How KathNiel avoids ‘rude behavior, swell head’ issues

CEBU, Philippines - The entertainment industry may seem larger than life—a fun wild ride filled with too good to be true grandeur. It doesn’t take much to be swept away by an ocean of imploring supporters and showers of praise—but getting drunk on the good life might be the undertow that drowns stars and drags them to unfriendly shores.

For popular stars Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, you can never be too careful.

In a press conference held Monday at Radisson Blu Hotel, the couple showed their understanding of their craft, and knowledge that showbiz presents too many faces – not all of them delightful.

“It’s difficult when you’re in the public eye – to have so many people judge you, tweet and spread rumors that the truth becomes hard to make out,” Kathryn begins when asked about her thoughts on allegations of rude behavior and unprofessionalism that has hounded another popular love team recently. “It’s difficult but you can’t pin the blame on anyone.”

The actress added that the constant guidance they receive keeps them from stepping into bad light. “The bottom line for all of this would be to never veer away from guidance. To never lose the counsel provided by our family, our management, and everyone who loves us,” Kathryn says.

Daniel also shared his thoughts on the matter and spoke of the importance of caution.

“We have fans of all ages—from children, to the middle-aged, and even our lolos and lolas. We really have to be careful with what we say and what we do,” he says. “People are always going to have different interpretations of our actions and we can’t help that, so it’s best that we’re careful.”

Keeping up with the demands and expectations that other people set for you is a daunting task—let alone doing all of this with everyone watching. But Daniel asserts that happiness can still find its way amidst the pressure.

“You can still be happy,” the showbiz scion says with conviction. “Happiness will still be there as long as you know you’re not hurting anyone. You always have to keep a goal in mind, whether it’s for yourself or your family. You just have to give yourself something to reach. You can’t not have one—as long as you’re not treading on other people, you’re fine.”

Kathryn also expressed how lucky they are to have people guiding them through their intense albeit successful journey to stardom, and said that surviving the industry has a lot to do with the people you surround yourselves with.

“We’re glad to have our families, our parents, and Star Magic. They remind us of the people we affect, they remind us to be humble. We’re lucky to have someone who keeps us grounded,” Kathryn shares.

“You just have to surround yourself with the right people who care for you; with people who know and want what’s best for you.”

Daniel and Kathryn, both 21 years old, have indeed grown up, and are far from the wide-eyed, gangly kids we knew them to be when they first debuted years ago. And true enough, the love team will be starring as a married couple in their new film “Can’t Help Falling In Love”—a romantic comedy directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar under Star Cinema.

In the film, Kathryn plays Gab dela Cuesta—a high-strung career woman who has her entire life planned out, with an engagement to a long-time boyfriend (Matteo Guidicelli) to boot. Daniel brings the adventurous spirit of happy-go-lucky tour guide Dos Gonzales to life. The two, whose personalities are polar opposites, find themselves accidentally married to each other. In their quest to ending the marriage that never should have happened in the first place, the two begin to learn new things about themselves, and find themselves falling for each other in the process.

The light-hearted romance contrasts that of KathNiel’s previous heavy drama film “Barcelona: A Love Untold.” However, the stars stressed the maturity of the themes and the personalities of their “Can’t Help Falling In Love” characters despite the rom-com treatment.

“The film is mature in many ways. After ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Pangako Sa’yo,’ we really began to mature and we don’t want to go back and step down a notch,” Kathryn began.

“It’s mature in terms of how our characters handle the conflict, mature in the themes and issues discussed. We used to portray rebellious teens and now we’re talking about issues like annulment and marriage—and that’s a huge leap from the roles we used to play.”

Despite the juxtapose of the KathNiel we know and the KathNiel that they are today, the love team reassures viewers that “Can’t Help Falling In Love” will still be a refreshingly light and sweet summer flick.

“It’s definitely still a romantic comedy. But unlike ‘Crazy Beautiful You,’ this movie has a different humor which everyone can relate to, not just the youth,” Kathryn offers.

When asked how much they’ve grown and changed, Kathryn reveals: “The way I think about and perceive things has changed. DJ [Daniel’s nickname] is more mature than I am and the more time I spend with him, I feel like I’m developing as well. He makes me think about the people around me and the world I move in aside from just thinking about myself. I’ve also come to think of the consequences of my decisions on a larger scale outside of myself. He’s like an old person.”

Daniel, for his part, says he can’t be sure about what’s changed and improved about him, saying that there’s always room to grow. “Maybe I’ve learned a lot over the years. And that’s because of the guidance we receive and because of the decisions we make. I for one am more careful about my actions and the words that I let go of. In a way, I’ve come to think about other things like business ventures,” says the Teen King (who has inherited his Uncle Robin’s politeness as he addressed the Cebu press with Sir or Ma’am).

In a film seemingly put together by gigantic leaps of faith, the pair also shared the biggest risk they’ve taken as a team—which would be starring in remakes and spin-offs of well-loved teleseryes like that of “Pangako Sa’yo” and their upcoming project “La Luna Sangre,” the third installment of ABS-CBN’s fantasy series “Lobo” and “Imortal.”

“As a love team, the first huge risk was taking on ‘Pangako Sa’yo,’ and now that would be ‘La Luna San’gre,’” Kathryn reveals. “They’re big projects and it comes with a lot of pressure because people are always going to compare it to the original.”

But despite the pressure, the Teen Queen keeps her chin up and looks at the silver lining. “Without risk, nothing’s going to happen. We want to do it because we know that it’s going to be difficult and challenging – and when we find things that way then something good is bound to happen. It’s all going to pay off in the end.”

Kathryn believes that “Can’t Help Falling In Love” will find its home in the hearts of viewers.

“It tackles family, marriage and love,” Kathryn says. “You learn that sometimes it’s better to loosen up – to understand that not everything is in your control, and accept the fact that many things will not go your way and we have to be at peace and live with that.”

“It allows you to reflect and ask yourself if you’re truly happy—are you happy with what you’re doing because it simply makes you happy or are you just doing things because other people say that’s what you’re supposed to be doing?” she asks. “At the end of it, you learn that relationships are not defined nor measured by the amount of time you’ve spent together—but rather what you truly feel when you’re in each other’s company.”

Hitting theaters nationwide starting April 15, a Black Saturday, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” also stars Cherry Pie Picache, Lito Pimentel, Lotlot De Leon and Dennis Padilla.