Bianca Umali and Ruru Madrid. Image: Instagram/@bianxa
Bianca Umali candidly admitted that she and her real-life boyfriend, actor Ruru Madrid, unfollowed each other on social media after a lover’s spat on the set of their upcoming teleserye “The Write One.”
Umali shared at a media conference that she was at the “height of [her] emotions” when she unfollowed Madrid during filming, shortly after director King Mark Baco was asked about his experiences on working with two real-life couples on set. Aside from Umali and Madrid, real- and reel-life sweethearts Paul Salas and Mikee Quintos also star as Hans Arevalo and Victoria dela Peña in the teleserye, respectively.
“To be honest, bago i-shoot [‘yung teleserye], na-anxious ako, may apprehensions ako,” Baco said in response to a reporter. “What if mag-away sila, maaapektuhan ba ‘yung perfomances [nina Ruru, Bianca, Paul, and Mikee]? Normal naman ‘yung mag-LQ (or lovers’ quarrel,” he added, as he shared his initial concerns before working with the Kapuso actors.
(To be honest, before shooting the teleserye, I was anxious and initially had apprehensions. What if the couples fight? Will Ruru, Bianca, Paul, and Mikee’s performances be affected? It’s normal for couples to go through a lovers’ quarrel.)
Baco then revealed that there was a time on set where Umali appeared to have isolated herself in a tent following a “small fight” with Madrid, recalling a conversation with a crew member.
“Then one day, lumapit sa akin yung isa sa mga crew, ‘Direk, may nag-a-unfollow sa IG [Instagram]. Sino ba ‘yun? Siyempre, kilala natin kung sino ang mga ‘yun,” the director began, as he and the cast looked at Umali with teasing smiles.
“Then nag-worry talaga ako. Sabi ko, ‘Asan si Bianca?’ ‘Nasa tent [daw].’ ‘Anong ginagawa niya?’ ‘Wala, walang kinakausap.’ Ito na nga sinasabi ko eh. Bothered ako noong araw na ‘yun, if I have to be honest. Sobrang sensitive ako na lapitan si [Umali]. Patay malisya na lang ako n’un. ‘B, ito ang gagawin natin ha?’ Pero at the back of my mind, ‘Huwag naman [magalit],’” he further shared.
(Then one day, a crew member came up to me and said, “Director, a couple unfollowed each other on Instagram.” Who was that? Of course, we now know who they are. Then I got worried. I asked, “Where is Bianca?” “She is at the tent.” “What is she doing?” “Nothing, she’s not talking to anyone. I was bothered on that day, if I have to be honest. I was really scared to approach Umali during a sensitive moment of hers, even if I pretended to not know anything. I simply said, “B, here’s what we’ll do.” But at the back of my mind, “I hope she doesn’t get mad.”)
Laughter exploded among the cast following Baco’s response, although he noted that Madrid and Umali remained “professional” and were able to pull off their scenes without a hitch.
Umali then went on to clarify that she and the Kapuso hunk had a “small fight,” although she didn’t reveal the cause of their lover’s quarrel.
“[We just had] a small fight lang naman. Hindi siya something na dapat maging big deal. And we follow each other again,” she said, as she noted that eagle-eyed fans noticed the incident on social media.
“‘’Yung naging pag-unfollow namin sa isa’t isa was a spur of the moment, nasa height [kami] ng emotions,” she further explained.
(We just had a small fight. It’s something that shouldn’t be seen as a big deal. And we follow each other again. We unfollowed each other at the heat of the moment, when we’re at the height of our emotions.)
The Kapuso leading lady also said that fights are “normal” in a relationship, especially that she and Madrid are “together every single day.”
“Again, aminado naman kami na being in a relationship, wala naman talagang perfect na relationship. You really go through mga maliliit na tampuhan lalo na for us na we are together every single day, working. It’s normal, I guess, to get burned out a bit pero okay naman,” she added.
(Again, we’re aware that not all relationships are perfect. You have to go through spats, especially that we’re working together every single day. It’s normal, I guess, to get burned out a bit but we’re okay now.)
The “The Write One” leading man echoed the actress’ response, as he briefly recalled that their fight lasted the whole day. “Fina-follow na namin isa’t isa ulit (We follow each other again),” he clarified, which elicited laughter from the audience.
Umali also admitted that separating her career from her personal life is a skill, but added that she and Madrid are trying to work it out.
“It’s a skill, I guess, for an actor to separate yung personal life happenings sa trabaho… Kami naman so far [ni Ruru], nagagawa namin na hiwalay personal issues namin kapag nasa eksena kami,” she said.
(It’s a skill, I guess, for an actor to separate their personal and professional life. Ruru and I, we’re trying our best to separate our personal issues from work.)
The upcoming romance fantasy stars Madrid as writer William “Liam” Herrera and Umali taking on the role of frustrated actress Joycelyn Herrera.
Earlier this month, the Kapuso actress revealed the confrontation incident with Madrid, which happened at a parking lot in 2019 after the premiere night of the film “Cara x Jagger” starring the actor and Jasmine Curtis-Smith. EDV