Vivoree Esclito, Anthony Jennings happy with unexpected pairing

MANILA, Philippines — Singer-actress Vivoree Esclito admitted that there’s a lot that needs to be done in terms of improving her showbiz career. Apart from acting, she also wants to pursue music, her first love.

The Kapamilya talent shared in a recently-held virtual media conference for ABS-CBN’s latest offering Love Bites, “I really do think that I still have a long way to go and marami pa akong pwedeng matutunan. Sa mga roles ko din marami pa akong kailangang ma-discover about myself and marami pa akong roles na gusto ding gampanan.”

Love Bites is a digital anthology, featuring real-life stories about various kinds of love, which premiered exclusively on YouTube. The first episode Lost But Found was streamed last Friday and starred by Vivoree and fellow Rise Artists Studio’s Anthony Jennings.

Aside from acting, the 22-year-old also wants to explore “singing and dancing.” “I learned to love acting lang after Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) when I joined acting workshops. So madami pa po akong gustong matutunan and ma-experience,” she further said.

Vivoree appeared in some digital series, film and television shows, including Huwag Kang Mangamba, He’s Into Her, Click, Like, Share and Hello Stranger.

When it comes to her love life, the young actress said she would just “go with the flow.” She also stressed the importance of self-care. “I won’t deny that I’ve had a thing with guys before but self-care is very important to me. Every time I get my heart broken talaga parang I focus on myself more. I really want to grow and become a better person.”

“Because you know, once na dumating na yung para sayo talaga, you’ll be fully prepared bago… you know na kung ano yung para sayo talaga. You know your worth na hindi na siya parang gaya ng dati na you know nothing about love kaya wala kaming parang magagawa (when) you get your heart broken,” she went on.

In Lost But Found, Vivoree plays Aina, “a hopeless romantic who finds her memory box from her past relationships. She finds a Blue Magic paper bag from her first boyfriend, a calculator from her second ex, and her past passport with memories of her past major crush on a workmate. Now single, she learns from these experiences that the greatest love should be for oneself.” Some netizens are pointing out Vivoree and Anthony’s natural chemistry onscreen and are hoping that this will not be the last project of them together.

The loveteam of Vivoree and Anthony came unexpected, the two revealed. “Wala naman talaga akong official loveteam, but I’m open to working with anyone. I’m super happy. Natutuwa talaga ako na I was able to work with Anthony for this project,” shared Vivoree.

“Nagkatrabaho na kami ni Vivoree, pero hindi siya like loveteam. Pero alam na naman papano kakapain ang each other,” said Anthony.

It is very important for them to establish friendship first so that they can bring real chemistry to their roles.

“It would break the awkwardness,” explained Anthony. “If you know the person already, alam mo na yung joke na ibabanat mo sa kanya sa eksena. Alam mo na kung papano sya papatawanin. Alam mo na yung patok na humor sa kanya, so I think it’s better that you know each other well. And si Vi, I know how to make her happy.”

Vivoree concurred, “Friendship is the best foundation really in whatever aspect in love and to build that trust so it’s also give and take in scenes.”

She furthered, “With the projects given to me, may pattern naman talaga na there’s love or there’s kilig. So (if) you mean po na off-cam na kilig, it depends din sa tao because sometimes if you’re single and you’re working di ba parang pwedeng maghanap ka naman ng sarili mong kilig like you watch videos on YouTube or you can read a book about fictional (romance).”

The next episode in Love Bites is LGBTQ+ themed Hearts of Pride with Angela Trajano and Kristof Garcia.

Love Bites brings real-life stories on the digital platform about different kinds of love.

In the upcoming episodes, various Kapamilya stars will grace the screen including Dimples Romana, Miko Raval, Andi Abaya, Kobie Brown, JC Alcantara, Shanaia Gomez, Karina Bautista, Gello Marquez, Lance Carr, Angelica Lao, Sky Quizon and Nico Santos.

Love Bites is the latest YouTube-exclusive title from ABS-CBN, following the romantic-comedy series How to Move On in 30 Days and the audio drama Dear MOR: Celebrity Specials, among others.

(Love Bites streams every Friday at 8 p.m.)