Pinoy Matteo Do; Meet Jennylyn Mercado’s newbie leading man

CEBU, Philippines - A Borgy Manotoc look-alike has been officially unveiled as Jennylyn Mercado’s leading man in GMA-7’s much-awaited remake of the Korean hit TV series “My Love From the Star.”

Fil-Spanish model Gil Cuerva (his complete first name is Guillermo) was revealed as the Philippines’ Matteo Do during Friday night’s episode of “24 Oras” where he and his award-winning leading lady were interviewed live in the studio by Chika Minute host Iya Villania.

A 21-year-old who stands at 5’11, Gil hails from De La Salle University. He reportedly replaced Alden Richards who was first rumored to portray the lead role of an alien who got stuck on Earth for 400 years and eventually fell in love with a human named Steffi Cheon.

Gil said that the series is his first-ever acting stint and went on to share how he nabbed the coveted role: “It was surprising because it was something unexpected. Nasa Hong Kong po ako nun when I received the email from my management to audition for this role. Nagkataon, I was really going to come back kasi I was gonna fix some papers for my school saka for my visa. Pupunta rin dapat akong Thailand but sabi ko, ‘I might as well audition, malay mo makuha ako.’ And lo and behold, nakuha ko.”

Aside from the fresh pairing, Jennylyn said viewers should expect her to offer her own flavor in portraying the quirky actress Steffi, as she noted that this is her first-ever romantic-comedy series.

“Personal touch, kasi ako sa bawat proyektong ginagawa ko, laging may personal touch. Laging nagbibigay ako ng a little of myself. Yung binibigay ko yung konting attitude ko, yung buhay ko. Para maging mas effective,” said Jennylyn.

“Hindi porke’t remake, gagayahin namin talaga yung eksaktong galaw or yung arte nila. Siyempre meron ding kaming kanya-kanyang thing. Si Direk [Joyce Bernal] siyempre, yung mga writers natin, at yung mga bawat artista.”

Gil, for his part, promised, “Ipapakita ko kung paano ako magmahal ng isang babae. I want to show my romantic side and I want to portray kung paano magmahal ang isang Pinoy through the character of Matteo. Kung nagustuhan niyo yung original version, kikiligin din kayo dito, lalo na nandito si Jennylyn. And we have Direk Joyce who is synonymous to a sure guarantee na makikilig kayo rito.”

Asked to enumerate the qualities that he finds attractive in a girl, Gil shared: “Mabait, patient, siyempre maganda, and someone who could really grab my attention.”

In his Instagram account, GMA-7’s newest actor posted: “Extremely grateful for this opportunity. Salamat talaga sa suporta. Excited na akong makatrabaho sila Jennylyn, Direk Joyce, and the rest of the cast. Maganda ang story nito, nakakilig siya! Hopefully magustuhan niyong lahat ang Pinoy adaptation ng ‘My Love From The Star.’ Maraming salamat sa aking Kapuso Family!” (FREEMAN)