Lovi Poe on best friends becoming lovers: Know your boundaries

Lovi Poe

Filipino viewers have always been partial to rom-coms that turn friends into lovers. In Easy Ferrer’s “Seasons,” which is the No.1 movie on Netflix as we write this, the abiding love shared by best friends Kurt (Carlo Aquino) and Charlie (Lovi Poe) traipses around the gray areas of romance as they figure out what their respective hearts truly desire.

But troubling complications arise when Charlie’s matchmaking efforts inadvertently drive Kurt away from her and straight into the arms of Jane (Sarah Edwards), a lovely baker who ends up feeding Kurt’s heart as ardently as his tummy.

Lovi, who conceptualized the story, disclosed in a roundtable interview last week why she finds platonic relationships fascinating.

Poe (left) with Carlo Aquino —PHOTOS COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Familiarity and comfort

“I think it can work, honestly,” the actress mused. “In fact, I do have guy best friends, although they’re nothing close to the sort shared by Charlie and Kurt. But of course there are certain limitations they must abide by. “You have to know each other’s boundaries, especially when there are other persons involved—and it’s that third-party element to it that Charlie failed to anticipate.”

Asked what she thought was the reason behind Pinoys’ fascination with the best friends-turned-lovers trope, Lovi said, “A romantic relationship with your best friend is the best kind of relationship. It’s not hard for these people to fall in love with each other because being around the other person gives you a sense of familiarity and a certain level of comfort—everything just feels easy.

“This isn’t intended to judge others, but I feel like some people enter this whole ‘best friends’ arrangement because they’re actually in love and they’re hoping that it goes to the next level.

“More than that, you can be yourself completely with a friend—so that’s another huge plus factor. That’s why when men and women become best friends, there’s always that boundary that they have to be clear about.”

What happens when a person’s feelings are not reciprocated? Does she have tips for moving on?

“I’m going to speak from Charlie’s point of view,” Lovi answered. “Sometimes, you have to take full responsibility for your actions. If we do that, we’ll be able to accept our situation at some point … because if you really love someone, seeing the other person happy will also make you happy. You just have to learn to let go. That may sound really sad, but that’s life.”

Scene
from
“Seasons”

Real-life experience

While Lovi is credited with the story of “Seasons,” the actress said that it isn’t something based on real-life experience.

“I came up with the concept of ‘Seasons’ not because it happened to me in real life,” she explained. “I’ve never had a relationship where I’m best friends with someone I fell in love with. Just the same, I wanted to tell this story because we all make mistakes in our lives—that’s an inevitability for all of us.

“Unfortunately, it’s very rare for people to take full responsibility for their actions. They always find someone else to blame. But then again, our flaws make us human. That’s what this film is all about.”