With much excitement, Joao Constancia dons another character, this time, more mature than his previous ‘pa-kilig’ teenage roles. “I have to watch how I talk. Dati madali lang magpakilig, ngayon kailangan ko maging seryoso,” he said of the most challenging part of his portrayal, which is why he makes sure to communicate with the creatives.
In his newest project “Can’t Buy Me Love,” he portrays businessman Carlo Tiu. He’s the stepbrother of Belle Mariano’s Caroline Tiu. He’s also the kind of son who would do anything for his and his mother’s dreams.
Carlo’s mom, Gina, is played by Ruffa Gutierrez, whom Joao was so elated to meet. He remembers seeing her for the first time at their photoshoot. He introduced himself and, in an instant, saw Ruffa’s bubbly side, proving what he heard about the seasoned actress to be true.
“Nakakatuwa si Ms. Ruffa kasi she’s so energetic on and off set. Ang dami niyang kwento palagi. She’s funny to listen to and to be with talaga. So, nakakatuwa lang para sa akin,” shared Joao in this episode of Kapamilya Chat.
Playing mother-and-son requires chemistry, which, much to his surprise just came out naturally in them. He thinks Ruffa’s friendly ways helped shape their rapport, “Since she’s so open, talkative and friendly, I wasn’t shy to approach or talk to her, act as a son to her. I felt comfortable right away. We’d throw lines pa together.” Of course, it helped that she’s an amazing actress, “Ang galing niya talaga sa role niya, na-capture niya ‘yung essence ng pagiging Nanay ko.”
“Whenever we do scenes together, it’s fun and light,” he smiled.
The set of “Can’t Buy Me Love” brims with positive energy. Joao revealed that everyone is collaborative and easy to talk to. On his part, it’s an advantage having worked already with most of his co-stars like the lead tandem of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, as well as Kaila Estrada and Chie Filomeno, and one of their directors, Mae Cruz-Alviar.
“Sobrang masaya lang at chill. Kung may mga tanong kami, we can ask our directors right away,” he described the set.
The Kapamilya heartthrob feels overjoyed and blessed to reunite with Donny and Belle, whom he formed solid bond with during “He’s Into Her.” In fact, he sounded like a ‘bubbly’ (DonBelle fan) when he talked about their maturity as actors. He was amazed to see that Belle had transformed into this sophisticated young woman for her role, while Donny had improved his Tagalog so well.
“It’s nice to really see both of them growing as individuals, but also as a loveteam na rin dahil hindi lang puro pa-kilig, there’s more to DonBelle,” he lauded his good friends.
Catch “Can’t Buy Me Love,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5, and A2Z.