Saying Goodbye pays tribute to Yeng Constantino’s music
MANILA, Philippines — iQiYi’s first Filipino local original series, Saying Goodbye, was inspired by a Yengster, a fan of singer-songwriter Yeng Constantino.
Dolly Dulu, the writer and director of the series, divulged that he is a proud Yengster and he drew inspiration from Yeng’s music while putting together Saying Goodbye. He shared in a virtual call that the initial concept of the romantic-drama was about Ricky (played by Seth Fedelin), who has a heart disease, and he then incorporated his personal touch to the story, being a huge fan of Yeng.
“While I was writing the script, I was looking for something na maka-connect ako?That’s why I invented yung pagiging Yengsters nila (Ricky and Elise). Kasi super fan ako. Actually, na-starstruck pa ako kay Ms. Yeng nung nakita ko siya sa set kesa sa mga ito (cast members),” shared Dolly.
In the ongoing series, Elise (portrayed by Andrea Brillantes) and Ricky are devoted supporters of Yeng. Their first encounter was at a record store, fighting over Yeng’s CD and they bonded through their passion for her music.
As per description, Elise is finally helping Ricky tick off his bucket list as they grapple with his imminent death.
The upcoming episodes will also open up a new world for Joni (Andi Abaya), a happy-go-lucky med student and Elise’s childhood friend, and Vic (Kobie Brown), a friend of Ricky’s, who also has a heart disease, as they meet and forge a special bond. Ricky’s cousin Jericho (Nio Tria) also comes into the picture to add spice to the story.
Direk Dolly, who is behind the BL movie The Boy Foretold by the Stars and the series Love Beneath the Stars, reminisced that he would collect posters of Yeng and watch her musical plays at the Philippine Educational Theater Association years ago.
Dolly described Yeng as “kind and down-to-earth.” He further detailed how Yeng’s father, who used to work at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), would be a proud supporter of his daughter’s career.
“When I was a student there, nagpapa-photocopy kami dati sa library. Yung tatay ni Yeng, in-charge sa pagpapa-photocopy ng mga books. Hindi niya kami ini-entertain kasi nanonood siya ng mga videos ni Yeng. Ang tagal namin mag-antay kasi tatapusin niya muna yung videos ni Yeng bago niya kami i-entertain. Na-photocopy naman yung mga readings namin. Hahaha!” he narrated.
That’s what Dolly also felt as an avid fan and shared how grateful Yeng was for the series, “Hindi niya masukat akalain na yung music niya would span a decade after, to a series na ginagawa ng mga younger generation. Sobrang thankful. Tsaka birthday niya actually nung first day ng streaming namin (Dec. 4),” said Dolly.
The young director didn’t expect that his “fangirling” days over Yeng would materialize later. “You know, I didn’t imagine that this would happen in real life. Parang out-of-this-world. Nung fan girl ako ni Yeng, hindi ko naman inisip sa sarili ko na maging director in the future,” he shared.
“Actually, when I pitched this, I wasn’t sure kung tatanggapin ni Yeng. But when she accepted it, sobrang kilig. Sobrang parang unexpected tapos, we had Yeng sa last day ng taping namin. It was too good to be true,” recounted Dolly.
On the other hand, Andrea also had fangirling moments like that of Dolly with BLACKPINK, Naruto, Harley Quinn and Joker, and the Megastar Sharon Cuneta.
“I remember nung Christmas special, kilig na kilig ako nung nakita ko si Ms. Sharon. Feeling ko personal trait ko na yung palatili sa artista,” shared the Huwag Kang Mangamba actress.
Meanwhile, cast member Nio, son of Cherry Pie Picache, “fully supports” his mother’s romance with veteran actor Edu Manzano.
“I love my mom so much. So seeing her happy right now also makes me happy,” he said.
On the thought of Edu as his future stepdad, Nio commented, “I think it’s their decision naman. I support my mom and I respect her decisions. If ever in the future that they would want to get married and he became my stepdad, then I would accept it because I trust my mom’s decision.”
Cherry Pie and Edu made a quick appearance behind Nio during the Zoom press conference to the delight of the audience.
Saying Goodbye also stars Sunshine Dizon, Dominic Ochoa, Valerie Concepcion, Polo Ravales, and Bernard Palanca. It is one of the original shows included in the multi-title content deal between ABS-CBN and iQiYi, along with Hello Heart and Lyric & Beat.
(Saying Goodbye is now streaming for free exclusively on the iQiyi PH app or iQ.com. A new episode drops every Saturday night at 8.)
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