MarVen loveteam born in The Rain in España

MANILA, Philippines — Who would have thought that former Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) teenage housemates Marco Gallo and Heaven Peralejo would end up as a loveteam that would have projects both on TV and also on the big screen?

Although they were both introduced as teen housemates in Pinoy Big Brother Lucky Season 7 in 2016, they were never paired then.

The success of the pilot episode of The Rain in España came out really surprising for Marco and Heaven, that they were readily tagged as “MarVen” a combination of their first names.

“I’m just so happy that people welcomed Marco and I with open heart,” Heaven asserted. “Every time I would scroll down, I would see Marco and I on TikTok. I hope the public will get to like the coming episodes because our story gets more and more exciting.”

Marco added, “I love seeing the fans being so supportive of the whole show and after only the first episode, we were already trending with a lot of TikTok videos.”

When Marco and Heaven first started taping for The Rain in España, they were merely introduced as a pair, although not initially a loveteam.

“The fans saw that me and Marco had this perfect chemistry,” Heaven said. “Our chemistry just comes out naturally. We bring out the best in each other. We gained this trust and respect for each other. That was a good foundation for a better friendship.”

They didn’t put any pressure on their friendship. “I’m just grateful that in the years I have been in this industry, I never had a relationship and friendship as close as I have now with Heaven,” Marco said. “Once you feel safe, it feels good to work.”

Heaven admitted she didn’t expect The Rain in España to be well-received and instantly popular, especially among young fans. “I’m not the type who expects,” she said. “I don’t want to get hurt. I didn’t expect for the best. I just did my best.”

When Viva first announced The Rain in España in November last year, the reception of the public was very tentative. In fact, there was even negative feedback.

“Eventually, I’m just happy and so glad the public received The Rain in España very well,” Heaven said. “The public saw us as the characters we were playing and not Heaven and Marco.”

For Marco, being paired with Heaven for the first time was initially scary. “There was a lot of pressure being in this project,” Marco said. “We were trying to re-enact a popular book, so you’re trying to tell people’s imagination, we’re the characters in the book. The fact that a lot of people did like The Rain in España, that means the world to us.”

The popular Wattpad novel by Gwy Saludes has 131 million reads and has been turned into a 10-episode, 45-minute rom-com series that has a story which spans almost a decade. At the helm is director Theodore Boborol.

Marco and Heaven shot the series for 25 days in a span of four months, from November to March.

“I realized that Heaven was a whole new different person the whole time we were shooting,” Marco said. “I didn’t know about her then. You just find this person whom you didn’t see coming in a good way.”

Heaven noticed Marco is a “different guy” this time around than when she first met him six years ago. “He was still so young then, but he’s so manly now,” she said. “I’m so happy for him that he’s so passionate with his work, his craft and the people he works with.”

Even before the loveteam was readily given its first film together, Ship Show, megged by Jason Paul Laxamana. “We already started shooting,” Marco granted.

Ship Show has a really beautiful concept. “We can’t wait to share with you the story of our first film together,” Heaven said.