Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings go beyond ‘kilig,’ romance in ‘Sosyal Climbers’

Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings. Image: Shaira Luna via Netflix Philippines

For Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings, staying in a relationship is more than being in love. They believe that having the capacity to sacrifice yourself and braving real problems are some of the elements that make it work — as well as not losing your sense of self.

In “Sosyal Climbers,” their first film as an onscreen pairing, Racal and Jennings portray Jessa and Ray, a live-in couple struggling to make ends meet. They find themselves pretending to be Penelope and Kiefer, a pair of wealthy socialites living in an affluent neighborhood, out of desperation to pay their debts and settle their financial difficulties.

Contrary to their characters, Racal and Jennings were easygoing throughout the roundtable interview with select reporters. They would finish each other’s sentences, bounce off each other’s jokes with ease, and turn serious if a question required them to open up about their respective viewpoints.

“Para maiba ‘yung approach, we hired an acting coach before doing the movie. Kahit na comedy siya, parang gusto namin ibahin [ang aming acting style],” Racal told INQUIRER.net, noting it was a mutual decision with Jennings to do so. “Kasi we’re really excited na mayroon kaming film na gagawin. Ginalingan talaga namin.”

(We hired an acting coach before doing the movie to switch up our approach. Even if it’s a comedy, we want to change our acting styles a bit. We were very excited to have a film together so we did our best.)

Relying on each other gave the onscreen couple a different kind of fulfillment until they wrapped up filming. “May mga times na pag nag-adlib ako, wala sa eksena. Pinapatungan niya rin sa sarili niyang way and paano niya i-approach ang eksena (There were times when I would make adlibs that are not part of the scene. She would add her flavor to it),” Jennings shared, referring to his leading lady.

Since “Sosyal Climbers” is different from the usual boy-meets-girl trope, he admitted it took a lot of hard work among themselves and as an onscreen pairing.

What goes beyond ‘I love you’

One of the notable scenes in the film was Jessa and Ray confronting themselves if they were still happy in their relationship. “I feel like yung realization ko sa film and sa viewpoint ko sa love (my realization in the film and my viewpoint about love), I feel like you constantly have to be aware of the relationship you are in,” the actress-singer said with a solemn expression while her leading man nodded in agreement.

“Can you still find yourself? Are you still there for the comfort of it? Are you still happy? I feel like Jessa and Ray should have put themselves first. They shouldn’t have entered a relationship if they couldn’t fully commit or know themselves better,” she continued.

According to Racal, Jessa and Ray’s story is relatable to adults struggling to find themselves amid the chaos of the real world. “Maybe [some couples] started at a very delicate age like in their early 20s. Perhaps, they didn’t know their dreams once they fell in love. But once they mature, they have different wants in life.”

Anthony Jennings and Maris Racal during a set visit for “Sosyal Climbers.” Image: Courtesy of Netflix Philippines

Another noteworthy moment between Jessa and Ray is the emotional back-and-forth during the latter’s proposal. At that moment, Ray was tired of pretending to be a socialite but he was also unaware of the bigger problems should they get married, which Jessa pointed out to him. At the same time, the former was deeply in her own struggles, forgetting that her partner had her back throughout.

“Dapat committed ka. Kailangan mo rin ng sakripisyo pero depende rin ‘yun sa tao eh,” Jennings said. “Masarap magmahal, diba? Pero pag pinasok mo na kasi [ang isang relasyon], dapat buo [ang sarili mo].”

(You need to be committed when you’re in a relationship. You need to make sacrifices. But it depends on the person. Being in love is nice. But when you enter into a relationship, you have to be wholly into it.)

Braving reality

In a moment of reflection, Racal pointed out that many young couples inevitably fall into the trap of romance and get overwhelmed when reality hits them in the face. “I feel like a lot of young couples nowadays face that kind of problem,” she began. “Ang daming problema sa Pilipinas. Ang sweldo natin ang liit (There are a lot of problems in the Philippines. We have low salaries).”

With this in mind, she noted it as one of the factors that they paid attention to while filming. “‘Sosyal Climbers’ is a comedy film but meron siyang reflection (it has a reflection) of what’s really happening in real life. We tried to make it as authentic as possible.”

The actor also reiterated that a couple’s viewpoint changes as they get older: “Noong bata ka, kailangan mo siya kasi kailangan mo siya. Pero kapag nag-mature ka (When you’re young, you want someone because you simply want them. But once you mature)…” Racal chimed in, “When you experience practical and realistic problems — like you get reminded that you’re in the real world — that’s when your relationship will be tested. It’s really hard. I feel like as a 27-year-old, I would advise those in their early twenties to…”

With a smile, Jennings offered a short but sweet reminder: “Hanapin ang gusto nila sa buhay, ‘yung love nilang gawin (Find what you want in life, what you love to do).”

“You feel like you’re old when you’re in your early 20s but you’re really not,” Racal finished for her co-actor, displaying their mutual support.

Racal and Jennings are aware that the Jason Paul Laxamana-helmed “Sosyal Climbers” is a drastic step to take as their first film together. Usually, love teams accept genres induced with “kilig” (thrill) and all-around sweetness as their first foray into the big screen. Based on their proud smiles, it was clear that they were proud of the work they had done.

“This is just a dream but I wish after people watch this, they would crave more rom-coms that have this kind of energy, rapport, and have this authenticity that is close to reality with realistic problems,” Racal said when asked how she wants the film to be remembered.

Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings. Image: Shaira Luna via Netflix Philippines

Laughter immediately erupted when they were asked if money matters in making a relationship work. “Oo naman (of course),” they said in unison with the actor interjecting between laughs, “Anong klaseng tanong yan (What kind of question is that)?”

“Maging realistic na tayo (Let us be realistic),” Racal said. On the other hand, Jennings joked: “Anong kakainin niyo? Sige nga! Oo, mahal kita pero paano kung patay na tayo (What will you eat? Let’s see. I mean, I love you but what if we die)?”