What Robin had to sacrifice for reunion movie with Sharon

Robin Padilla (left) and Sharon Cuneta in “Unexpectedly Yours”

It’s a symbol of my being a revolutionary,” explained Robin Padilla as to why he refused to have his hair cut short and his mustache shaved while filming Cathy Garcia-Molina’s latest rom-com, “Unexpectedly Yours.”

The actor admitted that his unwillingness to do all these was a major issue during the production of his reunion project with ex-girlfriend, actress Sharon Cuneta.

They were last seen on the big screen in “Pagdating ng Panahon,” released in 2001.

“I tell you, the saddest part about making this film was being forced to shave! Direk Cathy and the staff patiently tried to convince me to do it,” Robin told reporters during a recent press conference for the movie.

“I’ve managed to persuade the writers to put this in the script. But, eventually, it came to a point when I had no choice but to give in. That day, I only did half of my face first, hoping that Direk Cathy would agree to photograph just the shaved half,” Robin quipped.

Sharon countered: “It was worth it! I’m sure 90 percent of the people will agree that you look younger and more handsome without the mustache.”

Sixteen years since their last movie together, Robin claimed he would still get awestruck being around Sharon. “Nothing much has changed. I’m still one of her biggest fans. I’m still at a loss for words when we’re together. You can imagine how nervous I was when it was time to finally do our kissing scene,” Robin shared with reporters.

The two also starred in “Maging Sino Ka Man” (1991) and “’Di Na Natuto” (1993).

“Robin and I think alike. He’s my favorite leading man,” declared Sharon.

“But sadly, I wasn’t the first choice for this film,” added Robin, feigning sadness. “She was supposed to do a film with Gabby (Concepcion, Sharon’s ex-husband)…” Sharon interjected: “Excuse me, we’ve scrapped that project! This is a totally different one.”

Robin then pointed out that he was doing two projects under his film outfit, RCP Productions (“Bad Boy 3” and “Marcelo del Pilar”), when he got a call from Star Cinema head, Malou Santos. “She said, ‘Sharon needs you!’ So, I dropped everything to be with Ma’am,” the actor added.

“It was such a beautiful experience,” Sharon said of working with Robin once more. “After doing 55 movies, I can say that this is on my Top 5 list. It’s also a joy working with the cast and crew. We all agree on one thing—we love Direk Cathy.”

Robin even paid tribute to the director on his Instagram account. “She’s an all-around artist. She treats everyone equally. She’d cut the filming of a scene if she sees that your hair, makeup or clothes need fixing. She takes good care of us,” he said. “Once, I couldn’t understand how she wanted me to do a particular dance scene, so she acted it out herself.”

The film also feature young onscreen partners, Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto. Asked what was it like to work with Sharon and Robin, Julia replied: “We’re both very honored. We couldn’t pass up this opportunity, because we were excited about what we would learn from them.”

Joshua said Robin, who plays his uncle in the movie, has inspired him not only to become a better actor, but also a good person. “You learn a lot, not just acting-wise. I saw how warmly he treated the people on the set. Actually, everybody was tired because we were rushing the film, so we get our extra boost of energy from the two of them.”