With "Can't Buy Me Love" concluding this week, Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano can undoubtedly say that the experiences they had in this ABS-CBN Star Creatives-produced drama were unlike anything they had done before.
Talking to The Philippine STAR ahead of the show’s finale tomorrow on TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live and Jeepney TV, the loveteam affectionately called by fans as DonBelle, shared what they learned the most from playing the lead characters Bingo and Caroline, whose slowburn love story finally gets its happy ending.
Donny and Belle also spoke about the deeply personal impact working on this series, which also streamed on Netflix, has made on their love team.
“One thing I’ve learned from being in this serye, through my character, is don’t be afraid to ask for help. I think starting this teleserye, I always had this hunger na parang I can prove this, I can do this, kaya ko ‘to, kaya ko ‘to mag-isa,” began Belle.
“But along the journey, I realized that no, I can’t do this alone. I need direk, I need Donny, I need everyone there ‘cause my character wouldn’t be Caroline if it weren’t for them. And it simply goes to show, it’s the same with my life, my personal life, I wouldn’t be who I am without the people around me in my entire life.”
For Donny, they truly matured through this series, their debut primetime show, which many of their fans initially assumed would primarily be romantic-comedy. “Can’t Buy Me Love” turned out to be a hybrid series — a gripping family drama-cum-thriller with rom-com elements — that tested if not showcased their skills and versatility as actors.
He said, “Totoo yun nag-mature talaga kami kasi syempre we also thought naman na medyo magiging focus sa rom-com ‘di naman natin alam na dito rin papunta yung series. But for us, in terms of our craft, nagawa na namin yung rom-com and I think it’s nice that we got to experience a completely different flavor (here).”
Noting the acting challenges they encountered on set, Donny said, “We’ve learned so much in terms of how we’d prepare for scenes na sobrang bigat and not just one but multiple times, multiple shots, in one day. And that’s not something that’s easy to do, especially if hindi ka kumakalas agad like me and her.
“Like sometimes, it’s hard for us to go back to uy, okay na, okay na kasi tapos na. Kasi kung paulit-ulit nangyayari, nagiging part na ng araw mo yun and we really took in our characters as our own. So yun yung parang natuto kami kung paano mag-let go din from time to time and kung kailan kailangan i-embody.
“So, that was really big for us because the stuff that we went through here, never namin naranasan sa ibang projects namin. I think every time you go through something for the first time, you really learn something new. Not just ourselves but from each other.
“Now, I know like, wow, kaya niya (Belle) yung mga ganitong eksena or ganito pala yung atake niya dito kasi never kong nakita yung ganong eksena. So, there’s a lot of first times. There’s always gonna be that for new projects. But this one, since we’ve been together for nine months in the series, every day, that’s different to a show that has 12 episodes only, right? Or compared to a movie with shooting days that are less than 20 or 30. So, it’s different living and breathing my character.”
Belle can attest to how invested Donny was in his character, saying: “Even behind the scenes, even not in front of the cameras, I call him Bingo, ganun siya kahusay. Totoo! Even when we talk… minsan yung punto niya rin, ‘pag nagsasalita, totoo yung nasabi niya na he really embodied Bingo.”
After almost five years as a loveteam since “He’s Into Her,” The STAR asked DonBelle how their journey as onscreen partners is so far.
“I always say this to him: I love working with you. And it’s true! It’s always a joy, it’s always a delight to work with him, from Ino (‘Love is Color Blind’) and now to Bingo naman,” said Belle.
“I love working with him, at the same time, I can see him grow,” she continued.
“I want to be one of those witnesses in his life na you know, one day, I would see you nalang holding your Oscar,” she told Donny.
“Ikaw muna,” Donny was quick to respond before adding, “Ako rin syempre nakita ko kung paano nag-grow si Belle by doing different genres, doing different characters, and I always tell her this as well, I’m just so happy that I get to go through even this industry with someone I really do trust and someone I know who also wants to be that supportive.
“It’s something very hard to find and very rare to find so I’m just glad that I get to go through this with you (Belle). Palagi kong sinasabi yun because first of all, wala akong nai-imagine na ibang Cara (in ‘Love is Color Blind’). Parang nagiging part na siya ng ikaw yan eh, parang okay after ng (‘He’s Into Her’) show, I’m just happy kasi nandun pa rin si Belle.
“So seeing her even more and more mature into a fine woman, it’s super nice to be a part of that because I know how dedicated she is in her craft and I know how badly she wants to grow and to really take things seriously in terms of her projects. As for me, no matter what she wants to do, I’m just here to support her and to be cheering for her.”