Coca-cola is Glee

MANILA, Philippines - When I heard that the new cast members of Glee were coming over to unveil a new Coca-Cola product, I thought, “Oh, it’s a bit of wordplay, since glee also means happiness.”

I did a little mental jig as I had also recently renewed my allegiance to the show, as I found Seasons 2 and 3 a tad tedious and self-righteous, and I felt that Season 4 was a return to the show’s original freshness and well, buoyant joie de vivre. The new characters were a major part in reigniting that energy, and I knew that as perhaps the most musical nation in the world, Manila would warmly welcome and embrace these young actors.

When Jacob Artist (who plays football star and secret danseur Jake Puckerman), Dean Geyer (who plays Brody, Rachel Berry’s New York love interest and part-time male escort), Melissa Benoist (who plays Marley, a.k.a “the new Rachel”) and Becca Tobin (who plays Kitty, a.k.a. “the new Quinn” but meaner and wittier), were shown on Instagram photos taken at NAIA, I couldn’t believe how they could look so great after crossing the Pacific Ocean.

At the press presentation at Peninsula Manila. Jacob claimed, “Ito na!” when host Iya Villania asked him what was his “This is it!” moment.

Becca displayed none of the sinister qualities of her character but was warm, wise and a true spitfire. Just like Marley, Melissa was sweet and girlish, and though Dean is South African by birth who was transplanted to Australia, he had all the requisite cynicism and yet earnest idealism of a true New Yorker. They expressed incredulity that they had so many Filipino fans, and that none of them was a hater.

When asked to sing a few bars of a song they were dying to do on Glee, they hemmed and hawed a bit, and Melissa confessed, “I never know what to say when I get asked that question.” Jake gamely revealed, “Well, a song that I can’t get out of my mind since it was on the show is that Spice Girls song.” He and Dean then broke into a duet of Wannabe, effortlessly busting out the lines, “So tell me what you want, what you really want/I’ll tell you what you want what I really want,” and then Melissa and Becca, joined until they got to the chorus. They easily charmed the crowd and won them over.

It was plain to see why the reviews for Glee’s fourth season have been generally glowing. They have a genuine esprit de corps, and while Melissa, Becca and Jacob have had theater (i.e. dancing and singing) training since they were toddlers, Dean has had a stint in Australia’s most popular soap operas. They may seem to be overnight successes, but they have been working almost all their lives for this big break.

PHILIPPINE STAR: Aside from your own characters, who are the other characters on the show who most resonate with you?

JACOB ARTIST: Well, for me, I would have to say Finn. He has to choose between sports and the Glee club, and growing up for me, I also had a hard time because I really liked performing but I wanted to do other stuff, too.

MELISSA BENOIST: The story of Kurt has always resonated with me, just being alone, and a bit of an underdog, but still believing in yourself, and your dreams.

DEAN GEYER: Well, I was always a bit in awe of the Rachel Berry character, and on our first day of work together, I still couldn’t believe that I was actually there. I had to check myself so I wouldn’t fall over, and I had to keep pinching myself.

JACOB: All of us can say that we’re pinching ourselves every day! Our normal is anything but.

MELISSA: Yes, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected.

Which character would you want to ask out on a date?

JACOB: Sue Sylvester, for sure!

MELISSA: I wanted to say that! You stole my answer.

JACOB: Well, you can still say it.

BECCA TOBIN: I really want Kitty and Mr. Schuester to have a storyline together, where they secretly start going out.

DEAN: Yup, Mr. Schu!

What was the first song that you ever committed to memory, not because you had to learn it for an audition, but just because you loved it?

BECCA: I had this little karaoke machine, and the tape that I kept playing over and over again was Bonnie Raitt’s Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About.

MELISSA: It was one of the Disney Princess songs, I can’t remember the exact one.

JACOB: For me, it was that Barney song. Yeah, the purple dinosaur. I love you, you love me. That one!

DEAN: My family used to go on these massive road trips, and on one of them, I heard Roxette’s It Must Have Been Love, and I don’t know what it was about that song, but I just couldn’t forget it.

So was it at a very young age that you knew that performing was your destiny?

JACOB: Well, my parents told me that everytime Barney was on, I’d be bopping up and down, and singing along to the TV, so I think they knew before I did, since I was singing and dancing before I could really talk!

MELISSA: Yeah, I was pretty young.

BECCA: Same for me.

DEAN: Not for me, I grew up thinking I would be a professional sportsman.

So how do you stay happy, as you are in a very intense and pressure-filled business, and there is so much hating on social media.

BECCA: Well, you will get tempted by so much that is sparkly in this business. You have to know that not everything that glitters is gold. I just surround myself with people I love and who love me. A good support system is very important. But the Filipino fans are so sweet. They are so positive and encouraging. Their tweets give me confidence.

JACOB: Oh, we have such great camaraderie on the set, and we just don’t let that stuff get to us. I feel that I have made friends who I can keep in the years to come, whether on the show or off it.

MELISSA: We’re just like everyone, we have our own issues, and insecurities. You just have to identify what you have to be proud about.

DEAN: It’s very important to separate acting from your personal life. I am not my character.

JACOB: The great part about our show is that we do have a platform to celebrate the underdog. And that’s also what’s great about coming here to represent Coca-Cola, because it is so universal, and so inclusive, which is also the message of the show.

DEAN: And it really is seriously my favorite drink, long before I was even on Glee.

* * *

On the day of the big reveal for Coca-Cola Mismo, the crowds in TriNoma were huge and noisy. When the new Glee members first came out, and the shrieks grew to deafening decibels, Jacob took out his phone and quickly took photos and even a video of the sea of screaming fans. When host Iya Villania asked them to name their Ito na! moments, Jacob was candid. “I know I gave a different answer yesterday, but really this is it. Right here, in front of all of you, this is my Ito Na! moment.” Becca seconded the motion. “We just can’t believe all this.”

As I watched the new videos that carried the tagline, Sarap to Carry, I thought about my original reaction to the Glee cast that it was just a play on words. But as I replayed in my mind the press conference and the meet-and-greet, and thought how nice and easy it had been to speak to Jacob, Melissa, Becca and Dean, it all made so much sense on so many levels. All four of them embodied that ethos, that quality that we all want to carry around with us.