Daniel & Kathryn: feeling close, feeling friends

Turning 18 on April 26 (a Taurian), Daniel Padilla has inherited the Padilla charisma handed down through two generations, kicked off by the late Jose Padilla Jr. who was Philippine Movies’ original ladies’ man, followed by Robin Padilla who, even now that he’s married to Mariel Rodriguez, still easily wins and melts the heart of women (married and un-) with his endearing bravado.

The Padillas, including Daniel’s dad Rommel (Robin and the “late” Rustom’s brother), are noted (some say “notorious”) for being womanizers (babaero), a “tag” that Daniel vehemently objects to.

“I’m a different Padilla,” he stressed in a previous Conversation. “Iba ako. Hindi ako babaero.”

Too early to tell, according to showbiz-watchers. After all, didn’t Robin start, so to speak, sowing wild oats in his early 20s?

“He thinks he’s too young to be serious with girls,” said Daniel’s mother, actress Karla Estrada (real name: Carla Ford, a Waray-Waray from Tacloban City). “I always remind him to focus his attention on his career muna. Hindi siya mauubusan ng babae.”

Kathryn Bernardo (full name: Kathryn Chandra Manuel Bernardo) is turning 17 on March 26 (an Arian), born in Cabanatuan City, the youngest of four children of Teodore Bernardo and Luzviminda Manuel. Now home-schooled (by Angelicum), Kathryn used to study at OB Montessori (Greenhills, San Juan City).

Unlike Daniel who was initially a reluctant actor (making excuses so he wouldn’t be made to attend auditions; discovered at age 12 by the late Douglas Quijano), Kathryn seemed to have been to showbiz born. She began acting in 2003 in the Star Cinema rom-com It Might Be You and appeared in Kapamilya shows (Krystala and Vietnam Rose, among them) before becoming a mainstay in Goin’ Bulilit which succeeded Ang TV as the breeding ground of future actors.

Her big break came when she was cast as Mara in Mara Clara, the remake of the hit ABS-CBN soap that starred Judy Ann Santos (as Mara) and Gladys Reyes (as Clara), with Kathryn’s fellow Bulilit alumna Julia Montes as the new Clara (Julia last seen in the hit ABS-CBN soap Walang Hanggan and the Star Cinema flick A Moment in Time, both with Coco Martin).

Daniel and Kathryn first worked together in the ABS-CBN teen show Growing Up. Then, they were paired in Princess & I, the ABS-CBN soap about royalties, and that’s where they clicked as a love team. Their first big-screen foray was in Star Cinema’s Sisterakas, the top-grosser in the 2012 Metro Filmfest, in which Daniel plays Vice Ganda’s nephew being matched with Kathryn as Ai-Ai delas Alas’ daughter. Now, they’re starring in their first big-screen break, Star Cinema’s Must Be…Love (opening nationwide on Wednesday, March 13), a comedy-romance directed by Dado Lumibao, in which Daniel and Kathryn start as friends, part as friends and then reconcile as lovers.

Last Valentine’s Day, Daniel and Kathryn spent the day on a movie-watching marathon, cheap thrills that give people their age a great high. No, they are not yet steadies — you know, just “feeling close, feeling friends.”

Do they match?

The following “complete the sentence” test should provide the answer.

Daniel

• I hate people…who hate me.
•  I avoid people…who don’t like me.
• My greatest pleasure is…driving.
• My worst moment is…when pumutok ‘yung nguso ko during a basketball game.
•  My biggest fear is…spiders!
•  I pray for…my future.
•  The most important person(s) in my life are…my parents.
•  If I were to be reincarnated as an animal I would be…a lion or white tiger.
•  My most traumatic experience was…when I fainted due to exhaustion.
• I deal with gossip by…ignoring them.
•  The one thing I can’t do without is…TV.
• The type of girls that turns me on is…one who likes rock music.
•  The type of girls that turns me off is…’yung mga “feeling.”
• My philosophy in life is…kung di mo gusto, eh, di huwag!
•  I lose my temper when…I lack sleep, when I am forced to do things I don’t like and when I see people disrespecting girls.
•  When I am alone in my room I fantasize about…nice cars.
•  If I were somebody else, I would be…Brad Pitt.
•  I am happiest when…I’m home resting.
•  I’m saddest when…I’m not playing basketball.
•  My ultimate goal is…to be a successful person.
• What I like about myself is…my music.
•  What I don’t like about myself is…when I don’t get enough sleep.

Kathryn

•  I hate people…who are late.
•  I avoid people…who dislike me.
•  My greatest pleasure is…when I buy shoes.
•  My worst moment is…none yet (thank God!).
• My biggest fear is…rejection.
•  I pray for…my friends and my family.
• The most important person in my life is…my family.
•  If I were to be reincarnated as an animal, I would be…a bird.
•  My most traumatic experience was…getting stuck in a mousetrap.
•  I deal with gossip by…just smiling.
• The one thing I can’t do without is…my celfone.
• The type of guys that turns me on is…a musician.
• The type of guys that turns me off is…one with bad hygiene.
• My philosophy in life is…no pain, no gain.
•  I lose my temper when…needed.
•  When I am alone in my room I fantasize about…my dream house.
•  If I were somebody else, I would be…secret!
•  I’m happiest when…I get to buy new shoes.
•  I’m saddest when…I see my lola crying.
• My ultimate goal is…to be more fit.
•  What I like about myself is…my good personality.
• What I don’t like about myself is…my lack of confidence.

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