WATCH: Why James-Nadine love team hasn't turned from reel to real

MANILA, Philippines — Fans of James Reid and Nadine Lustre have been expressing their desire for the two to turn their onscreen partnership into a real one since they first worked together in the 2013 movie “Ang Dairy ng Panget.”

But while James and Nadine are not completely closing their doors, the two said they won’t want to mess up their tried-and-tested love team by injecting it with real-life romance.

“Choice lang namin. We want to focus on our work. And friends lang talaga kami,” James said when asked why his relationship has not progressed into a romantic one during the press conference for ABS-CBN primetime series “On The Wings of Love” on Monday.

READ: James & Nadine flying high on Wings of Love

He added, “What we have is good. We don't want to spoil it.”

Nadine agreed with the 22-year-old actor.

“Sa ngayon po kasi, focused kami [sa work]. Kasi parang nagwo-work po siya ngayon, ayaw namin maging complicated,” she said.

“What if magkaroon ng away or something, medyo mahirap pong magtrabaho kapag meron pong ganun,” she further explained.

Watch James Reid and Nadine Lustre explain their relationship here:

Despite being open that they are friends, a number of fans have reportedly bashed James for being seen being other girls off screen. For instance, James was seen with actress Debs Garcia in an upscale club recently.

The actor admitted he does go to clubs and bars. “Pero iniiwasan ko na because I don’t have time, I’m so busy,” James said. “That's really how I am… Minsan fans get upset. But they eventually understand.”

“I guess it's normal naman po talaga kasi love team,” Nadine said of the bashers. While they don’t mind the bashing, James and Nadine said negative comments online affect them at times.

“Usually, I can just ignore it. But sometimes it builds up too much,” James said.

Nadine, for her part, said: “Kapag nababash siya (James), nababash din ako."

“Minsan po kasi nagiging masyado silang personal... Pero iniignore ko na lang po. Kasi pag pinatulan mo, sasabihin sa'yo pumapatol ka. So huwag na lang pong pansinin,” she added.

Nadine wants to remind fans that she and James—regardless of what is or isn’t happening in their personal lives—are “partners in crime.”

“It’s normal naman kung super fanatic ka talaga [to want their favorite love teams to end up together in real life]… Thank you pa rin still kasi sumusuporta pa rin sila,” she said. “Me and James, we’re a team. We’re partners in crime. So kahit naman in real life gusto nila kami magkatuluyan, okay lang kasi sumusuporta pa rin sila sa amin.”

Watch James Reid and Nadine Lustre talk about bashers here:

Watch James Reid and Nadine Lustre give a message to their fans here: