Fyang Smith on bond with Dina Bonnevie: ‘Super close kami ni Mama’

Fyang Smith admitted that she was initially intimidated by Dina Bonnevie when they first met on the set of “Love is Never Gone,” but Smith is glad to have found a mom in her. 

The actresses, who star as mother and daughter in the Prime Video series, developed such a close bond on set, almost to the point that the “Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11” Big Winner said she considers the screen veteran as her mom in real life. 

“I can say na super close kami ni Mama. As in kaya ko nang mag-open up sa kanya. Nakakatuwa kasi, at first, natatakot ako kay Mommy D. Pero first day pa lang ng taping namin, naging close na kami. I don’t know how pero bigla na lang kami nag-click,” Smith said during a Star Magic Spotlight press con, when asked about her closeness with Bonnevie.

(I can say that Mama and I are super close. I can open up to her. And it makes me happy, because I used to be scared of Mommy D. But on the first day of taping, we became close right away. I don’t know how it happened, but we just clicked.)

READ: Fyang Smith’s potential earns nod from veteran co-stars in ‘Love Is Never Gone’

When they’re not in front of the camera, Smith said she and Bonnevie are fond of going to each other’s dressing rooms, often engaging in girl talk with their close stars Jane Oineza and Ivana Alawi. 

“Kami ni Mama, kapag wala kaming eksena, lagi akong pumupunta sa kwarto niya para guluhin siya. Lagi ko siyang ginugulo kunwari kung natutulog siya, yayakap lang ako,” she recalled. “And then hindi pa namin eksena, pupunta siya sa kwarto namin nina Jane and Ate Ivana and magke-kwentuhan lang kami.”

(When Mom and I are not filming, I would often go up to her room and fool around with her. For instance, when she’s asleep, I’ll hug her. And then when it’s not yet our scenes, she would visit me in my room with Jane and Ivana, and we would talk.)

But if there’s one lesson that Smith learned from Bonnevie, it’s to respect everyone’s time. “One thing natutunan ko is you have to be on time. Mahalaga kay Mama D kung call time mo ay 11:00 and dumating ka ng 11:01, you’re still late. You have to respect ang time ng [mga tao].”

(One thing I learned is that you have to be on time. For Mama D, when your call time is 11:00 a.m., and you arrive at 11:01 a.m., you’re still late. You have to respect everyone’s time.)

In a previous interview, Bonnevie expressed how much she loves Smith, saying that she was impressed by the rising star’s ability to remain professional and maintain a bubbly persona off-camera. 

“Fyang is like a baby girl to me. Natutuwa ako sa kanya kasi kahit makulit siya, she can deliver. Pati ‘yung units niya at kailan siya tataas at bababa ng boses, iiyak, on point. Mahusay ang bata. Wala siyang attitude. Masarap siyang kasama sa set,” she said.

(Fyang is like a baby girl to me. What I like about her is that even though she can’t be naughty at times, she can deliver. She knows her units, when to raise or lower her voice, and cry — it’s on point. The kid is good. She doesn’t have a bad attitude. She’s fun to be around on set.)

Bonnevie has long been known for being particular about time and work ethic on set, which is why many rising stars and young actresses often feel honored when they receive praise from her. 

In January 2023, the screen veteran alleged that actress-internet personality Alex Gonzaga was unprofessional on the set of “PS: I Love You,” and supposedly got mad at the then-rising Nadine Lustre for beating her into crying on cue.

“Love is Never Gone” tells the story of Teo (Joshua Garcia) and Yana (Alawi), who first met in Morocco, but their relationship turns sour after Teo’s wrongful imprisonment and his later discovery of the latter’s ties to a crime syndicate. /edv