Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado, Sam Milby on forgiveness in relationships

(From left) Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado, and Sam Milby during the press conference of “Everything About My Wife.” Image: Instagram/@thecreazionstudios

Forgiveness is one of the most important aspects of making a relationship work. It is what Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado, and Sam Milby believe in as well, noting that burying the hatchet within one’s self should not be forgotten.

In “Everything About My Wife,” Trillo and Mercado play a married couple struggling to meet halfway as they sink deeper into their resentment for each other. Meanwhile, Milby takes on the role of a casanova hired by Trillo in hopes of seducing his wife. The film, which premiered on February 26, is an adaptation of the 2008 Argentine film “A Boyfriend for My Wife” starring Adrian Suar, Valeria Bertuccelli, and Gabriel Goity.

“Sa tingin ko, mahirap mag-forgive pero feeling ko kakailangan niyo ng isang tao para magkaroon ka ng peace of mind (For me, it’s hard to forgive but a person needs it to have peace of mind),” Trillo told INQUIRER.net in a one-on-one interview, breaking the moment of thought between himself and his co-stars. The actor, along with his wife and male co-star, paused for a moment when asked about forgiving themselves whenever they mess up in relationships.

“Kapag may kinikimkim kang ganyan, mahirap bitbitin at dalhin lalo na’t hindi mo kayang patawarin. Sa tingin ko, napakaimportante ang forgiveness in oneself and sa lahat ng mga nagkasala sa’yo,” he continued.

(When you hold your inability to forgive within you, it’s hard to carry them along with you. Forgiving yourself and everyone who wronged with you is very important.)

(From center left) Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado, and Sam Milby during the premiere night of “Everything About My Wife” at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. Image: Courtesy of CreaZion Studios

Agreeing with her husband, Mercado said people have their own versions of forgiveness but reiterated that the right timing is crucial.

“Lahat naman tayo nagkakamali. Ang forgiveness, iba-iba. Depende rin kung ready ka na ba patawarin ang sarili mo, ready ang ibang tao, ang question lang ay kailan. Pero meron tamang timing,” she said.

(We all make mistakes. Forgiveness is different. But it depends if you’re ready to forgive yourself and if the other person is ready. The question, however, is when. But there is always the right timing.)

Milby, on the other part, confessed he is better at forgiving other people than himself. “I feel like [I’m better at] forgiving other people… We’re not perfect, and we’re always our own worst critic,” he began. The actor added that he is aware of the mistakes he had made, saying this led him to struggle with not judging himself.

“I struggled with forgiving myself,” Milby further shared. “Forgiving myself and not judging myself is hard. The way you’re supposed to act is to talk and treat yourself how you would treat a friend. But I don’t do that. I’m so hard and judgmental of myself and that’s the one thing I struggle with.”

Understanding Dom, Imo, Miguel

Trillo and Mercado are aware that being a married couple and portraying a married couple onscreen are different. Despite Dom and Imo’s constant fights onscreen, there was no hint of resentment during the interview as they leaned on each other for support.

Trillo began, “Pinaguusapan namin ang (We talk about).” Mercado chimed in, “Ang bawat eksena (every scene).” While smiling, Trillo said they want to be comfortable with every moment they portray and how can they improve from one scene to another.

“Para maging mas komportable [ang pagganap]. Pinaguusapan namin ano ang magandang gawin sa eksena na ‘to, kung paano gagawin, paano iimprove, anong gagawin namin para mas maging effective ang scenes namin whether drama or nakakatawa. Importante ang timing pa rin [namin] pareho lalo na sa importanteng elements,” he added.

(So it will be more comfortable to portray our scenes. We talk about how we’ll make the scene good, how we can do it, how we can improve, and what can we do so our scenes will be more effective whether it’s dramatic or funny. Timing is important especially when it comes to the crucial elements.)

The cast of “Everything About My Wife” during the film’s press conference. Image: Courtesy of CreaZion Studios

Support comes naturally to them and Mercado, again, finished her husband’s remarks, saying, “Magshare ng ideas kung anong pwedeng gawin, and atake sa scenes (We share ideas on what can we do and how can we do our scenes justice).” When asked if they ever brought their characters’ fights to their own marriage, she immediately shook her head with an immediate “Hindi (no)!”

Milby said he is the “complete opposite” of Miguel. The latter knows his way around girls, even the signs when they are “falling in love” with him. Other than that, he is a casanova who “hated” his life because of lost love. To help in understanding where Miguel comes from, Miguel emulated the “overconfidence” radiating from people he knew. He noted that the Korean remake of the original was a “caricature” of a playboy but “obviously, ayokong gumaya sa ginawa niya (I didn’t want to imitate what he did).”

The cast of “Everything About My Wife” at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. Image: Courtesy of CreaZion Studios

“In terms of understanding Miguel, I’m trying to think about the overconfident na tao. In the Korean version, he is more caricature-like and animated. Obviously, ayokong gumaya sa ginawa niya. I still want to make it caricature-like in a sense,” he added. “But I’m still thinking about those who are very outgoing and overconfident. I was trying to channel that because it’s not me.”

“Everything About My Wife” also stars Carmi Martin, Nova Villa, Polo Laurel, Joyce Glorioso, Ruby Ruiz, and Isay Alvarez, as well as Romnick Sarmenta and Atty. Annette Gozon in special appearances.