Grace Poe's son shows up at TV5 event to 'surprise' Jasmine Curtis-Smith

MANILA, Philippines – Showbiz intertwined with politics when Grace Poe’s son Brian Poe-Llamanzares appeared during the press launch for TV5’s upcoming drama series “My Fair Lady” to surprise the show’s lead star Jasmine Curtis-Smith.

Before the end of the event’s question and answer portion on Thursday, it was announced that Brian was at the venue to meet Jasmine. The TV5 actress said she did not know anything about the surprise meet.

This is their first time to meet each other, both parties said.

Brian told reporters and guests at the venue that he has been admiring and wanting to meet Jasmine for a long time now—since seeing a billboard of the actress along Katipunan years ago. He studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, the same university Jasmine was supposed to go to in 2013 before deciding to defer her studies.

“I was talking to my friends and they were telling me that you’re going to Ateneo and I thought I’d get the chance to meet you. But I didn’t,” he said. Brian said a “secret friend” helped  set the surprise meeting during the press conference. 

He also admitted wanting to get to know Jasmine more and even went as far as saying he hopes to get the permission of Jasmine’s older sister Anne Curtis to court her. 

Reporters—just as surprised as Jasmine when Brian appeared at the press launch—jokingly asked if he will be part of “My Fair Lady. A reporter also asked if his mother Grace knew about Brian’s surprise meeting with Jasmine.

The press con coincided with Grace’s birthday. 

“Buti na lang my mom's feeding program was in the morning so I can make it to the press con,” Brian said.

Talking to the press after the meeting, Brian said he hopes, “given the opportunity by Jasmine’s sister and her family, to get to know her better.”

“I want to know who she is. I don’t want the showbiz side. I want to know who she really is,” he added.

“I’m single now. She’s single also. I figured this is my only shot. It was this press con or nothing,” Brian said when asked why he wanted to meet Jasmine now. “We don’t have common friends… We aren’t in the same network when I was in show business”

“They’ll always have something to say naman, no matter what,” Brian said about those who may criticize his move to surprise Jasmine at a press event. “I’m sure they’re gonna say all sorts of things about it. I just want the chance to get to know her.”

“Sa tingin ko naman this is my only shot, so I took it.”

In a separate interview, Jasmine said she was clueless when it was announced there was a surprise for her during the press con. “Walang nagsabi sa akin. Akala ko ay giveaway ako. I don’t know. Or may message si ate (Anne Curtis),” she said. A number of reporters also thought Anne would make an appearance when it was an announced there would be a surprise for Jasmine. “Malay ko ba!”

Jasmine is single; her last relationship was with ABS-CBN artist Sam Concepcion. Brian also recently broke up with ABS-CBN artist Myrtle Sarrosa.

Brian’s appearance at the event is an unusual affair in the already unpredictable industry of entertainment press conferences.

Brian’s mother Grace is a front runner in presidential preference polls but has not announced whether she's going to run for president in the coming 2016 elections.