‘Stronger’ AlDub through ups and lows

CEBU, Philippines - Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza know that all great things will have to come to an end. So as long as there’s still a strong hankering for their screen tandem, the pair’s maxim is ‘carpe diem!’

“We’re aware that we can’t prolong this forever,” says Maine on the observation of their waning popularity.

“We’re aware with what’s happening, so we don’t take that as criticism. When I read stories to that effect, I know they have a point and I agree. Just because it’s negative, doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

For Alden, the AlDub craze might have declined if compared to the fever-pitch phenomenon that it was last year – when every Saturday episode of ‘Eat Bulaga’ was a record-breaking Twitter party, every new AlDub endorsement was huge news, every Kalyeserye episode was recapped and when ‘It’s Showtime!’ was clinging on for dear life –  but at the end of the day, it’s those who’ve believed in them from beginning until the present that matters to him most.

“Those who were really waiting for the ‘tamang panahon’ and didn’t lose patience, they are the ones who matter. So we’re making the most out of it. We’re not looking at the end anyway. We seize the moment,” says Alden during a press conference Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Hotel for their first anniversary film “Imagine You and Me.” After their rendezvous with the press, the stars promoted their film at Gaisano Island Mall in Mactan that same evening, and the next day, met more of their fans at a Coca Cola event at the Garden Bloc of IT Park.

Almost one year since the team-up surprisingly took showbiz by storm, 21-year-old Maine describes her love team and friendship with Alden as “stronger.”

“We’ve known each other better the past year. We went through a lot, through ups and lows…,” Maine says.

While The Dubsmash Queen admits that they initially had doubts towards the other, she says that learning of each other’s real personas, warts and all, has been a big factor in reinforcing their relationship.

The demands of social media’s often brutal expectations posed a few challenges for both as they first felt out each other and dealt with sudden superstardom.

“Social media can be very harsh. They tell us bad things,” Alden laments. “But it’s what we do that matters. Not what other people say which aren’t true.”

To this day, when Alden is supposed to have gotten the hang out of being the current Commercial King, he’s still dumbfounded at the outpouring of endorsement offers that come his way.

“The blessings that have been showered upon us, I cannot comprehend. What have we done to deserve this? We must have done something good. As we go along, we just make the most out of it and the bottom line is, we do good things to other people because that is what will reflect.”

And while their sweet actuations towards each other easily reflect something beyond friendship, Alden and Maine refuse to reveal if they’re indeed already a real couple.

“What we have now, we try to keep it private. We don’t need labels for our relationship,” Alden offers. “As long as we love what we are doing. And we’re doing it to bring out the best in each other. The real score doesn't matter anymore, because we ourselves know what we are to the other.”

Maine, for her part, says: “Pakiramdaman nalang. What you see is what you get. Hindi naman kami nagpre-pretend sa harap ng tao. Basta masaya kami magkasama.”

In fact, they’re so happy with each other’s company that they don’t tire of being together on a daily basis. There’s still a sense of mystery and a constant discovery, and they look forward to peeling layer after layer of each other’s personalities as the days go by.

When dealing with bashers, Maine and Alden have vowed to always have each other’s back. “We lean on one another,” says Maine.

Slam them all you want, Alden and Maine can take that with a grain of salt. But when netizens involve their families who are private individuals, the stars would have to cry foul.

“Kapag inaatake nila sa akin ay yung physical, that doesn’t bother me since I’ll be the first person who bashes how I look. But when they include my family…,” shares Maine.

“The same with me. It’s okay if they hit me since I’m seen publicly every day. It offends us na pati yung nananahimik na mga kapatid, mga magulang, relatives ay nadadamay pa. Who are they to judge our families? Kami nalang. We’re okay with it. Whatever you say about us, we won’t mind. Just not our families, because that’s not only a sin in the eyes of people, but also a sin against God,” says Alden.

Of the downside to their passionate fandom, Alden shares, “Everyday, you see the dominance of social media. Having the followers that we have, we always look into our social media accounts. Sometimes there are comments where they want a lot of things to happen. I wouldn’t call it distracting, but in a way, it’s…Kapag hindi nabibigay po namin o ng Eat Bulaga, they blame it on us. Bakit hindi ganito? Bakit hindi ganyan? That’s sort of the downside of AlDub. But it’s manageable. At the end the day, we just shrug it off because people will always have something to say.”

Surely, a lot will also be said of their upcoming film, “Imagine You and Me” under GMA Films and APT Entertainment. A romantic adventure that will take the couple to some of the picturesque spots in Italy and the beautiful corners of the Philippines, Alden and Maine play Andrew and Gara. Gara is an NBSB and a hopeless romantic, while Andrew is no newbie in the romance department who refuses to believe in fate.

The film’s official theme song was written by Maine, with its music composed by Vic Sotto and arranged by Jimmy Antiporda. This is AlDub's sophomore movie following their stint on the big screen via the Metro Manila Film Festival 2015 entry “My Bebe Love” with Vic Sotto and Ai-Ai Delas Alas.

After shooting a film in a foreign country, how well do they now know each other? “Ever since, before we went to Italy, we’ve gotten to know each other on a deeper level as we went along on ‘Eat Bulaga’ everyday. Going to Italy helped us know each other more than we already did. We were together in Italy shooting for three weeks. It also helps us as actors to master our craft since we’re out of the country, we were able to focus more on our work and how to enhance our characters,” says Alden.

“Imagine You and Me,” also starring Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Irma Adlawan and Cacai Bautista, will hit theaters on July 13.   (FREEMAN)