How DonBelle worked ‘like a couple’ in ‘Tayo Sa Wakas’
It turns out, Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano were ready for their kissing scenes even before director Cathy Garcia-Sampana was.
During a recent interview for “Tayo Sa Wakas,” Cathy recalled with amusement how the DonBelle pair brought up the matter while working on what has been described as their final film together (at least for now).
“Sila nga nagtanong. May kakatawang eksena, ‘‘Direk, wala pa tayong love scene? Wala!’ Sabi ko, ‘Hindi pa ako ready.’ Ako yung hindi ready,” direk Cathy shared with The STAR in an exclusive chat.
She recalled them asking, “Hindi pa kami magki-kiss dito,” and that she jokingly replied, “‘Not now, not now.’”
According to direk Cathy, the stars understood what the material needed and were willing to go there if it served the film.
“Sabi niya kasi, ‘Direk, kasi hindi kapani-paniwala na ganito kami, ‘tas di man lang nagki-kiss or ano.’ Sabi ko, ‘In fairness sa mga batang ’to, salamat. Salamat sa tiwala, pero wait lang hahaha!’”
When asked if that was why she eventually gave them more than one kissing scene, direk Cathy answered that she did not include those moments just for the sake of giving fans something to scream about.
“Mas needed lang. Sabi ko sa kanila, ‘Kung kailangan, maglalagay tayo. Kung hindi, then hindi,’” she explained.
Meanwhile, having directed some of the biggest romantic pairings and films, including the highest grossing Filipino film of all time, “Hello, Love, Again,” direk Cathy refused to compare DonBelle with others. But she admitted that with Donny and Belle, there was one major difference.
“I will not answer that. I do not compare. I don’t play favorites. But ang dalawang ’to, ang kaibahan siguro sa iba, wala na akong nararamdamang hiya sa kanilang dalawa. As in!” she said.
She continued, “Kasi, di ba, marami na akong kissing scenes na nagawa. Some, may konting love scenes. Ramdam mo yung may ilang pa yung tao, may nagho-hold back ng konti. Itong dalawa, they knew what to do. Doon sa eksena, pag napanood mo, ako, sasabihin ko lang kung anong klase ang gusto ko, ’tapos sila na gumawa.”
For a director, that level of trust and instinct became a gift. At times, Cathy said, Donny and Belle would already discuss among themselves how they wanted to approach a scene before coming to her.
“So ang laking trabaho off my shoulders na sila na yung minsan nag-uusap, nagpaplano ng gagawin. How beautiful that is, no? For a couple na hindi naman couple, pero works like a couple,” Cathy said.
She added, “Meron pa yang ‘Direk, napag-usapan namin. Ganito yung gagawin namin.’ Oh ang galing n’yong dalawa. Kayo na nag-uusap? Para ganun. Very spontaneous din. Nakakatuwa yung spontaneity nila.”
Interestingly, that ease between Donny and Belle did not happen overnight.
“Tayo Sa Wakas” writer Vanessa Valdez, who had seen the love team from their “He’s Into Her” beginnings as the creative head of that series, said the chemistry was there early on, but it first came with awkwardness, innocence and a lot of shyness.
“May tension. May tension sila noong ino-audition namin,” Vanessa told this paper when asked how she knew that Donny and Belle were “bagay” onscreen.
She further recalled that Belle was among the final choices for the role opposite Donny, but what made her stand out from the rest was not only her performance but also the chemistry she had with him.
“There were two other girls who auditioned, parang sila yung final three. Si Belle yung may pinaka-chemistry with Donny, plus siya yung pinakamagaling na nag-deliver ng role,” Vanessa said.
She remembered one moment during the “He’s Into Her” auditions that made them see something between the two.
“Naaalala ko noong in-audition namin sila ni direk Chad (Vidanes), natatawa kami kasi may tinanong kaming isang tanong kay Donny. Noong sinagot niya, it was meant to be a compliment, but it ended sounding like parang ‘Huh? Ang baba naman ng tingin niya kay Belle hahaha.’ Tapos pati si Belle natawa siya, na parang, ‘Naiintindihan mo ba yung sinabi mo?’ Hindi niya naintindihan yung sinabi niya. Parang ang inosente,” Vanessa said.
As part of the audition, they asked Donny to try flirting with Belle.
“One of the things we made them do was, ‘O sige nga, try mo ngang makipag-flirt kay Belle. Pakiligin mo si Belle.’ Si Belle kasi tigas-tigasan. Eh napangiti naman siya ni Donny. Napapangiti rin niya si Donny,” Vanessa said.
But outside those early sparks, the two were not immediately comfortable with each other.
“Pero noong una, hindi ’yan nagpapansinan talaga. Kailangan hahawakan pa yung kamay ko na, ‘Ms. Van, upo tayo dito.’ Sabi ko, ‘Bakit ‘di ka dun makipag-usap sa ka-love team mo?’” Vanessa recalled.
She continued, “Parang first day ng shoot natin, ‘Mag-usap kayong dalawa.’ ‘Nahihiya po ako.’ So mamaya si Donny, tatabi. Sabi ko, ‘Ba’t di ka tumabi sa ka-love team mo?’ ‘Nahiya ako sobra.’ Sabi ko, ‘Ah, okay, ganito sila.’”
Obviously, that changed over time.
“Habang tumatagal, sabi ko, ‘Dati, hindi ko kayo makapagtabi. Ngayon, laging kailangan kayong magkatabi.’ So may chemistry talaga sila and they get along so well,” Vanessa said.
More than the kilig, Vanessa believes that what Donny and Belle eventually found in each other was a sense of safety as scene partners.
“I think what they found in each other is somebody who will really support them in every scene. Parang ang term nga nila is kakampi. Parang, ‘Kakampi kita, kasama kita dito.’ So nakatulong talaga ’yon that they became really good friends,” Vanessa said.
She added that the two carried that attitude with them even as they grew older and matured in the industry.
“Dala nila hanggang ngayon ’yun na sa set, na tumanda man sila ng kaunti, nag-mature, pero dala nila lagi ’yun na we’re in this together, we’re doing this together, and we’re going to support each other,” Vanessa said.
In “Tayo Sa Wakas,” which tackles the theme about lovers becoming rivals, Donny and Belle are Cisco and Cheska, a long-time couple who have started to grow apart because of their different goals and personal insecurities. Before ending things, they decide to go on one last “break-up trip.”
During the journey, they face their mistakes and realize that love isn’t always enough to keep a relationship together. By the end of the trip, they must decide if they should fix their relationship or finally say goodbye to find themselves.
If there is one takeaway direk Cathy hopes viewers will get from “Tayo Sa Wakas,” it is still about love, more than the rivalry, pain and parting.
Vanessa echoed this through the film’s themes of “healing and worthiness.”
“All the stories that I craft are redemption stories. When you watch the movie, yes, there are times when one or both of the characters, yung sinasabi ni Direk, nakakalimutan nila na mahal nila yung taong mahal nila, at mahal sila ng taong ’yun. So ang nangyayari, nagkakamali, nagkakasakitan,” Vanessa said.
She added, “It doesn’t mean that just because nagkamali ka, nakasakit ka na, hindi ka na kamahal-mahal. When we talk about love, it’s something that we are inherently worthy of.”
“Tayo Sa Wakas” opened last week to P12 million, marking the “biggest opening gross” for a local film in the Philippines so far this year, according to its producer ABS-CBN Star Cinema. The number of screens showing the movie reportedly increased from 200 to 250 cinemas nationwide by its second day.
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