Now that Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji have wrapped up the finale episode of their Viva One series ‘Dating Alys Perez,’ things are coming up roses for the onscreen sweethearts.
The 16-episode ‘Dating Alys Perez’ (DAP) is the sequel to the hugely popular series adaptation of ‘Seducing Drake Palma’ with Angeles and Muji – dubbed RabGel by fans – playing the lead roles.
At the recent finale screening in Quezon City, Muji revealed that after DAP, she will again team up with Angeles, this time for a romcom (romantic comedy).
‘For me, I think I’m going to be dabbling in my musicality for a bit because medyo may break kami before our next project together. Pero this time, it’s romcom,’ she told the audience that includes members of the entertainment press and fans. The actress-singer is a former member of P-pop Generation.
‘Happy na sya,’ Angeles teased the fans, as they obliged with shrieks of excitement. ‘Wala pa nga e! Di na kayo masyadong iiyak,’ he further said, alluding to DAP’s heavy scenes.
‘Masaya ‘to, exciting. So I hope you guys will look forward to it,’ said Muji.
Viva One, which produced the series adaptation of DAP and its prequel ‘Seducing Drake Palma’ (SDP) from the wattpad novel authored by Atty. Ariesa Domingo, has not yet announced what project that RabGel will be starring in next.
Directed by Crisanto B. Aquino, ‘Dating Alys Perez’ stars Muji in the eponymous role, who finds herself torn between her current boyfriend Tripp Palma (Zeke Polina) and her former love Drake Palma (Angeles), who reenters her life determined to win her back.
Kiss by the numbers
The finale episode showed Alys coming face-to-face with Tripp after he woke up from a coma, before realizing that she needed to return to Drake, who had never stopped loving her. The scene proved particularly appealing to fans, as it showed the two lovers reuniting with a kiss.
‘One take, two cameras, 360 (degrees). Pero syempre before mag 360, meron munang hindi naka 300, so parang 2 or 3 times siguro nilang inulit. So apat. Pero yung pinaka mahaba yung naka 360, more than a minute ata yun,’ the director said when asked how long Angeles and Muji shot their kiss scene.
Showrunners then tied up the loose ends with an emotional wedding scene, interspersed with replays of past scenes as the couple exchanged their vows.
Tripp, who provided the challenge between Drake and Alys, is also given his own happy ending as he is seen getting excited about dating another girl.
Beyond grateful
As they wrap up the shoot for the sequel of ‘Seducing Drake Palma’ (SDP), Angeles, Muji, and Polina are grateful for the opportunity entrusted to them to give life to their characters.
Looking back at the start of DAP, Muji said she felt a feeling of nostalgia sweep over her as she recalled the challenges she went through in terms of honing her drama acting, especially coming from SDP which did not require much acting-wise. She said Aquino and their acting coach Anna Feleo helped them a lot overcome their nervousness when it comes to heavy acting.
‘Dito sa season na to, ‘di na sya bubbly-bubbly, pa-cute, in love rom-com. It’s more of a heavy drama na. Syempre we want to give justice to our characters na Hindi naman madani gawin yung naranasan nila. So hindi ko alam kung pano ko iko-convey na sobrang realistic. So kailangan lang super focus ka sa character mo… tulungan kami sa mga heavy scenes. We just motivate one another,’ said Muji.
‘It’s the perfect bookend, and I’m just so grateful for everything. Di pa nga siya nag si sink in, sa totoo lang. It’s just so surreal,’ she added.