Eleven weeks on the air, Monday to Friday on the Kapuso network, That’s My Amboy is making young girls’ hearts a flutter with the unlikely romance between the main characters Maru or Maria Rosario Carreon, the personal assistant of Bryan or Bryan Christian Ford, the bratty half-breed actor.
They are played by GMA Network’s newest love team, Barbie Forteza and Andre Paras whose tandem was forged in the afternoon series that was on air from June 9, 2014 till January 15 this year. It is an unlikely pairing as Paras is much taller (he stands a little over six feet tall) while Forteza is perhaps just a little taller than Nora Aunor. But the fans seem not to mind. They are thrilled that someone as petite as Forteza (at least in the series) will attract the tall (not dark) handsome guy like Paras.
We met the two over lunch at GMA Network’s annex building, where Bb. Joyce Bernal was taping some of the scenes for upcoming episodes.
Paras who plays the bratty actor sat with us first and said he is pleased that fans are accepting the Barbie-Bryan pairing even if in the movies he has a different love team. “I think the fans understand that quite well. But what is more important is that here in the series the fans are enjoying our tandem.’
He however brushed aside insinuations by some members of the press that there might be more than on-screen love team mode between him and Forteza. “I like Barbie because she’s very helpful to me as an actor. She gives me tips on how to go about a scene. But more than that we’re just very close friends and that friendship was developed since we were together in The Half Sisters.”
Someone asked if there would be any possibility for him to fall for Forteza. “I don’t know, but for now my focus is work. I’d like to get better as an actor and I am glad that Barbie is around to help me with our scenes together and with other actors. I am not closing the door on whatever fate has in store for us two.”
Next to sit with us was Forteza, the bubbly actress who plays Maru in the series.
In the current episodes, Bryan has broken up with Trina (Jazz Ocampo, who is originally a Kapatid star and tried to be Kapamilya but didn’t do well and is now being molded as a villainess) and is now with Maru, although the relationship is not exactly a bed of roses.
I asked Forteza how she feels when the audience thinks that she is deeply attracted to her leading man. The actress blurted out a loud laughter echoing in the four walls of the small space on the GMA Annex building.
“Really? Is that how they think I am with Andre? Nakakatawa naman,” she said, but actually I sensed she was thrilled by that observation.
“Tell me, if you’re a girl my age, wouldn’t you have a crush on Andre?” she asked.
“The soap opera That’s My Amboy gave me the chance to know Andre well, and now that we’re sort of comfortable working with each other, some people will infer that there’s something more than professional relationship between the two of us, but…” she halted. I asked, “But what?” And she said, “But it is too early to say anything with regards to what will happen after the end of the series.”
Paras went back and sat with Forteza. The members of the press at the table had a grand time grilling the two and trying to make them admit something. They’d pose for photographs in their sweetest of poses but those were about the things the press got.
Before Forteza sat with us, Kiko Estrada who is playing the other guy in the Bryan-Maru romance as Patrick joined us and said, “I don’t mind pursuing Barbie. She is after all a very loveable girl.” Someone in the table said, “Won’t anybody get mad if you did that?”
And Kiko moved his face towards a camphone recording the conversation, “For the record, wala akong girlfriend.”
It’s really going to be a circus in the coming episodes of That’s My Amboy. I heard there are fans that are more inclined to the idea of having a Pitoy-Maru romance than Bryan-Maru. Well, let the writers of this series decide that.
Another fantaserye up in the works
The Kapuso network is developing another fantaserye that will star Kapuso hunk Juancho Triviño and Louise delos Reyes. It will be called Ang Dwende at ang Herederang Gusgusin.
Apart from Louise and Juancho, the series also stars Gina Alajar, Rez Cortez, Assunta de Rossi, Maricar de Mesa, James Teng, Liezel Lopez, Marika Sasaki, Balang,
Triviño said he had gone out with Delos Reyes on a date when he learned that they’d be together in a new series.
“It’s a very good opportunity to know your co-star well and be comfortable with her when the taping starts,”Triviño who has had a stint in Unang Hirit last week. “We had gone out before and I feel we will be both relaxed working together.”
The two watched a movie together and he admitted that they jog around together, too.
