Fyang Smith, JM Ibarra overcome pressure in debut series ‘Ghosting’

(From left) Fyang Smith and JM Ibarra during the premiere event of “Ghosting.” Image: Instagram/@starmagicphils

Fyang Smith and JM Ibarra—collectively known as JMFyang—are aware that being chosen as the leads in their debut series can be overwhelming. This explains why they make sure to take every filming process day by day.

The onscreen pair are the leads of the romantic-comedy series “Ghosting,” which tells the story of Jaja (Smith), who meets a mysterious local named Wilberto (Ibarra). As Jaja seeks solace in her grandmother’s province, she discovers that her new friend is more than what meets the eye.

Smith might’ve been a content creator before entering the “Pinoy Big Brother” house, but she was still nervous while filming for the series.

“At first, kinakabahan ako sa mga [nauna kong] araw on set. But nandito [ang cast and crew] para alalayan ako,” she told reporters during an advanced screening in Quezon City.

“Honestly, hindi ko alam pano made-deliver nang tama [‘yung lines ko] and first series ko po ‘to so [mahirap] sa’kin. Merong point ako ng [takot] so kailangang madeliver nang tama ‘yung script ko,” she continued.

(At first, I was nervous in my earlier days on set. But the cast and crew were there to help me. I honestly didn’t know how to deliver my lines well, and since it was my first series, it made it harder. I was scared. But I reminded myself that I need to deliver my script well.)

JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith during the advanced screening of “Ghosting.” Image: Hannah Mallorca/INQUIRER.net

Ibarra admitted that he, too, was pressured at first. But excitement soon took over him, making the filming process easier.

“Mas lamang ang excitement na tapusin ang project na ito para ipakita sa fans namin and sa lahat ng casual viewers. Siguro hirap pero ‘yung pressure ng mas lamang ‘yung happiness ands excitement habang ginagawa ang project,” he said.

(I was more excited to finish this project because I wanted to show it off to our fans and casual viewers. I had a hard time at first because of the pressure, but the happiness and excitement while doing the project soon took over.)

When asked about the hardest parts of doing “Ghosting,” Ibarra confessed that his almost kiss scene with Smith in the first episode was tough to do.

“Medyo mahirap kasi hindi ko nakikita [kung malapit na ba si Fyang sa’kin or hindi], so kailangan bantayan,” he said. “D’un lang ako nahirapan kasi nag-enjoy talaga ako sa lahat ng taping days. Sobrang pagod pero sobrang nag-enjoy ako.”

(It was hard doing the almost kiss scene because I couldn’t see if Fyang was near me or not. So I had to watch myself. That’s the only thing I struggled with. I really enjoyed all the taping days. It was tiring, but I had so much fun.)

Meanwhile, Smith said the hardest part of filming was controlling herself from laughing whenever Gelo Marquez, one of their co-stars, would do ad-libs.

“Ang pinakamahirap ay tuwing naga-adlib si JM every time kapag may scene ang lahat, naga-adlib si JM, hindi ko mapigilan na hindi matawa. Naka-ilang take kami kasi hindi ko mapigilang matawa,” she said.

Directed by Theodore Boborol, “Ghosting” also stars Vivoree Esclito and Kobie Brown. The series contains eight episodes and will be streamed on iWant. /cb