padilla managed to last for 10 years as onscreen partners, she did say that the key ingredients of their successful teamup were “respect” and “teamwork.”

Kathryn and Daniel, collectively known as “KathNiel,” are currently promoting their first teleserye in five years, Mae Cruz-Alviar’s romantic-comedy “2 Good 2 Be True,” which began streaming on the Kapamilya Channel on Monday.

“If there was something that we knew we had for each other since Day 1, it was respect,” said Kathryn, who first worked with Daniel in 2011 on the series “Princess and I.”

They were last seen on the 2020 miniseries “The House Arrest of Us,” although this only streamed online.

“Teamwork is also very important. We never saw each other as competition. We helped each other. We aimed to go up and we held hands as we began achieving this goal. We were there for each other through thick and thin, just like recently when we had to tape a really difficult scene. I felt I wasn’t ready and DJ (Daniel’s nickname) gave me nothing but encouraging words. We help each other to be better. That’s the kind of relationship we’ve developed through the years,” said the 26-year-old actress.

Real-life lovers

Daniel added: “Love, respect, and all-out support: these are very important. For us, there is no easy or difficult character to play. We always try to make each project work.”

Kathryn and Daniel became real-life lovers in 2012 but it was only in 2018 when they publicly confirmed their relationship.

“There are so many things that I can say are ‘too good to be true:’ That we still have work even in the midst of a pandemic, that we are now celebrating our 10th anniversary as a love team, that we are still together as a real-life couple, and that we have the kind of fans who shower us with so much love and support.”

“2 Good 2 be True,” produced by RGE Drama Unit, follows the love story of Ali Fajardo (Kathryn) and Eloy Borja (Daniel).

Ali is a nurse while Eloy is a petty thief. Their first encounter happens at a party in a hotel, where Eloy also eventually steals something from Ali. She manages to track him down but while romance appears to be blossoming between the two, we see that Eloy is more focused on finding the truth about his father’s (Romnick Sarmenta) imprisonment and that Ali may play a role in that.

Daniel said it took so long for them to make another project partly because of the setbacks caused by the pandemic. Another reason was that they took their time choosing from the five stories that were presented to them during preproduction work. “Aside from the fact that we studied all the scripts and found this particular one to be the best, this one also has Ronaldo Valdez as part of the cast. When we heard of this for the first time, it’s also when Kath and I looked at each other and later smiled in agreement,” he explained.

Right project

“We saw his name there, and that the setting would be in a hacienda. Plus, we liked the tone of the serye so we said, ‘This is it!’ You see, we came from a fantaserye (“La Luna Sangre” in 2017) so we wanted to work on something different. Also, this will be our 10th year so we want people to watch us do something that they really appreciate,” Daniel added.

Kath agreed that choosing the right project had been a long process. “The other projects didn’t feel right for us to do at the moment, especially during this difficult time. That’s why when this was presented to us, it was like everything aligned. We were told that Direk Mae was available to direct it, that the team we requested to manage the show was OK with it, and that Tito Ron agreed to be a part of it. I thought it was good that the project got delayed because it was still raw. We didn’t want to force ourselves into doing something just for the sake of having a program to show,” Kathryn pointed out. “It’s not easy to create something during the pandemic, what with all the lock-in rules and regulations. We waited for the perfect time to start on it. It happened during the last quarter of 2021 when restrictions started to ease.”

“Everything happened in God’s perfect time. If we forced ourselves to do this two years ago, I don’t think we would be able to give our 100 percent to the project. We’re very proud of this one—our audience can learn a thing or two from each and every character in the series,” the actress shared with reporters.

Privilege

KathNiel is likewise proud of the fact that their new series is the first Kapamilya teleserye to also stream simultaneously on Netflix.

“For us, this is such a privilege. Not all are given this opportunity, this is why we made sure to come up with something that’s really good and inspiring. We also hope that this will open more doors not just for us but for the company, to showcase what we can do to the rest of the world. We also hope that by watching this, our OFWs will feel closer to home even though they’re far away,” said Kathryn.

Daniel then offered an interesting insight. “Netflix just gave us an opportunity to reach out to the Filipino youth, especially in America. I hope they watch this because it’s something that’s reflective of Filipino culture. We know that those who have already grown up abroad either forget or have no clue about their roots. It’s important that they watch this to learn all about Filipino values and culture,” he stressed.