Elijah Canlas, 23, says he and High Street leading lady Xyriel Manabat, 20, have become good friends even off cam.
The two were paired with each other on Senior High, the first season of the hit teen-oriented mystery drama series, which aired from August 2023 to January 2024.
Its sequel, titled High Street, started airing last May.
"Yes, of course, sobrang naging close especially towards the end of Senior High and even after," said Elijah in his PEP Spotlight interview that premiered on PEP TV on July 14, 2024.
He continued, "She checks on me sometimes. I check on her.
"Kahapon lang may picture siya pinost. Sabi ko sa kanya. Tangkad mo diyan Xy ha.' May ganun na kaming banter with each other."
Elijah also said he already met Xyriel's non-showbiz boyfriend Nathaniel Toledo, who even joined the actress when the two stars did an out-of-town show in Abra back in January.
"Close rin ako sa dyowa niya, with Nat. Kasama rin namin si Nat sa Abra.
"Maayos yung relationship namin because it's purely professional and we respect each other also."
Read: Xyriel Manabat finally introduces non-showbiz boyfriend on Instagram
HOW THEY BECAME ONSCREEN PARTNERS
While they are not really an item in real life, Elijah and Xyriel's chemistry is undeniable since their characters fell for each other during the first season of the show.
Many fans have been rooting for them especially since the season-ender of Senior High placed them in a position of having unfinished business.
Did he expect for their teamup to be a hit?
Elijah answered, "Hindi. Ako naman, I don't really think about that initially when I work on a project.
"Pero ang unang plano sa amin ni Xyriel nung pinitch sa akin yung Senior High, hindi ko alam kung same kay Xyriel, kami na agad.
"Umpisa pa lang, may teenage pregnancy aspect na siya, yung mga themes na in-explore the whole show.
"Nung nag-storycon na kami, nag-iba."
Elijah remembered thinking to himself, "Bakit boyfriend mo na si Zaijan? Dapat ako, di ba?"
Xyriel became onscreen partners with Zaijan Jaranilla, whose character later had questions about his sexual orientation.
Xyriel and Elijah's characters only started liking each other after Xyriel's failed relationship with Zaijan at the latter part of Senior High.
The award-winning actor said, "Di namin alam kung mapupunta pa dun. It took a long while bago nag-connect yung characters namin like that.
"Literal na finale na yung pregnancy, e. Sa finale na lang pumasok.
"So, di ko in-expect na tatanggapin at mamahalin ng mga tao yung partnership namin."
Elijah added, "I feel like dahil lang we're really not conscious about it. We're just having fun with what we do.
"We just challenge each other. And then in-enjoy lang namin kung anong binigay sa amin."
THE TRENDING LOVE SCENE IN SENIOR HIGH
One of the trending episodes of Senior High was Elijah and Xyriel's steamy love scene inside a car.
Elijah told PEP that he took care of Xyriel every step of the way during the taping of that scene.
"I've done that plenty times, male or female," said Elijah, who has done daring roles in the past.
He did a lot of kissing scenes with co-star Kokoy de Santos in their hit boys' love series Gameboys.
"Si Xy, she's never done it. Ako, bilang scene partner, bilang kaibigan, concerned ako sa kanya lagi.
"I need to make sure that everything that happens she knows. 'I'll touch you here. Ok lang yan. Gagawin ko to.'
"Pag nag-cut na, 'Do you want water?' I always check on her.
"Kasi we owe it to our co-actor, especially for her it's her first time doing a scene like that.
"Kinailangan ko alagaan siya and alagaan din yung eksena because it's a very tender scene.
"Hindi naman siya lust lang. Kaya nga may hand dun na parang Titanic, di ba, yung nagmo-moist yung window.
"Inalagaan ko lang si Xy.
"But she was game naman with it. Aminado nga siya na kinakabahan siya, but kinaya naman," Elijah told PEP.
Senior High was Xyriel's comeback vehicle after taking a break from showbiz for six years.
Her comeback also signaled her transition from being a child actress (100 Days To Heaven, Momay, and Agua Bendita) to a young adult doing mature roles.
To which, Elijah remarked, "Pero veteran na yun. Mas veteran pa yun sa ating lahat.
"That's why she's still here. She's a very good actress."
MORE EXCITING SCENES IN HIGH STREET
Most recently in High Street, their characters as Archie and Roxy are drawing kilig from fans who are waiting for them to have more scenes together.
As it happened, Archie just got out of prison and is starting anew as a restobar owner.
He's trying to win back the trust of Roxy, who just gave him permission to see their child.
Elijah said, "Exciting kasi nakalaya na si Archie and he's on a mission to win back Roxy, to spend time with his child, and to be a good father unlike the father that he had.
"Na-enjoy ko sobra to be in that space again. To be with those co-actors again. To channel Archie again in a different way."
His role has had a lot of character development in the story—from being a badass to having a romantic partner to getting jailed and then starting a new leaf this time around.
"Kaya nga sabi ko rin, baka si Archie ang favorite character ko bigla kasi grabe yung growth niya, e. Ang dami niyang pinagdaanan," said, Elijah, who made it to PEP Best Bets 2024 Scene Stealers, a PEP List of flourishing stars "who captivate audiences with unexpected talent and unmatched charisma."
Read: PEP BEST BETS 2024: The Scene Stealers
Asked about what to watch for in High Street, he said that he and Xyriel collaborated with the creators and gave their own inputs on how to make their characters more exciting.
"Di lang kami umasa sa script, so sana magustuhan niyo," he concluded.
Watch full episode of Elijah Canlas on PEP Spotlight here: