Krissha Viaje and Guji Lorenzana had their share of funny moments while filming The CEO’s New Jowa, a vertical drama that follows the story of a CEO and his new love interest as their relationship unfolds amid the drama surrounding their lives.
The series stars Guji as David and Krissha as Grace, with Zoe Viterbo and Priscilla Villar also part of the cast.
While the story explores their characters' relationships, the actors had plenty of lighter moments behind the scenes, including one romantic scene that had to be retaken several times because of an upside-down engagement ring.
During an exclusive interview with PEP.ph at the official launch of the HONOR 600S on Thursday, October 1, Krissha, Guji, Zoe, and Priscilla opened up about their experience filming the vertical drama series from HONOR Philippines and Studio VIVA.
THE UPSIDE-DOWN ENGAGEMENT RING
Krissha first shared a “no-spoilers version” of the filming mishap, recalling a scene where Guji had to present something to her character.
“This is the no-spoilers version. Kasi meron isang scene na may i-present siya [Guji] sa akin pero baliktad, hindi niya alam.
"So, salita lang siya nang salita, tapos yung thing na hawak niya, baliktad. Pero tumutuloy pa rin siya.
"Tapos noong ilalagay na niya yung thing na yun, doon niya lang niya na-realize na, 'Ay, baliktad.'
"So we were just laughing about it.”
Priscilla then revealed that the item Guji was holding was actually an engagement ring.
“With spoilers version is yung engagement ring niya when David was proposing to Grace. Sige siyang salita pero nakabaliktad pala yung ring.
"And even more to that, the clock kept on ticking. So we had to keep on retaking the scene.”
The scene became even more challenging because of a large clock in the background that would chime at certain intervals.
Krissha said, “Kasi meron doon parang yung malaking clock na parang every hour tumutugtog siya, ding, ding, ding, ganoon.
"So, parang kailangan mag-stop. Sumasakto siya."
The unexpected mishap became one of the cast's memorable moments from filming, particularly because the scene itself was supposed to capture an important moment between their characters.
KRISSHA DESCRIBES THE SET AS “VERY FUN”
Despite the retakes and other challenges that came with filming, Krissha said she enjoyed working with the cast.
“You know, very fun. It was a very fun set, very chill. At saka energetic kasi yung bata [Zoe], so parang nabibigyan din kami ng energy.”
Guji also had high praise for the director after seeing the finished project.
“At saka ang galing ni Direk. Super. Like what we saw there today, hindi ko na-expect na ganun pala yung vision ni Direk. So it's really nice to see.”
Their experience on set also gave the cast room to imagine what else could happen to their characters.
THE CAST JOKES ABOUT TURNING THE STORY INTO HORROR
When asked what plot twist they would add to The CEO’s New Jowa, Priscilla had a surprising suggestion.
“Buhay pala nanay ko.”
Guji quickly took the idea in another direction.
“Ghost!”
Krissha revealed that the cast had already joked about a similar scenario while filming.
She said: “Ay, yeah! We were talking about this.
"Nagdyo-joke kami habang nagsi-scene na yun pala, magre-revenge yung ghost ng mom nila kasi turns out ayaw niya na magkaroon ng iba ng ano [asawa]. Naging horror.”
Guji then pointed out how dramatically the story would change.
“Naging horror movie bigla!”
Krissha even joked about the possibility of continuing the story with another installment.
“Season two? Charot.”
While the cast had fun imagining an entirely different direction for the story, Krissha remained tight-lipped when asked what viewers should expect from the actual drama.
“IT’S FOR YOU TO FIND OUT”
Asked what she thought audiences would find most surprising about The CEO’s New Jowa, Krissha gave away little.
“About the drama? It's for you to find out.”
Guji, however, offered a short prediction about the audience's reaction.
“I think they'll want more. Sa totoo lang.”
The CEO’s New Jowa is HONOR Philippines and Studio VIVA’s first-ever vertical drama series.
The project combines romance and drama while incorporating the HONOR 600S into selected scenes.
According to HONOR Philippines, some scenes were captured using the smartphone as part of the brand's entertainment-driven collaboration with Studio VIVA.
The project was created to bring together technology, entertainment, and creativity through a format designed for social media audiences.
The drama premiered on October 1, the same day as the official launch of the HONOR 600S in the Philippines.
With Krissha and Guji keeping the story's biggest surprises under wraps, viewers will have to watch The CEO’s New Jowa to find out what happens between their characters.