‘Regal Studio Presents’ an experiment on new screen tandems like Althea-Yasser

Althea Ablan and Yasser Marta

For GMA 7 and Regal Entertainment executives, the weekly anthology “Regal Studio Presents” is not only a platform to come up with new stories in a television movie format, but also a playground of sorts where they can experiment with new screen tandems.

For instance, “Win a Date”—one of the upcoming special episodes for the anthology’s first anniversary celebration—will feature Althea Ablan and Yasser Marta, who have never worked before.

“We don’t know which actors will click … So we want to pair actors who have yet to get a chance to collaborate. I want to see if these will work,” GMA first vice president for program management department Joey Abacan said in a recent virtual conference.

It can be an “expensive experiment,” truth be told. But Abacan doesn’t want to rely solely on “luck.” “We want to take a gamble … take risks. It will be a hit or miss. But if the [pairing] clicks, then we can say we did our job. It has always been a dream. I’m a fan of our actors. And I just hope we did the right thing.”

Althea, whose regular screen partner is “Prima Donnas” costar Bruce Roeland, didn’t expect Yasser to be her leading man in “Win a Date.” “We haven’t done a show together and out of nowhere he’s my partner. So it’s a surprise. Wow!” she said.

While the two actors have common friends, their past interactions have never gone beyond exchanges of pleasantries. “I do see her around. We say, hi, hello, to each other at events. But this is the first we will actually act together,” Yasser added.

But this is exactly what they like about “Regal Studio Presents”—the opportunity to work with actors beyond their usual circles.

“It allows us to explore more character and learn new things from new people,” Yasser said.

“New collaborations are good for us because we get to expand our knowledge. I feel blessed and thankful … This is my second time doing an episode, and I love that it’s always a new story each time,” Althea said.

‘Win a Date’

Directed by Joel Ferrer, “Win a Date”—which airs on Sept. 25—follows Kylie (Althea), a giddy fan girl who enters a contest and wins a date with her celebrity crush, Angelo (Yasser). But Kylie’s excitement turns into dismay after realizing that her beloved idol is a different person offscreen.

“I got really excited when I read the script. The story is cute. The character is a devoted fan who buys all her idol’s merchandise. It’s interesting because I’m the opposite in real life. I’m quite low-key as a fan. I’m not really showy. I don’t like people knowing about the people I fangirl over,” she said.

Meanwhile, as a former member of the pop boy band One Up, Yasser knows what it’s like dealing with impassioned fans. “I think a lot of people will be able to relate … When I was part of the band, we would do shows around the country, and some of the fans would really go out of their way and go to different provinces to follow you and see your shows,” he related.

Dream date

“Ibang klase ‘yung pagmamahal. You become a source of inspiration and motivation to them,” he said.

If they were to join a contest for a possible date with their celebrity crush, who would it be?

“Alden Richards!” Althea said. Yasser chose Heart Evangelista, whom he hopes to take to “Paris.” “Diyan sa paresan sa Banawe,” he said, laughing.

Another part of “Regal Studio Presents’” anniversary lineup is “Eat Must Be Love.” Directed by Xion Lim, the story follows a girl who dreams of working in an upscale restaurant. She works in her mother’s carinderia, but keeps it a secret from everyone out of embarrassment. It stars Almira Muhlach, Bryce Eusebio and Jana Taladro.

“It’s our first year and we felt the need to celebrate it with special episodes that don’t come from a template. We shoot the episodes as we would a movie,” Regal vice president Roselle Monteverde said. “While we also work with established actors, it’s also good to give the newbies—especially the good ones—good opportunities. Its’ a way to develop them.”