Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan during the media conference of “How to Spot a Red Flag.” Image: Instagram/@dreamscapeph
Even Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano are no strangers to relationship red flags, around which their new series “How to Spot a Red Flag” revolves, particularly being aware of and surviving them.
The Dwein Baltazar-helmed series tells the story of Cha (Mariano) who was catfished by Matt (Pangilinan) after it turned out that the latter wasn’t her online friend all along. It turns out that Matt’s friend JR (Jameson Blake) was taking on his identity in online forums.
But instead of exposing JR’s identity, Matt agrees with his friend to pursue Cha to score a date with her. However, the set-up unravels after Cha and Matt develop feelings for each other.
Touching on its storyline, Mariano said one of the best ways to handle a red flag is being upfront.
“Sometimes, we are pabebe,” she said in a media conference. “If you’re not comfortable sa pagkatao niya or how he treats you, be honest with him or her. Wag na tayong magpabebe (Let’s not beat around the bush). Just say what you like and say what you don’t like. I think it would be good for them to reflect on what they do.”
Agreeing with Mariano, Pangilinan stressed that it’s important to be on the “same page” when it comes to handling relationships. “In love, it’s easy to get blinded.”
“There should be people around you who could [say], ‘Donny, parang iba ‘to’ or something na hindi niyo masyadong nakikita at first pero ‘yun pala, red flag na (‘Donny, there’s something off’ or something you’re not aware of even if turns out to be a red flag),” he continued. “Always be open-minded to thinking, ‘Genuine honesty is a big part in this,’ and just be true to what you feel.”
Is ‘kilig’ rehearsed?
Since Pangilinan and Mariano have been a love team for quite some time, it’s normal to find a sweet spot when it comes to bringing “kilig” to the viewers.
“Ang kilig, ‘di na nare-rehearse ‘yun, siyempre. To be honest, noong nagsa-start kami, hindi pa namin nagegets ang emotions ng isa’t isa, and ‘yung ibibigay ng isang character sa eksena,” Pangilinan said.
“But after working together, we would rehearse the lines and actions — but ang ginawa namin ni Direk [in this series] is to have a free space. Kung ano man ang mangyari, ‘yun ang mangyari. Kasi kung masyadong ire-rehearse ang kilig, hindi na siya magiging natural,” he continued.
(Kilig is not rehearsed, of course. To be honest, when we were starting out, we didn’t understand each other’s emotions and how we would do our characters. But after working together, we would rehearse the lines and actions — and what we and the director do is have a free space. What happens, happens. If kilig is rehearsed, it’s not going to be natural.)
Mariano echoed Pangilinan’s statement while adding that the way they react to each other in their scenes comes from them.
“You can’t fake it. We do rehearse the actions and lines, but what makes it natural is when we react sa isa’t isa (how we react to each other),” she said.
Also part of “How to Spot a Red Flag” are Angel Aquino, Benjie Paras, Mylene Dizon, Christian Vasquez, Kira Balinger and Esnyr Ranollo.
The romantic comedy series, which was shot in La Union, is airing on a streaming platform.