Vilma Santos advises Cassy, Darren: ‘You have the chemistry, so work on it’

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Film Festival 2023 official entry, When I Met You In Tokyo, marks the film debut of Cassy Legaspi and Darren Espanto’s “fan-made” loveteam dubbed as CassRen.

No less than the film’s female lead star Vilma Santos has high hopes and offered support for the CassRen loveteam. She went as far as comparing them to her iconic teamup with When I Met You In Tokyo leading man Christopher de Leon, whom she worked with numerous times in big-screen projects since the 1975 box-office hit Tag-ulan Sa Tag-Araw.

The Star for All Seasons had a simple advice to the young stars, both 22 and who have described each other as “more than friends” and “special friends”.

“‘Pag sineryoso niyo yan (your tandem will go far). Kasi, ang ganda ng chemistry nyong dalawa. You just have to hone it (through) acting, experiences, doing movies. But you have the chemistry. So work on it,” she said during a recent mediacon for the film.

In reaction, Cassy quipped, “Nakaka-pressure naman yun, oh my gosh!” while Darren added, “Marami pa po kaming kakaining bigas bago namin marating ang narating na po nila.”

“But of course, it’s such an honor. Maraming salamat po na nanggaling yun kay Miss Vilma,” the singer further said.

Both Cassy and Darren were grateful for the opportunity to be cast together in When I Met You In Tokyo, saying they’ve been longing for a joint project beyond brand endorsements.

Sharing their initial reaction upon being offered the film project, Darren said, “Nung una po naming nalaman, hindi po kami sure. (At first, we weren’t sure). Kasi, kung totoo ba? Because we were both unaware of what it was. (Because we weren’t sure if it was true yet).”

He remembered asking Cassy, “Did you get an inquiry for a movie daw?” The production was inquiring about both of them to play the roles of family members of Vilma and Christopher.

“We both wanted to do it because, of course, ang tagal na po naming gustong magkaroon ng project together. Because we haven’t really done anything aside from endorsements and stuff like that. But this one, isang totoong project na siya, yung pelikula, and it’s actually an official, like, CassRen project,” said Darren.

When I Met You In Tokyo represents not just as an official CassRen project, but also indicates the beginning of a new chapter for their tandem.

The movie has made it possible for CassRen to finally grace the screens as a loveteam. CassRen was created by fans who have been shipping the two for years now but were seemingly impossible to be paired on screen before because they belonged to rival networks.

When asked by The STAR how they first met each other, Darren recalled that their first encounter occurred when he guested on ABS-CBN’s Kris TV, where Cassy’s mother, Carmina Villarroel, was a co-host at that time.

“They asked me about Cassy if I’ve met her, what I think about Cassy,” said Darren. “I said, yes, she’s very pretty. I’ve never met her before.”

It was only later when he and Cassy briefly met at an elevator while heading to an Ariana Grande concert.

“Pagpasok ko sa elevator, nauna po kami. Tapos sumunod sila, sakto, yung buong Legaspi family,” revealed Darren.

“Then both of us were like, ‘Uy! Siya yun!” said Cassy.

Added Darren, “We didn’t know each other. That was our first encounter. But we didn’t meet formally po, because Tita Mina just simply introduced, ‘This is my family.’ And then we’ve only really met nung nag-guest po siya sa amin. Kasi nung time na yun, parte pa siya ng network namin.”

At first, they were “super awkward” with each other before but things have definitely changed since then. Darren hinted that they became closer to each other over the pandemic.

When asked by this paper on the qualities they appreciate in each other, which they believe contribute to their onscreen chemistry, Darren said, “Cassy is one of the people that I was able to really connect to during that time. So that’s something that definitely had a big part to play, and you know, it added to where we are today also.”

Cassy chimed in, “We know each other so well. Because in a way, we grew up together.”

“Kakaano, kakabiro ng mga tao tungkol sa CassRen,” said Darren, suggesting fans “shipping” them together led to where they are now.

Agreed Cassy, “Oo nga, grabe ang pag-manifest ng CassRen. Lakas niyo! Iba!”

“So, I guess because we know each other so well, and we accept each other’s flaws… I guess everything comes naturally and we don’t like to act,” she continued.

“Because the more you act, the more na nawawala yung totoong chemistry, which is what people want to see. So, I’m very lucky. I just wanna say I’m very lucky with Darren because I don’t have to act. So, everything is way easier for me.”

They now hope for more projects together beyond When I Met You In Tokyo. “I think we owe it to our fans. They waited for nine years. They’ve been patient with us for nine years. So they deserve CassRen projects. So baka naman, baka naman,” expressed Cassy.

They are open to the possibility of collaborating on teleseryes, movies, and other ventures in the future. And with network affiliations becoming less of an issue, the prospect of working together more often is something they look forward to.

As Darren mentioned, “Since wala na rin namang mga network wars, especially between ABS-CBN and GMA, it’s something that we look forward to in the future. More projects, not just endorsements, you know. Sana po, in the future, magsama pa kami (We hope to work together in the future).”

Cassy specifically mentioned, “Teleserye,” and Darren agreed, “Yeah, a series or another movie. (We’re) serious,” mentioning that there were times in the past that their parents even entertained the idea of producing projects for them just to satisfy fans’ wishes. “Minsan ano po, yung mga magulang namin, nagsasabi, ‘Tayo na lang mag-produce.’” They no longer have to, with When I Met You In Tokyo.