For Jasmine and Rayver, love is worth fighting for

MANILA, Philippines — Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Rayver Cruz collaborate for the first time in the now-airing GMA Prime series Asawa Ng Asawa Ko. Jasmine and Rayver are bringing with them their wealth of experience gained from being paired up with stars such as Alden Richards in The World Between Us and Kylie Padilla in Bolera, respectively.

They have been tapped as the young couple Cristy and Jordan, whose wedded bliss will be cut short by the wife’s abduction, leaving the husband to consider the prospects of moving forward. It is just for the “reel.”

In real-life, however, Jasmine has a boyfriend in Jeff Ortega, while Rayver has a girlfriend in Julie Anne San Jose.

During a recent media press conference, the Kapuso actors were asked to give their two cents’ worth if love is worth fighting for, given the travails their characters will face.

“Yes, it’s always worth fighting for,” said Jasmine, “especially kapag alam mong may chance kang manalo (when you know that there’s a chance to win).”

She followed that with a laugh, adding, “I will always fight for love, and by fight, not just yung laban na may kaaway (not the kind that you have a rival); but in all aspects of life, gagawan ko ng paraan, gagawan ko ng oras ang pagmamahal (I will find a way and time for love to express and nurture it).”

As for Rayver, he shared, “Siyempre, dapat ipaglaban yan kahit wala ka namang kaagaw (of course, you need to fight for it even though you don’t have a competition). Ipaglaban mo pa rin baka may mahanap na iba, di ba? (You still fight for it. Your significant other might find another).” Then he punctuated it with a laugh.

And claiming what’s rightfully hers in the family drama is the character Cristy, who will soon bounce back from her captivity by the armed group named KALASAG.

“There’s a lot of challenges because hindi ko alam kung paano maging asawa (I don’t have an idea of becoming a wife),” said Jasmine about playing the role in the press call. “It’s the biggest challenge, learning how to give up and portray a wife and also a mother.”

Despite that, the real trouper in her manages to deliver what’s expected of her. She’s able to play the part with the support of leading man Rayver, fellow actors like Gina Alajar and Joem Bascon, and director Laurice Guillen.

“It’s really fun to have Rayver as a castmate and a leading man, especially in heavy scenes,” said Jasmine. “After those scenes, it’s easy to bounce back and to, at least, relieve ourselves (from the scenes) and not carry those emotions because, as a person, he is light and very bubbly, and happy-going person. It’s nice to feel that you have a co-star like him and the kind of support you get from him.”

Following Jasmine’s line of thought, one could gather that when creative collaborators accept whatever she’s presenting, it inspires her to be on her toes and give a solid emotion for the scene.

This gives one an insight into the process that the ensemble cast goes through to be in the shoes of their characters.

“We really enjoy the process every day,” said Rayver, adding that the work on set is fast and smooth and the chemistry between stars is instant. “Jasmine has said that I’m very bubbly as a person. But that is also a challenge for me because Jordan has gone through a lot in life.”

“I need to dig deep, which requires preparation,” shared he. “That’s why I’m thankful to direk Laurice for joining me (to understand my role), and she’s always there to guide me.”

Since Jordan and the show are new materials, Rayver said he had to temporarily put aside his learnings about acting, and take on a new perspective, if one may add.

“Personally, life is really complex, even if you think what you’re doing is right. Minsan baka may mas mabuti pang paraan, mas maayos (na paraan) (sometimes, there’s a better way available you need to consider),” said Jasmine about her takeaways from being part of Asawa Ng Asawa Ko that might resonate with the viewers. “If you have respect and love for people in your life, yung pasensya mo ang iiral (your patience will come and rule), to give the respect and love over and over again in reaching a solution that is agreeable to everyone and will help all.”

“For me, love is very powerful,” added Rayver. “Lahat ng characters dito kung bakit nila ginagawa yung mga ginagawa nila ay dahil sa pagmamahal sa tao (as for the reason why the characters do what they’re doing in the show, it’s all because of love).”

Watch Asawa Ng Asawa Ko Mondays to Thursdays at 9:35 p.m. on GMA.