Markus Paterson. Images: Screengrab from YouTube/Ogie Diaz, YouTube/Rise Artists Studio
Almost a year after saying his remark to “never f***ing date someone in the industry,” Markus Paterson is standing by his belief saying this is based on his own experiences, but he conceded that he should have said this in a better way.
Paterson drew backlash for his statement which he stated in a September 2022 podcast wherein he gave a drunken advice to aspiring stars to never date celebrities. The remark also came in the same month as his ex-partner, actress-singer Janella Salvador, confirmed that she’s a “single mom” to their son Jude.
Speaking to showbiz writer Ogie Diaz in an interview, the actor maintained that he remains firm on this stand, while maintaining that this is just his “personal preference” in terms of dating.
“Kasi dito sa industriya, na-notice ko lang na sobrang competitive ang lahat. And the one thing that you shouldn’t be competitive is in relationships with someone. Hindi mo talaga maiiwasang maging competitive sa significant other mo kapag pareho kayong actor or naghahanap ng project,” he said.
“And then kapag [mas sumikat ‘yung isa], lalo na kapag guy, nahu-hurt ‘yung ego namin eh. At hindi namin maiwasan ‘yun. So, to avoid that, just don’t date someone in the same industry, especially in such a competitive industry,” he added.
(I noticed in the industry that everyone is so competitive, and the one thing that you shouldn’t be competitive is in relationships with someone. You couldn’t help but be competitive with your significant other if you’re both actors looking for projects… And then if one becomes more famous than the other, egos get hurt — especially for guys. We can’t avoid it. So, to avoid that, just don’t date someone in the same industry, especially in such a competitive industry.)
Paterson then clarified that he wasn’t referring to Salvador in his statement, while confessing that he knew that his statement would draw backlash from netizens.
“Baka isipin ng mga tao na para kay Jea ‘yun, eh alam niyang hindi naman para sa kanya ‘yun. Alam naman niya na mahal ko siya. Pero inexpect ko ‘yung bashing (People thought that I was referring to Jea, even if she knows that it’s not about her. She knows that I love her so much),” he said, referring to Salvador using her nickname.
The “Viral Scandal” star also pointed out that he should have framed his statements about his sentiments better, so that others would understand where he’s coming from.
“Sana nasabi ko [siya] nang mas maayos, and coming from a place where they would understand my point. Kasi ang pagkakasabi ko talaga, ‘don’t date someone in the industry,’ mukha talaga akong demonyo d’un. I don’t blame them for bashing me, sobra,” he said.
(I wish I could have said it better, and come from a place where they would understand my point. Because I really said outright, “Don’t date someone in the industry.” I really looked like the devil at that time. I don’t blame them for bashing me, really.)
On Janella Salvador
During the interview, Paterson sang praises for Salvador, saying he “couldn’t ask for a better mother” for his son.
“I’m working towards being a better father, just showing my son the love that he deserves,” he said. “Hindi pumapasok sa isip ko na (It doesn’t enter my mind if) I do want to get back with her? It’s just not a priority right now, for the both of us, I feel. Mas priority namin si Jude (Jude is our main priority).”
Despite this, the “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso” star said he’s “glad” that his relationship with Salvador happened since she was the “first one” who taught him how to “love unconditionally.”
“She was the first one to really actually teach me how to love unconditionally. I’ll always appreciate that. I’m glad that it happened with Janella because we already had that connection, that deep foundation of love and trust for each other,” he said.
“Noong nalaman namin that we were expecting Jude, it wasn’t scary na (When we found out that we’re expecting Jude, it’s not scary anymore). When Jude came, it wasn’t smooth sailing, but it wasn’t as hard as we thought [it would be],” he continued.
The actor also revealed that co-parenting with Salvador became “natural” for them, as he noted that they maintained an open communication when it comes to their son’s visits and providing financial support.
“Sobrang okay ang co-parenting namin. Sobrang natural lang talaga. Sobrang blessed ako sa kanya. I couldn’t ask for a better mother of my child. Sobrang galing niya (Our co-parenting setup is really okay. It’s so natural. I’m so blessed with her. I couldn’t ask for a better mother of my child. She’s really good),” he added.
The actor then admitted that their relationship was “perfect” when they were based in the United Kingdom, but “a lot of realities set in” when they returned to the Philippines.
“A lot of realities set in. Ang daming naging problem na it got to a point na we weren’t talking anymore. The fights became more frequent until we just decided not to pursue this anymore because it just wasn’t helping. We didn’t want to raise Jude in a household na palaging nag-aaway,” he said.
“So we decided to take a break and see how we feel and du’n na lang naging perfect ‘yung set-up. We started off as really good friends and that’s where we’re at again now,” he further explained.
(A lot of realities set in. We had a lot of problems that got to the point where we weren’t talking anymore. The fights became more frequent until we just decided not to pursue this anymore because it just wasn’t helping. We didn’t want to raise Jude in a household where we’re fighting all the time. So, we decided to take a break and see how we feel and that’s when our setup became perfect. We started off as really good friends and that’s where we’re at again now.)
Paterson and Salvador went public with their relationship in September 2020, where they’ve been together for one year and eight months during that time. They introduced Jude in January 2021, despite being born three months earlier.
The actor confirmed their split in September 2022, saying they’ve been “broken up for almost a year.” EDV