From TikTok to primetime TV: Sofia and Allen’s self-made love team faces biggest test yet

Allen Ansay (left) and Sofifia Pablo

Unlike most love teams, Sofia Pablo and Allen Ansay’s screen partnership wasn’t decided for them by their management or home network—they built it themselves.

After chance encounters and interactions within the walls of GMA 7, the young stars realized that they enjoy each other’s company, so much so that they put up a YouTube channel where they would post random musings and their takes on online challenges and pranks. They also hopped on various trends on TikTok.

Before long, Sofia and Allen were logging millions of views and attracting hundreds of thousands of followers and “shippers” who found their chemistry irresistible. “AlFia,” they were called at first. Later on, they became known as “Team Jolly” because, well, fans found the two a jolly bunch.

Their unexpected popularity on social media wasn’t lost on their management, who wanted to see if their online charm and appeal would translate on free television.

In 2021, they were paired for “Raya Sirena,” the mermaid-themed episode of the drama anthology “Regal Studio Presents.” While it was meant to be a one-off installment, good ratings and social media buzz prompted producers to turn “Raya” into a miniseries the following year. Allen was also brought in for the second season of the top-rated afternoon soap “Prima Donnas,” which Sofia coheadlined with Jillian Ward and Althea Ablan.

Now, Sofia and Allen are set to make the leap to primetime with GMA 7’s new romantic comedy series “Luv Is: Caught in His Arms,” which premieres on Jan. 16. At the show’s recent press conference, the magnitude of what they have accomplished finally dawned on them.

“The network didn’t go, ‘O, sige, love team na kayo.’ We built this. We persevered because we enjoyed each other’s company,” Sofia said in between sobs. “We’re also at a stage in our careers where it feels nice to have a love team. We’re just happy. The dreams we weren’t sure would come true… it’s right in front of us now.”

Wattpad novel

Allen, who also broke into tears, said he would continue to fight for their love team. “Whatever we have now, I don’t want it to go away. I will protect it. It feels so good knowing that the person you spend time with is now your love team. We pushed for it until we were finally given an opportunity,” added Allen, who was a finalist in the seventh season of the talent search “StarStruck.”

“I’m happy to have him as my partner. I don’t think I would be in this position if it weren’t for him,” Sofia, 16, said.

A collaboration between GMA 7 and Wattpad Webtoon Studios, “Luv Is” is a television adaptation of the hit Wattpad novel of the same title. Written by Ventre Canard, the novel has been viewed more than 56.6 million times on the said online literature platform.

The story follows Florence (Sofia), a loving daughter bent on supporting her family at all costs. After the tragic death of her father, Florence, who’s also an aspiring chef, is compelled to take on a gig as a household cook for the influential Ferrel family. There, she meets the five handsome Ferrel brothers. Over time, she forms a bond and eventually falls in love with one of them, Nero (Allen Ansay).

For Allen, Nero is his most challenging role yet, because the character couldn’t be more different from his real-life personality. “I typically play the poor guy. Now it’s the opposite. The way Nero talks and moves is different from what I’m used to doing. I also can’t speak English fluently. I was worried. ‘How will I do this?’ I thought,” the 19-year-old actor related.

But thanks to Sofia and their director, Barry Gonzalez, Allen managed to pull it off. “I gave my 100 percent. Sofia also helped me with my lines,” he said.

Speaking in English

“He gets shy when he has to speak in English. So, I conversed with him in the language off-cam. He would ask me about different words. We practiced. And I was happy to see that the things he had been watching on YouTube and search history online were related to English words and proper pronunciation,” said Sofia, who, on the other hand, had to get used to being in a kitchen.

“I tried to find my way around a kitchen to prepare for the role. Florence is a good cook; I can hardly do it in real life. But still, I wanted to give my best,” she said.

As for the kilig moments, the Sparkle talents said they made sure that they showed a different side to them. “Our secret is that we just act naturally. There will be a lot of kilig scenes, but our director made sure that Sofia and I approached them differently,” Allen said.

While being on the primetime block is a huge milestone for up-and-coming actors, the pressure that comes with it is undeniable.

“I’m grateful that the network entrusted us with our first primetime series. But there’s also pressure. Are we ready for this? So the challenge for us is attracting a bigger audience,” Sofia said.

Allen also pointed out that since they were adapting an already popular novel, fans already had their own ideas how Nero and Florence should look like. “But we’re happy because our trailer has 1.6 million views on Facebook already. And the comments are positive,” he said. “But our focus isn’t on ratings or competition—we just want to make people love the story.” INQ