Piolo & Toni: Time after time

They are done with “pa-tweetums,” leaving it to the younger love teams, and Piolo Pascual and Toni Gozaga have graduated to a higher level of rom-com in Star Cinema’s Last Night, their second-time-around team-up, which is described by its director, Bb. Joyce Bernal, as “a dark romantic comedy.” (They actually first worked together in a TV commercial for Sprite. Remember Toni screaming her lungs out, “I love you, Piolo!”?)

Conversations refrains from making a “spoiler alert” by revealing what the story is (written by Bela Padilla, featured in an accompanying piece). Suffice it to say that it will make you happy and sad at the same time as two lovers struggle to make their last night together last longer, if not forever.

The selling point of a Piolo-Toni movie is the relatable story, not any gimmick that there’s “something” between them since the whole world knows that Piolo is “unattached” (by choice) and Toni is happily married to director Paul Soriano by whom she has a year-old son (Severiano Elliot, or Seve for short).

Since Last Night (showing nationwide starting on Wednesday, Sept. 27) marks Piolo and Toni’s second coming together, Conversations decided to do a “timely” story by making them recall their “first times” and “last times.”

Piolo

• First time/last time he cried really hard

“Last shooting day of our film which was just last week, I couldn’t stop crying because of the scene that we shot. I was crying the whole day, actually.”?

• First time/last time he fell in love

“First time? Ahhh, yeah, ang tagal-tagal na! Obviously, but ...No, that was not the last, but it’s been a while.”?

• First time/last time he was heart broken?

“First time was, I guess, when I was in high school. That was the time when I thought everything was okay.

“The last time was…hmmm, I think it was self-inflicted.”

• First time/last time he got a big wish granted

“First time was when my mom allowed me to go back to the Philippines to pursue acting and it was my prayer that she would yes because she didn’t want me away from her. But I stood up for what I really wanna do and that was my wish and she granted it.

“Last time??Hmmm, I don’t know. I wish that it would happen every day. I pray every day and you know sometimes it just happens and sometimes it doesn’t. But, ahhh, every day there’s always a wish granted, I should say.” ??

• First time/last time he got so depressed?

“First time was when I was a kid and my parents would leave home and I was left alone na walang kalaro. ??

“Last time? No, I don’t get depressed. When I feel it coming, I channel it elsewhere. Whether I do sport, I busy myself with a lot of things. Depression is a state of mind. It’s how you look at it, I guess.” ??

• First kiss/last kiss

“First kiss?Aahhh, noong black and white pa ‘yung TV.

“Last kiss?Aahhh, with Tin (Toni) siguro sa Last Night.”

• First time/last time he traveled abroad?

“First time was when I was a teenager and I went to the States. Last time was recently when I went to Paris for the wedding of Vicki and Hayden.”?

• First thing he does as soon as he wakes up/last thing that he does before he goes to sleep?

“I pray as soon as I wake up.

“And I also pray before I go to sleep.” ??

• First time/last time he earned his first million?

“First and last time was when I was in my early 20s.”

• First time/last time he squandered on something

“I don’t really squander my money. You know, I’m a very practical person. If I have extra money, I indulge in food and I travel but I don’t necessarily squander my money.” ??

• First time/last time he realized that he was famous ?

“Up to now, it’s not sinking in. Sometimes, when people scream your name, parang, for me, I always take it as part of my work. You have to perform well for the people to appreciate you. But I’m just blessed enough to be in this business this long. It’s not about being popular. I guess, it’s a job.”

• First time/last time it dawned on him that stardom is not forever

“I’ve always been aware of it. I’ve always been in touch with reality. You know for a fact that you are not young forever so you have to make sure that you don’t bring your work home so that it’s not gonna be hard for you. At the end of the day, it’s all just work.”  ??

Toni

• First time/last time she really fell in love ?

“First time and last time was on June 12, 2007.” ??

• First time/last time she was heart broken

“I wouldn’t say I was heart broken na super. Technically, kasi paano ka maha-heart broken hindi mo?naman naging boyfriend? So…I wouldn’t say I was heart broken.”??

• First time/last time her big wish was granted

“First and last…giving birth.”

• First time/last time she got depressed

“First and last was after giving birth.”

• First time/last time she did somebody a big favor

“First and last? Ahhhh, I did it for my husband (director Paul Soriano).”

• First thing she does as soon as she wakes up/last thing she does before she goes to sleep

“I kiss Seve (son Severiano Elliot) before I go to sleep and I kiss Seve again as soon as I wake up.”

• First time/last time she earned her first million?

“My first million? I was 20. My last million? Hmmmm…”??

• First time/last time she squandered on something

“Ano, ‘yung binili ko? Uhmm, luxury car.” ??

• First time/last time she doubted the sincerity and honesty of somebody close to her

“First and last was when I was 21.”

• First time/last time she realized that she was famous

“Di ko ma-realize, never kong na-realize. Honestly. I don’t know why. Maybe because I am close to reality so I know that everything is temporary. Hindi ko siya mapang-hawakan, eh. Hindi ko siya hinahawakan.” ??

• First time/last time she realized that stardom is not forever

“I am aware of that every day…every day since I started in this business.”

With Last Night director Bb. Joyce Bernal who is Piolo’s bosom buddy. On the first thing they do as soon as they wake up and the last thing they do before they go to sleep, Piolo: ‘I pray.’ And Toni: ‘I kiss my son Seve at night and then I kiss him again in the morning.’

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)