Gerald Anderson first acted on TV via romance-drama series “Sana Maulit Muli” in 2006. That was right after graduating as a teen housemate from Pinoy Big Brother. The teenage Gerald, according to his director Jerome Pobocan, was malleable, had potential yet still had so much to learn. Fifteen years later, Gerald has become an expert not only in the Tagalog department but especially in acting, said Direk Jerome as they reunite in the upcoming series “A Family Affair.”

In a blog conference streamed via ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube Channel, the actor was praised by Direk Jerome and Direk Raymund Ocampo for his talent and dedication on set, making the goal of creating a collaborative milieu easier to achieve. Direk Jerome said Gerald shares ideas on executing a scene. They’d easily get each other’s perspectives, which was a big help in mounting the actor’s revealing intimate moments with Ivana Alawi.

As a leading man, Gerald felt responsible for protecting Ivana and making her safe and comfortable, “Itong, particular love scene na ito, it was very hard kasi medyo exposed siya in a way na mahirap siya talaga bilang babae. So trabaho ko, actually kaming dalawa ni Direk Jerome, trabaho namin na alalayan siya, make sure na feel niya na safe siya. Nagpatugtog ng music si Direk on her request. As her partner doon sa eksena, inaalalayan ko para hindi ma-over exposed.”

The directors also guaranteed that Ivana won’t be objectified despite the showing of skin, putting a balance between art and realism. “Ang love scene, it’s a dance. May choreography siya. Hindi siya bara-bara para maging maganda panoorin. Steamy kasi choreographed at may teasing na nagaganap,” explained Direk Jerome.

Gerald is a blessing to his on-screen partners, especially to a frosh, in the sense that he helps them shine. For instance, as Gigi de Lana’s leading man in “Hello, Heart.” Getting the same vibes with Ivana, although the social media darling already has previous acting experiences, he genuinely wanted to help bring out her best, “If she wins, we all win. Sa kanya umiikot ‘yung istorya. ‘Yung apat na magkakapatid, lahat kami connected sa kanya.”

In turn, the vlogger-actress only has good words for him, which he welcomed during the conference. For Gerald, to be known for his acting brilliance is one thing, but to be remembered for his attitude is more important. He values camaraderie on set, and he hopes the bond translates to the onscreen chemistry of the Estrella brothers – Gerald, Sam Milby, Jameson Blake, and Jake Ejercito.

In the story, Gerald plays Paco, the second among the Estrella brood, with Sam’s character as the eldest; Jake, the third; and Jameson, the youngest. As the middle child, Paco is the calm of the family yet headstrong when it comes to love. He develops strong feelings for Cherry Red (Ivana). Contrary to the boy-meets-girl probe in his past teleseryes, this time, Gerald has to chase a woman and thrive on a romantic competition with his brother. This layer in Paco’s character was one factor that got Gerald’s excitement.

“Bawat performance ko sa character ko, may kaunting piraso ko, may kaunting Gerald doon. That’s why almost lahat ng mga characters na ginagampanan ko is special because there’s a piece of me na kasama doon,” he said of his process of building a character. In hopes to offer something new to his audience every time, Gerald also keeps learning new things for a project like wrestling with cows, which he did in a scene with Sam.

It appears in the trailer that each among the Estrella brothers has secrets to keep and would be poisoned by passion. In real life though, Gerald would rather keep the peace in the family than fight for a girl. He’d give way in case trapped in a romantic competition with a sibling. He also believes that he’s responsible for creating a harmonious relationship between his family and the woman he loves, thus thankful that he and girlfriend Julia Barretto are welcome in each other’s family.

Another delicate topic related to love that everyone seems to be talking a lot about these days is cheating, which, in Gerald’s viewpoint, is the biggest killer of trust. Then again, he thinks it’s possible to start over and rebuild trust, albeit difficult.

“That’s hard kasi nasira na ‘yung trust, eh. Kumabaga may lamat na ‘yun, eh. But ang pinaka-importante is to stay together. Kaya naman but hindi siya madali… Start from zero. Hindi lang zero, negative pa ‘yan. Kailangan mong patunayan ulit ‘yung sarili mo,” he said.

Catch “A Family Affair” soon on free TV and Kapamilya streaming platforms.