Rising stars Kokoy de Santos and Elijah Canlas bid farewell to Gavreel Alarcon and Cairo Lazaro, their much-loved characters in Gameboys, setting the perfect tone for the upcoming movie version of the hit digital series.
Directed by Ivan Payawal and written by Ash Malanum, it starred the now popular tandem together with Kyle Velino as Terrence Carreon (Gav’s former male lover), Adriana So as Pearl Gatdula (the ex-girlfriend of the young man whose name means ‘angel of peace’), and Miggy Jimenez as Wesley Torres (Cai’s childhood best buddy).
“Not wanting to sound boastful, I want to believe that Elijah and myself are two of the reasons why the show now has a huge following. We gave Gavreel and Cairo the emotional truth people are looking for onscreen pairs. A big credit of course to our director Andrew and writer Ash plus our production staff definitely,” says Kokoy.
“I still find it hard to believe that thousands of people watch it. It’s just surreal. But I’m glad a story like this is being loved and celebrated. It’s about time. I think that Cairo and Gavreel’s story truly resonates with the audience. Especially because of the fact that the setting of Gameboys is the world we live in now. The way these characters were written and directed are for them to feel real. I think Gameboys is just a one of a kind show. It’s really special,” adds Elijah.
For Kokoy and Elijah, Gameboys is an unforgettable experience. They underscored the fact that the Idea First Company found a way to provide entertainment and tell stories to people even when it seemed impossible to do because of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, talking about his role as, Elijah admitted that he encountered challenges but he’s still thanking because of the reward he got for essaying an interesting character.
“The challenge is making him as human as possible. He is more aggressive while I am reserved around people I’m not close to in real life. He isn’t really the confrontational type while I am. There are a lot more differences but I guess a point of similarity would be the fact that we love junk food and sweets. The best part about playing Cairo is that I get to be courted and be in love with Gavreel,” Elijah shares.
Kokoy, on the other hand, talks about the theme of the series that made it relatable to many viewers.