Snorene proves you don’t have to be a real item to be an effective love team

There is no denying that Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings gained their own spotlight at the TV5 and Netflix hit series, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Any online post about the two as their characters Snoop and Irene Tiu, also known as “Snorene,” blows up, and fans hound the Internet for new content about them.

After their show’s recent finale media conference, we had the chance to corner Maris and Anthony to talk about what’s next for them. Fans have been making their own suggestions, such as producing a spin-off series about their characters when “Can’t Buy Me Love” ends in May.

When it was brought up to them, Maris and Anthony said they were more than willing to cling to their characters.

“Gusto ko pa rin maging si Irene,” Maris shared, while Anthony, who was just standing close to her, added, “Abangan niyo (kung) ano pa kaya namin gawin.”

Just last month, Viva director Jason Paul Laxamana posted a photo with the two, and it seems like a film is on the way. Maris even captioned it with the words “an answered prayer.”

After she turned 25, Maris was honest to admit that prior to working with Anthony, she thought she needed to come up with something new to shake up her career.

“Dati talaga, iyong na-reach ko iyong age na 25, tapos may boyfriend na ako, sabi ko ‘Awww, hindi na siguro ako magkaka-love team,” she said.

“Kasi sa Philippines di ba kailangan young, kailangan single, kailangan pwede maging kayo. So sabi ko, ‘Okay. It’s okay.’ This is my path and I have to focus on it.

“And then, dumating ito. Tapos may girlfriend din siya! Nag-work lang kami and then it worked. Sinuportahan ng mga tao at sobra kaming nagugulat!”

It gave Maris so much hope for the industry that their tandem would hopefully usher in how it was back then, when pure professionalism between co-actors was at the forefront.

“Dati naman nagkaka-love team kahit hindi sila. For possibilities din ito sa ibang actors,” she shared.

According to Anthony, he already met Maris’ boyfriend, Rico Blanco, who visited their set once. We even joked that maybe Rico was prying on set, but Maris shared, “Nagkataon (It so happened that) he was also there, and nag-usap sila.”

She added that Rico has been through so much in the industry that he understands their situation and even the remarks online that “Rico has left the universe” as a joke when kilig Snorene moments are posted.

“Kilala ko si Rico. Hello? Ang dami na niyang pinagdaanan sa showbiz and music industry,” said Maris, who never had the chance to meet Anthony’s real-life girlfriend.

When we also asked Anthony if this was because he’s protective of his girl, he answered, “Sakto lang naman. Hindi naman sobra.”

Maris also pointed out that it paid off for her to give it her all in any scene that was thrown at her. She was also all praise for Anthony, who had the talent to reciprocate.

“He’s a very instinctive actor,” she said of her co-star.

“Iyong eksena simple lang naman, but whenever I watch him do his nuances na wala naman sa script, I say to myself, like, ‘Hey, that is something I would do!’ Ganoon din ako! Gets namin iyong isat’ isa! Same kami magtrabaho and that’s why we work!”