First-time director on Sarah and Gerald

MANILA, Philippines - Because she has just gone through her first heartbreak in real life, Sarah Geronimo has become a better and more credible actress.

This is what first-time director Raz dela Torre said after he wrapped up Won’t Last a Day without You, the latest rom-com from Star Cinema and Viva Films, in which Sarah is paired anew, yes, for the second time (after Catch Me I’m In Love), with Gerald Anderson.

“Mayroon na kasi siyang hinuhugutan,” direk Raz added. In contrast to her previous movies, which generally depicted her as sweet and wholesome, Won’t Last a Day without You shows Sarah in a different light.

“Hindi na siya ‘yung dating na never-been touched character. This time, I’m showing her as a girl who has already experienced love, including the highs and lows that go with it — and the pain of losing.”

Experience is truly the best teacher.

Won‘t Last a Day without You marks direk Raz’s entry as a director. A Broadcast Communications graduate from the University of the Philippines (year 2001), he proceeded to study Law, also at UP, but quit on his second year.

From 2004 to 2008, he started working at Star Cinema as a writer. Among his early works were You are the One, starring Toni Gonzaga and Sam Milby; You Got Me, also starring Toni and Sam plus Zanjoe Marudo; and Agent X44 with Vhong Navarro playing the title role.

He also wrote A Very Special Love, which starred John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah together for the first time. Directed by Cathy Garcia Molina and produced by Star Cinema, the movie was a blockbuster.

“Gerald is a very reliable actor,” direk Raz said. “He’s a thinking actor. That’s why, it’s easy for him to absorb ideas. He blends very well with Sarah who is just as easy to direct.”

In Won’t Last a Day without You, Sarah plays a deejay who dishes out pieces of advice for the lovelorn and the lovesick. Gerald, on the other hand, is a playboy whose escapades are exposed by Sarah on air. This leads to the crossing of their paths, which leads to their falling for each other.

Asked how he made Sarah and Gerald appear like sweethearts onscreen even if they are not in real life, direk Raz said, “They have chemistry and they’re good actors, and that makes them very credible. The fact that they are friends is also a big help.”

Won’t Last a Day without You opens tomorrow, Nov. 30 in theaters nationwide.