Team Jolly tries hand at horror-romance in Sparkle U

MANILA, Philippines — After their recent successful stints in the drama romance LUV Is: Caught in His Arms and the sitcom Open 24/7, Allen Ansay and Sofia Pablo headline Sparkle U: Ghosted, and, given its title, they try their hand at horror.

In a virtual press conference, Sofia, the other half of Team Jolly, clarified that the Ghosted story being featured in the youth-oriented anthology series is a mix of everything.

She said, “There’s horror and romance. As you watch it, you’ll notice it also has a tinge of comedy.”

This is a welcome change for the Sparkle Sweethearts as well as for their followers, who will see Allen and Sofia in a new storyline and characterization.

“We’re very happy the way our pair-up or loveteam is going because we’re not just stuck to doing a particular kind of role,” said Sofia during a group interview.

In Ghosted, Sofia and Allen are students Alessi and Zac, respectively. She has the special ability to summon and speak to spirits. Since his girlfriend is being haunted by a ghost, Zac approaches Alessi again after some time of not talking to her and asks her to shed light on such a situation.

Prior to this, Alessi and Zac had worked on a flower farm and created a special bond.

“I didn’t expect that we would be given a project in which we were not the main love interest. It was challenging for us on how we would pull it off,” said Sofia.

For a quick rewind, Allen and Sofia played the son of the resort’s caretaker and daughter of the resort owner-turned-mermaid in Raya Sirena. In LUV Is: Caught in His Arms, he was the quiet, wealthy Nero, while she was the bubbly and hardworking Florence. These characters had only eyes for each other.

“We’re always grateful to GMA and Sparkle (for trusting us),” shared Allen. “Every time we do a project, they make sure that we will improve. Kaya masasabi namin na habang tumatagal, mas nag-ma-mature kami, mas natututo kami. Mas gagalingan namin (As we continue working, we mature, we learn more. We will do our best). Kumbaga hindi namin sasayangin yung mga opportunities na binibigay sa amin (We won’t let the opportunities being given to us go to waste).”

Allen’s Zac and Sofia’s Alessi are a stark contrast from their previous characters.

Sofia described her roles as always being “outspoken and very emotional,” but her Alessi is someone who “seems to hide her emotions. Kapag nakita ninyo siya, lagi lang siyang nakatingin, nasasaktan na siya, pero nakaganun pa rin siya (When you see her, you’ll find that she’s just staring and quiet. She’s hurt but she remains mum). This time, kailangan minimal lang yung actions, pati yung pagsasalita kailangan hindi masyadong mataas (portraying my character required minimal actions and a soft-spoken voice), very straight line lang and calm for the most part.”

As for Allen, he had to get into the mind of Zac, who has fallen in love with two women, and understand the mixed emotions that come with it.

“That was the challenging part for me, aside from the fact that the genre was horror,” said he.

With that, what viewers can also look forward to is the experience of Zac being torn between his girlfriend and the girl he has ghosted.

“It doesn’t only focus on a love story; it’s like a rollercoaster (ride), with lots of messages about friendship,” said he. “When you get to watch it, you’ll realize it’s for kids and all other members of the family.”

For this project, Team Jolly is joined by the Sparkle Teens Liana Mae, Marco Masa, and Princess Aliyah, along with comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto.

“We had fun,” said Sofia. “We would do TikTok and selfies; nagtatakutan din po kami (We would also scare each other).”

Allen also agreed with Sofia about the enjoyable working atmosphere on the set by saying, “masaya yung taping because it felt like we were kids.”

By the way, Rufa Mae portrays the role of a ghost teacher named Ms. Agnes Gaspar, who haunts the library of Sparkle University, according to the show’s website. She will help five teenagers, including Alessi and Zac, in the story.

What’s Team Jolly’s take on ghosting someone?

“I don’t see the reason for ghosting. But we don’t know why people will do it. Hindi ako mag-go-ghost kung malagay ako sa ganung sitwasyon kasi pwede ka namang magsabi ng maayos na it won’t work pala (If I were in that situation, I wouldn’t because I think you can explain to the person properly that this relationship won’t work). Hindi ko naiintindihan yung bigla na lang na hindi magpaparamdam (I don’t get it when someone just disappears and doesn’t talk to you without any explanation),” said Sofia.

The ideas of “ghosting” as a supernatural phenomenon and “ghosting” as a contemporary manner of leaving someone without any explanation are further explored and told in the Allen-Sofia-starred Sparkle U episode.

Watch it Sundays at 5:55 p.m.