Carla & Tom: So it’s them?

MANILA, Philippines - After portraying a couple never meant to be, Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez are given another shot at onscreen love via Regal Entertainment’s romantic-comedy So It’s You.

According to So It’s You director Jun Lana in an interview, the leading actors — who were first paired on the GMA 7 hit soap opera My Husband’s Lover — have undeniable chemistry. “The chemistry is really there. When you watch the film, you can really see it. Ang laki ng tulong ng teleserye. And they’re very good friends. Nalalaman ko ang mga bits and pieces about them from each other,” he said.

In So It’s You (the first rom-com for both Carla and Tom), the two play Lira and Goryo, who are brought together by their respective misfortunes in the love department — the former unceremoniously dumped at the altar, the latter a spurned, single father.

Direk Jun, who in recent years has been pounding the international filmfest circuit for his critically-acclaimed indies Bwakaw and Barber’s Tales, said the material of So It’s You came first before the casting was decided on.

“I’ve always wanted to do something very light and a romantic comedy. I wanted to cast somebody, especially in the role of the girl, who hasn’t done a rom-com or someone you won’t expect (would do rom-com).”

He said Carla, who is more identified with dramatic projects, surprised him in this film. “You always see her doing heavy drama and serious roles. But having worked with her for several times, I know she’s capable of transforming her image into someone kikay.

“She embraced her character kahit alam kong hirap na hirap siya. Like in the scene, where she’s singing in the car, I knew she was struggling because she’s not that character — someone baduy and no taste. Ang laki ng adjustment niya. We talked about the role several times, and sometimes, of course, yung treatment niya sa isang eksena mas dramatic, then sasabihin ko mas kinakailangan mas comic but hindi naman over, pero ramdam pa rin. She was able to pull it off. She really did a good job here.”

As for Tom, direk Jun described him as “very charming. As a leading man, he has everything. I was also surprised at his comic timing. I had no idea although I watched him before in (the musical) Aladdin, kaya alam kong kaya niyang magpatawa.”

With this film, the director said viewers will forget Tom’s unforgettable breakthrough role as the closet gay husband in My Husband’s Lover. “Sobrang makakalimutan,” direk Jun said. 

The premise of So It’s You also had reporters trying to make a connection between Carla and Tom’s real and reel lives. With both of them apparently single — Carla just made a public confirmation of her breakup while Tom reluctantly admitted that he isn’t with anyone right now is — can an on-set romance be far behind?

During a presscon for the movie at the Penthouse of Imperial Palace Suites over the weekend, there was no let-up on questions as to the possibility of their working relationship blossoming into something more. Plus, as a movie writer pointed out, they look good together.

Tom was first to say that there’s no telling the future but Carla also reckoned that a romance (with anyone) is unlikely to happen “anytime soon kasi pareho naman kami may pinagdadaanan. May kanya-kanya kaming problem, ayaw namin i-intend just because people see something.”

She maintained that what they have is a friendship borne out of a good working relationship that started on the set of My Husband’s Lover. Carla said, “It’s a purely professional relationship. We’re friends because of our work.”

Carla also took the opportunity to clarify stories coming out that she’s been using her failed relationship to drum up publicity for the film, as well as deny anew names dragged into the fray as supposedly third parties. “Nakakahiya na nagagamit yung name niya for the movie,” Carla said, extra-careful not to mention her ex’s name out of “respect.” “Once and for all, whatever we went through, it didn’t involve anybody else... It was just between the two us, two personalities with different attitudes, two different ways of making decisions, two people with dreams and goals that unfortunately do not match. That’s it.”

She’s still mending a broken heart and “it’s a long process. Kita naman sa mga mata ko. I’m not ready (to date again). I’ve not moved on. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Nevertheless, unlike her character, whose heart and mind are a mess, and cannot let go, Carla said that while her breakup was her “most difficult decision,” she has learned to accept things.

Shooting the film also proved to be somewhat therapeutic. The film is a rom-com but it has its share of crying scenes, “and I poured all my tears there. There are crying scenes wherein wala pang take, tumutulo na ang luha ko. But in a way, because the mood on the set was light, it somehow helped (me).”

But she’s coping mainly because “my best friends are there, my family is there. I just had a vacation with my family, out of town, and every weekend, we’re together and bonding…One of my best friends sleeps at my house, and stays with me every night because I find it hard to sleep alone because of the problem, with the things on my mind. If not for my barkada and my family, I don’t think I’ll be able to wake up each day with a smile on my face,” Carla opened up.

As for Tom’s part, he just wants to give his career his undivided attention right now. “Maybe that’s one factor to (what I’m going through now) I want to focus on my work, it’s really been overwhelming this past year. I’m not used to this lifestyle; every day, there is work to do. Of course, I’m not complaining because I’ve long waited for this and it’s a blessing! I just have to give it my all, my 100 percent.”

Tom, who waited in the wings for several years, doing support roles after being discovered in a reality show, said he never expected he would fall in love with acting.

“I didn’t expect I’d end up loving this; I’ve fallen in love with my craft, and I really want to give it my all and to go and learn all that I can, and I really want to support my family,” he said of his family in the States, who have been his main inspiration in his pursuit of showbiz. “That’s been my dream my whole life. Finally, God has answered my prayers, that I get breaks and work so that I can sustain myself and hopefully, I can support my family. That’s why my focus now is on my work.”

Also starring JC de Vera, Joey Marquez, Arlene Muhlach, Kevin Santos, Paolo Ballesteros and Bangs Garcia, So It’s You opens in theaters nationwide on May 7.