Sarah
Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz topbill the romantic comedy A Very Special Love as part of Star Cinema's 15th anniversary
presentation. It is directed by 2007
Box Office Director Cathy Garcia-Molina, who was also the brains behind the blockbuster
movies One More Chance (2007) and You Are the One (2006).
At nineteen years old, Sarah has yet to experience true love. This prompted
some reporters to ask if this hindered the singer-actress from effectively
portraying the role of a love-struck girl. Direk Cathy said Sarah
didn't need a lot of preparation even though she hasn't experienced being in
love. "Alam n'yo po hindi kelangan [ng
maraming preparation]. Kahit naman hindi pa nai-in love si Sarah, every person
naman na dumaan sa age na eto, e, may process, may mga ganyan and from there I
think alam na alam ni Sarah how it feels.
Yun po promise po hindi naging mahirap.
Siguro talagang may charisma ‘tong taong ito," observed the female
director who was recently honored by the Philippine Movie Press Club as Movie
Director of the Year for One More Chance.
John Lloyd
believes viewers will like Sarah because she is very lovable. "I'm very blessed dahil lubos na tinangkilik
ang tambalan namin ni Bea [Alonzo], pero matatanggap din ng mga tao ang
tambalang ito. Maganda ang pupuntahan
ng team up."
A lot of people have been curious about the supposed kissing scene between the
two stars. If this happens, it will be
Sarah's first kissing scene onscreen.
She said that she is not yet ready but John Lloyd said he would be lucky
if this happens because he will be part of a milestone in her career. On the
other hand, Sarah's mom and John Lloyd's dad were both supportive although wary
of having kissing scenes in the movie. In fact, Direk Cathy told the press:
"Hindi pa namin nasu-shoot yung kissing scene pero di ako sigurado kung
magkakaroon nga."
In A Very Special Love, John Lloyd
plays Miggy. Direk Cathy describes his
character as "a guy who is there at the top, mayaman, gwapo, may sariling
business, wala ng hahanapin pa." Sarah, on the other hand plays Laida—"a
dreamer who wants to be more than what she is now." The movie brings together
these two characters amidst their major differences and creates a dynamic love
story.
John Lloyd is a seasoned actor in local cinema while Sarah is trying her hand at acting in her first movie. But with Direk Cathy at the helm and with John Lloyd's guidance, the pop singer is confident about shooting dramatic scenes for the movie. "Siguro actions speak louder than words. Yung interactions namin lumalabas nalang siya ng natural. Although hindi pa namin nashoshoot yung mga iyakan na eksena, dun lang talaga magkakaaalaman. So good luck sa akin dun. Aalalayan naman ako ni Direk at ni John Lloyd," said the ASAP ‘08 mainstay.
Prior
to A Very Special Love, they were
able to act together in an episode of Maalaala
Mo Kaya (MMK). Sarah
considered this TV project as a very memorable project for her. "Nadala po ako nung sa MMK namin kasi iba
siya. Less effort po sa akin. Mahirap kasi siyempre special po ako nung time na
yun kasi first time kong mag-MMK at makatrabaho ang isang John Lloyd Cruz kaya
doble-doble ang pressure ko."
Despite all her achievements in the past, Direk Cathy doesn't
feel too much pressure in making this movie a hit. "Ang totoo po hindi masyado. Ang management ng Star Cinema ay
hindi ka naman pinapagawa ng pelikula para lang sa fans or may feeling ng
kikita. Ang mas challenge sa amin nila
Tita Malou [Santos, head of Star Cinema] is to make the film good at better at
magugustuhan ng manonood. Mas nandun
talaga ang pressure ko kung kaya I keep up yung expectations ng mga manonood at
ng management as far as the quality is concerned. Pero yung ang sa amin bonus na lang kung kikita at tatankilikin
talaga ng mga manonood," said Direk Cathy.
A
Very Special Love
will be shown in cinemas nationwide starting July 30.
Trailer courtesy of Star Cinema