Paulo & Janine: What’s the real score?

MANILA, Philippines — Aside from Cherry Pie Picache and Edu Manzano’s rekindled romance that developed on the set of the ABS-CBN series Marry Me, Marry You (MMMY), will lead stars Paulo Avelino and Janine Gutierrez follow suit?

The two were grilled during a digital media conference about the real score between them, though they did not give a straight answer.

“Lahat kami naiinggit kay Ms. Pie at Tito Edu pag nakikita namin silang magkasama. Sinasabi ko lang na walang tatalo sa ka-sweet-an nila kasi,” said Janine when asked if they also planned to turn their onscreen love team into something real like that of Cherry Pie and Edu but she did not specifically answer the question about Paulo.

“Si Janine lang naman po yung hinihintay ko lagi eh,” replied Paulo, “Tingnan natin kung hindi kami masyadong busy this year at may sari-sarili naman kaming gagawin for this year.”

They were further queried whether Paulo was hinting at his feelings but that Janine was ignoring them. They both laughed before Paulo quipped, “Ganun po.”

With the romantic comedy series down to its last few episodes, the two shared they would miss the whole cast and the bond they formed on set.

“Mami-miss ko yung pa-lechon ni Pau. There was a time that he would treat us with lechon kahit walang may birthday. Mami-miss ko na inuunahan ko siya sa set… I really miss the entire cast,” uttered Janine.

Paulo, on the other hand, will miss Janine’s “kakulitan.” “Yung palagi ko siyang hinahanap dahil siya na lang yung hinihintay sa set. Haha! Sabay kaming kumakain with the cast.”

Not seeing your co-actors, who had become your family, after the last taping was hard to let go for Paulo and Janine. Paulo admitted he had “sepanx (separation anxiety).” “I miss my fellow cast members. Since we were in a bubble, we’d see each other every day. Yun yung mahirap i-let go,” he said.

“Ang mahirap talaga dito yung hindi mo na makikita yung mamang, papang at family mo. That made me cry during our last day taping. We really created a strong bond together. We became a family, with Ms. Pie, Ate Shine (Sunshine Dizon), Vina (Morales), Adrian (Lindayag), etc,” shared Janine on the saddest part of saying goodbye to the series.

Her unforgettable scenes are her fun moments with Paulo as husband and wife in the series. “Yung mga nakakatawa na, while we were shooting the scene, parang, ‘Ginagawa ba natin ‘to?’ Yung parang may kababalaghang nangyayari sa sala tapos may pumasok na tao, tapos kailangang magtago. Or yung naliligo ako tapos bigla siyang papasok,” recalled Janine.

“These are the scenes na like me, as a viewer, hindi ko pa napapanood sa teleserye na super light and like charming, sweet way. These are my favorite scenes,” she added.

Paulo agreed, saying these were his favorite parts, too, from Marry Me, Marry You.

On the lessons about love they learned from the series that they believed in and were able to apply in real life, Paulo briefly joked, “Parang wala pa naman akong ina-apply-an in real life dahil wala pa namang nagmamahal sa akin (laughs).”

On a serious note, he told The STAR, “Sometimes kasi you believe it’s you and me against the world, na parang mahal kita, mahal mo ako. That’s the only thing that matters but the truth is you really have to also love the people that surround your special someone — whether they are kind to you or not, whether they like you or not. Walang talo kapag nagbibigay ka ng pag-ibig, pagmamahal at kasiyahan sa mga taong minamahal mo at minamahal ng mahal mo.”

For Janine, it’s about loving that person wholeheartedly. Citing one of Marry Me, Marry You’s soundtracks titled Buo by Anji Salvacion, she said, “(The song) talks about how you don’t have to be with someone perfect but someone who’s real and someone who loves you. You love them for who they are, yung buong pagkatao nila. I think ma-apply mo yun talaga sa buhay mo.”

But some questions still linger as the series comes to an end, will Andrei (played by Paulo) and Camille’s (portrayed by Janine) love story have a happy ending? Is there still a chance for the families of Andrei and Camille to make peace?

Meanwhile, viewers couldn’t help but notice the chemistry between Sunshine Dizon and Fino Herrera’s characters as Paula and Luke, respectively, who fell for each other despite their age gap.

Fino shared there was an awkwardness during the first few days of taping but as the series went on, the two felt comfortable doing their scenes together.

It was Sunshine who broke the ice. He recalled, “She was the one who told me that, ‘Don’t be nervous, make yourself comfortable, and feel free to do the things that you think is best for the scene.”

Because of his role, Fino revealed that there were older women who would approach him, “Pero hanggang ‘hi’ lang.”

(MMMY airs on weeknights at 8:40 on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, and Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.)