Help them, they’re falling!

In their new movie, Can’t Help Falling In Love, Star Cinema’s Easter offering, KathNiel loveteam Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla get married with the ceremony shot at Villa Immaculada in Intramuros, Manila, but neither of them would reveal what the story is that leads to that altar date.

“Just watch the movie,” the sweethearts teased the movie press at the presscon last Thursday at, you guessed it, Villa Immaculada. This much they would admit: the movie, directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, is “a must-see” not only for KathNiels.

Kathryn turned 21 last March 26 (and Daniel 22 on April 26) and she celebrated her special day in Palawan with Daniel and some close friends, but minus their parents. Well, they are of age and they are legally free to enjoy themselves without parental watch but guided still with parental advice in mind. You know…

The movie’s title is anachronistic because if action does speak louder than words, Kathryn and Daniel are not just “falling,” they have already “fallen” in love.

Read between the lines in the following Conversation with them:

How different is Can’t Help Falling In Love from your other movies?

Daniel: First time kaming ikakasal ni Kathryn. Sa pelikula ha.

Kathryn: This rom-com is not for teeny-boppers. In this rom-com, DJ and I are playing mature roles.

Describe your characters and what do you like about them?                

Kathryn: Gab is different from me, she’s my exact opposite.

Super perfectionist. Super planner. She wants to plan everything, as in everything! I’m not like that. She’s also stiff, napaka-formal na tao. But everything changes when she meets Dos. 

Daniel: Dos is different from the characters that I have played. Masayahin siya, almost like me but at the same time, he’s different from me because I am not the type who is fond of trying everything. I’m not adventurous like him. I mean, I’m somewhat adventurous but unlike Dos, I don’t run a travel agency and I don’t scuba-dive. Stay-at-home akong tao, eh. But I love the role because it gives me a chance to experience things that I don’t usually do. Masarap ding marami akong natutunan.

What else of yourself do you see in the characters?

Kathryn: How she treats her mom; ayaw n’yang na-a-upset ang mom nya. She’s OC (Obsessive-Compulsive) and I’m not like that. The rest about her is so unlike me.

Daniel: I simply shrug off problems…always…like Dos.

Is it okay for you to be paired with another actor/actress? 

Daniel: Decisions like that are management’s call. Sana huwag muna because Kathryn and I still have many projects to do. After five years, may bagong pelikula, bagong teleserye. But right now, we concentrate on what we are doing kasi masaya naman, eh.”

How do you keep your team-up strong and competitive with other loveteams?   

Kathryn: We make sure that we do something new and something different every time, something that our fans can identify with. I am a fan, too, and I want to see in my idol something I can relate to, yung alam nila na parang kami din sila. We see to it that we don’t repeat anything, huwag na gawin yung mga nagawa na namin. More important, what you see is what you get. Nagpapaka-totoo talaga kami.

Daniel: What drives me is the desire to give the public something different, something that makes them happy. Di yon nawawala sa amin ni Kathryn. We are always eager to meet our KathNiels. Like now that we have a new movie, we want to find out how our fans will react. I’m not saying that only Kathryn and I are like that. Sinasabi ko lang, eh, di nawawala sa amin yon. 

You cannot be doing “teen” roles forever so your roles should also be according to your age. Paano nyo ina-adjust ang roles nyo para tugma sa edad nyo?

Kathryn: I think the right thing to do is not to hurry things up, huwag mong madaliin. Ayaw namin pilitin. So the roles that we are portraying now are right for our age. Had we done them two years ago, they might have been awkward, parang alanganin. We wait for the perfect time for everything, step by step. Mahirap kasi ’pag biglain lahat. 

How mature are you in your new movie?           

Daniel: Mature na tama lang sa edad namin. By mature, I don’t mean that there are torrid kissing scenes, love scenes, yung mga yan. None of those.

What are the do’s and don’t’s before you accept a role? Or do you let your parents decide for you?

Kathryn: Sa ibang bagay, of course, like investments and all. But they let us decide on some things, kailangan na rin yon kasi tumatanda na rin kami. But not everything. I am not in a position to decide on everything. We still rely on our moms who continue to guide us and to remind us.

Now that your are of legal age, can you and do you make decisions by yourselves, especially pagdating sa finances at personal life?                 

Kathryn: When it comes to finances, si Mama bahala dyan. But she’s training me how to handle some things, especially where numbers are involved, and what to invest in.

You have practically grown up together. What have you learned and are you learning from each other?

Kathryn: I think yung “in a world full of Kardashians, be like Diana.” DJ sent that to me. I realized that it’s very true. You don’t have to keep in step with the rest, don’t force yourself into something na hindi bagay sa’yo. Be yourself.

What do you usually disagree on and how do you patch things up?                                                                     

Kathryn: A lot! Sometimes, sa food. Or where we should go. He always tells me, “It’s up to you!”

Daniel: You know Kathryn, she always changes her mind. I’m not like that. Once I set my mind on what we should do and where we should go, nakatatak na yon sa mind ko. What Kathryn does is, parati niyang binabago.

Kathryn (Butting in): But which you can’t control, sometimes. You really have to make changes, especially if you take the traffic into consideration. DJ doesn’t want you to surprise him with last-minute changes. Ako naman, gusto ko kasi kung anong mangyari, mabilis akong magbago. I am flexible. Like, if you have decided to watch a movie tonight, stick to it. Yan si DJ. I must admit that I’m magulo sometimes. I want to accomplish so many things but there’s not enough time. DJ would say, “What are your priorities?” So we meet halfway. I go with what he wants to do and he follows what I want to do and where I want to go. Para pareho, fair.

(To Daniel) May reputation ang mga Padilla pagdating sa mga babae. Are you like your uncles or are you a one-woman man?                        

Daniel: I am a one-woman man.

(To Kathryn) Are you aware of that Padilla reputation?

Kathryn: Aware. Pero di naman masama. Iba naman si DJ. Lumaki rin sya kina Tita Karla (Estrada, Daniel’s mom). 

What did you sacrifice (studies, maybe) for stardom?    

Kathryn: Private life.

Daniel: Nothing, really. Everything is part of the business. It’s the price that you have to pay for being a public property.

Five years from now, do you see yourselves still together?

Daniel: Yes, of course! Oo naman! 

Kathryn: Siempre! We have many plans together; I don’t have to itemize them. But we hope to accomplish all of them, such as the business he’s planning to put up, his dream house, my dream car. We have so many more places to visit, to experience together. Five years from now, I guess nakaka-halfway na kami.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)