When Hello Stranger lead stars Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara – the two young gentlemen who gave heart and soul to Xavier de Guzman and Mico Ramos, respectively – won the BL Love Team of the Year for an online magazine, the XavMi followers were ecstatic.
“We deserved it,” Labrusca, one-half of the XavMi coupling teases. “The win was not just because of me and JC, but the whole artistic, creative, and technical village that gave life to the movie and the series of course. It was a well-deserved pat on our collective backs because you know, it was an affirmation that hey, we did something good.”
According to Labrusca, their being “aesthetically pleasing” is the reason why Filipino BL aficionados and the curious block gravitated towards XavMi.
“The most superficial one I think, we were probably aesthetically pleasing to a lot of people. The content was appreciated because there was no political agenda and we did not have all the prevailing concerns, issues, and the correctness tones that were all over in the other BLs,” he says.
“It was an honest-to-goodness movie about Xavier and Mico falling in love with each other. The creators and the film’s director focused on the journey, the ups and downs of two gentlemen who met at the right time and right place, and became romantically involved,” the young actor carries on.
Labrusca gives credit to the Young Padawans with Vivoree Escito, Patrick Quiroz, and Miguel Almendras who acted as Mico’s best friends, Gillian Vicencio as Crystal, Xavier’s girlfriend, and Mean Espinosa as Professor Tina Moran.
“All of them and the manner they breathed life to all their characters, plus the stories written and woven wonderfully made Hello Strangers not only engrossing but an interesting watch,” avers Labrusca.
As to the XavMi/Tony and JC shippers, Labrusca says that he doesn’t mind the “shipping” but he makes clear that it will never happen in reality.
“I feel bad for those who wanted it to be for real. A lot of our followers were sad because they are aware that JC and I have other projects separately and we are not just doing BL. What gives me comfort though is that I believe, aside from all the kilig and that dream of us being an us, is that we were not just XavMi to them. We became their companions, friends, and to some extent, family even, that we were there for them, and for each other, during the harshest moments of the pandemic,” he explains.
Labrusca’s ultimate wish for XavMi: “I want them to become the Popoy and Basha of Philippine BL. I am open to the idea of being him again, not that soon though. When JC and I step in their shoes again, I want it to be epic! With a fuller, more mature story of two men who fell in love and are still in love.”
On XavMi’s experiencing the most anticipated true love’s kiss, the actor recollects: “I still remember that Crazy For You was on repeated play to put us in the mood. Both JC and I were emotionally truthful about being Xavier and Mico. JC always joked that amongst all the actors in a BL, siya na lang ang hindi pa nahahalikan, right?”
He continues: “The kissing scene had three takes. The first take felt awkward and yes, it looked it. The second take was a funny one because when our lips locked, may sounds. Rinig mo talaga yung tunog. Yung third, which was the one, which everyone saw in the movie, was talagang tamang-tama.”
What is next in line for him are You’re Mine with Jane Oineza, a romantic comedy by Easy Ferrer and another movie to be directed by Victor Villanueva (Patay Na Si Hesus).
“There is a super intense psychological thriller and another one with Ariella Arida,” he discloses.
He is also off to New York (first time to be in the city that never sleeps) to be in Jhett Tolentino’s Asian Persuasions that stars KC Concepcion, Dante Basco, and other Asian-American actors.
