Belle Mariano, Donny Pangilinan on what fans can expect from 'Can't Buy Me Love': 'We'll show a different type of kilig'
You can always count on Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan to make your heart flutter, thanks to their exceptional chemistry—but they're all set to deliver a different kind of kilig in their first teleserye Can't Buy Me Love.
Speaking about their latest milestone in a roundtable interview attended by PhilSTAR L!fe, the two gushed about what fans can expect from them as one of the hottest love teams in the country.
"Sobrang different ng dynamics ng characters namin. My character is very stoic, she's such an alpha. She's so far from who Belle is, she's so far from the other characters I portray, so I think that's what makes an impact to the kilig," Belle said.
"'Yung kilig dito sobrang iba kasi mas lowkey, which makes it mas malakas," Donny added. "'Yung atake namin iba rin. More or less, when we script-read, we kind of have an idea kung paano namin iaatake ito, pero maraming eksena rito na nag-uusap talaga kami kung paano ang gagawin namin."
A reminder of growth
A classic love story where two people with very distinct lives meet, Can't Buy Me Love follows the story of Bingo (played by Donny), a hardworking man from a poor family as he crosses paths with Caroline (played by Belle), who hails from a traditional wealthy Chinese family.
For Donny and Belle, the series serves as a reminder of how far they've come in the industry, and they couldn't be prouder of each other's growth over the years.
"I think she's grown so much in terms of her artistry, how she plays around with her emotions, the different things she does, how she approaches life and work, and being professional," Donny said of Belle, adding that she's now much better than the actress he knew when they were just starting out as a love team.
"I've seen her motivation to get better every day, and it's still there. It's very evident even if we're doing a lot of projects. Weirdly enough, I still think she has so much pa that she can do even if she's already proved so much," he said.
Belle, on the other hand, was all smiles as she highlighted her co-star's improvements while watching him during the production of their series.
"I told myself, 'Oh my gosh, I'm so proud of this guy.' Grabe, talagang mapapa-clap ka sa binigay niya. You can see how he really grew in his craft," Belle said.
Not your average rom-com
Donny assured TV viewers that Can't Buy Me Love isn't just another rom-com cliché.
"Sobrang dami kasing genres sa show na ito, parang lahat pinagsama na. If you look at it in that perspective na rich girl and poor boy, then marami nang projects na ganun, but this one has so many different factors here and there," Donny said, teasing that the series will also explore the intricacies of Filipino-Chinese history.
"Caroline and Bingo will fall in love differently since there are a lot of different factors that will affect their relationship, and a lot of mysteries and plot twists will happen," Belle added.
Donny hopes that Can't Buy Me Love will be able to provide viewers with an experience that's unlike any other and serve as a stepping stone for them to do more for their careers.
"[We want the series] to provide them with an experience that we can all enjoy together, and hopefully, it can be remembered as one of the best shows that will come out of this collaboration [between ABS-CBN and Netflix]," he said.
Directed by Mae Cruz Alviar, Can't Buy Me Love also stars Ruffa Gutierrez, Maris Racal, Albie Casiño, Kaila Estrada, Joao Constancia, Agot Isidro, and Rowell Santiago.
It's set to premiere on Netflix on Oct. 13, iWantTFC on Oct. 14, as well as Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, Jeepney TV, TFC, A2Z, and TV5 on Oct. 16.
Watch the trailer below: