Toni Gonzaga is very impressed by the change she saw in her
leading man Vhong Navarro for their upcoming movie My Only U, which will
open in cinemas starting October 29. "Pag napanood n'yo ang movie, matatawa
kayo sa kanya, may mga antics pa rin siya na Vhong pa rin pero iba ang magiging
atake niya sa pelikula. Matinee idol siya dito, ginawa siyang matinee idol ni
Direk Cathy [Garcia-Molina]."
This is Toni and Vhong's follow-up project to their 2005 film D'Anothers. The Star Cinema film My Only U also comes at the heels of another huge hit, A Very Special Love, which was helmed by Cathy Garcia-Molina.
Direk Cathy is feeling the pressure of surpassing the box-office record of the John Lloyd Cruz-Sarah Geronimo starrer. "Ang alam ko nung sixth week, nasa P173 million."
"Yun yung pinakamahirap sa akin, the expectations na mapantayan man lang or mahihigtan. There is so much pressure on me pero ang lagi ko na lang iniisip, ang intention ko as a director is to entertain."
According to Star Cinema, the final box-office receipts of A Very Special Love reached P180 million in its seven weeks of screening locally.
Are the stars pressured to surpass the success of the previous Star Cinema movie A Very Special Love?
"Sobra po akong na-challenge kay Direk Cathy. Nung first day po talaga, wala po akong natamang take one. Na-perfect ko sila ng take five kasi gusto po ni Direk Cathy na kakaibang Vhong ang makita n'yo. Normal at totoong tao ako dito. Hindi ako caricature.
"Dito po, naging seryoso ako, nagpapatawa, kumakanta, sumasayaw kaya nasabi ko kay Direk Cathy, binuo niya ang pagiging artista ko. You complete me."
Toni pointed out, "This is my third film with Direk Cathy pero I was very challenged by this one kasi may mga nasabi si Direk about my acting, at marami akong natutunan sa kanya," says the Entertainment Live host. Toni worked with Direk Cathy previously in the films You Are the One (2006) and You Got Me (2007).
At this point, the press reminded them that the question was about the pressure that they are feeling about being compared to the John Lloyd Cruz-Sarah Geronimo starrer.
"Hindi pala namin nasagot ni Vhong ang tanong. May pressure po pero more than the pressure, we'll work on ourselves more. Ma-pressure na lang kami sa pagtatrabaho namin sa pelikula," explains Toni.
Vhong says, "Sa sobrang blockbuster po na nagawa nina Direk Cathy sa movie nina John Lloyd at Sarah, kami po hindi namin mapapangako na malampasan yun pero pinaghirapan po namin yung pelikula at binigay po namin ang best namin."
When asked to theorize the reason for the onscreen chemistry of Toni and Vhong, Direk Cathy says, "Siguro po ang built-in rapport nilang dalawa. First time ko silang na-meet during the story conference, nagulat ako kasi ang kulit pala nilang dalawa. Parang gusto kong ma-capture sa film how they are in real life, how you deal with each other."
SYNOPSIS. In My Only U, Bong (Vhong) play a tenement landlord who constantly saves his best friend Winona (played by Toni) from her brushes with death. Winona's family is burdened with the curse of having family members who do not live beyond the age of 25.
The landlord has always been secretly in love with Winona but he is too shy to open his heart to her. For her part, Winona is too occupied caring for her blind father but she never entertains the idea of falling in love because she knows that she will not live beyond the age of 25.
