The Morning Rush was joined by 2 of the hottest rising stars, Ian Pangilinan and Paolo Pangilinan, lead actors of the new BL series "Gaya Sa Pelikula"! The on-going series aired on Globe Studios' Youtube page last September 2020 and is directed by JP Habac.
Fans of Ian and Paolo were very excited to see these 2 on the show as they now have a huge following due to the series' popularity! Ian and Paolo can't help but express their gratitude for all of their fans. BL series are definitely becoming a continued hit to the masses as more and more production comes up! And Markki is also not a stranger of that, having starred on a more adult version of a BL series!
Fun fact: Ian used to be a Radio1 Student Jock back when he was still in college! He used to be partners with former Monster Jock Lexy Angeles during his time back at the station. Chico expressed his shock when he found out that Ian used to be a Student Jock since he didn't know before! Chico could've been Ian's partner had he know!
But how has Ian and Paolo's life changed after gaining their new found fame? For Paolo, it was mostly about how to do video greetings! Since he was never in the spotlight before, he found it awkward to be greeting people on video (like most celebrities do!) We're pretty sure you'll get the hang of it in no time Paolo! He also gained a massive following after, having 20,000 more followers on his Twitter page since episode 1 aired. He also now experiences fan sending food at his house and getting a lot of heartwarming messages and compliments from supporters! From extending their congrats to being inspired by the actors. It was overwhelming for Paolo at first but he is slowly getting the hang of it as time passed by.
In terms of their characters on the show, how are they similar to them and to the Ian and Paolo in real life? They're actually more of each other's character than their own! In the show, Paolo plays Karl an introverted student while Ian plays Vlad, a cocky and much more strong-willed. Ian shared that Paolo is much more of Vlad in terms of when he's annoyed, he's much more ready to fight and stand up. Ian is much more warm and calm. Initially, Ian was supposed to play Karl and Paolo was supposed to be Vlad but a lot of changs happened and they ended up with the current roles that they are in! And on a side note and probably a question on a lot of people's minds, Ian and Paolo are not related! Their last names are purely coincidental! But it did make it easy to come up with their "couple" name as they are mostly referred to as "PangPang" or "Pangcakes"!
Ian and Paolo's characters on the show are both film buffs and Chico can't help but ask if they are also into films! What are Ian and Paolo's favorite movie/s? Ian's top movie is Lady Bird while Paolo's is Fried Green Tomatoes, Kill Bill and Inglorious Bastards. Excellent movie choices! Since it's Halloween season also, they were both ask about favorite Halloween movies. The Halloween franchise, Conjuring and Hereditary are some of Ian's faves while Thai movie Coming Soon is Paolo's!
BL (or Boys Love) first really made noise back in Thailand when the BL series "2Gether" starring Thai actors Bright Vicharawit and Win Metawin aired earlier this year and made way into the hearts of a lot of it's viewers. Ever since it's popularity, fans and viewers have actually shipped the actors together in real life. Ian and Paolo are also getting that kind of reception from avid fans; shipping them together, saying that they are "married" and such! How do these 2 handle that kind of enthusiasm from their fans? Ian mentioned that their fans would only interact with them in that way whenever they do entertainment-related things together, but not when they're on separate projects. Paolo also emphasized to establish a consider amount of rapport between them and their fans to make them realize that they're different people and personalities to the ones that they see on the show. Ian expressed his gratitude as well that their fans support them healthily!
The audition process started online wherein they sent in their audition videos with the script for the characters they're auditioning for. Ian and Paolo both actually auditioned for the roles of Karl and Vlad! Eventually, they got a callback and did a lot of compliment tests to see if they do work with the characters and well together and happy to say that it did work out in the end! Ian and Paolo also caught up with the famous Thai BL series "2gether" but still managed to make their own characters as authentic as possible, even if they already had an idea on how to work as BL actors. They also studied the Before Trilogy and based their characters' nonchalance from the Trilogy, also the Norweigan series "Skam".
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In terms of family & friends' reactions and reception to their series, Ian had a wonderful experience! His mother's church friends were actually excited for the show, even messaging his mom on where they can watch! And those are coming from religious, older generation that you would think would have a different opinion regarding BL. He was grateful that BL is now transcending beyond the expected market of LGBTQ people & allies and women! He even mentioned that titos are watching the show! Paolo also experienced the same amount of love! He never actually told anyone about his audition and just surprised his loved ones about it when he shared the "Gaya Sa Pelikula" screen test! He was bombarded messages from his family and friends, praising and congratulating him. Paolo's mom had the sweetest reaction, congratulating, hugging him and just being so happy while it was caught on video! Definitely a precious moment he will keep in this lifetime! Paolo expressed that this series is something that he really wanted to do, even while he's juggling Med school, because he believes in the advocacy that this series wants to share.
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On a more serious note, Chico asked the 2 boys on what their fearless forecast in regards to BL will be. Is it something that will become a step for more queer representation in the media or is it just a current trend that will fade as time goes by? Well, they both say that it won't definitely be here for a short time! Ian is very optimistic about it! He mentioned that as early as now, there are changes in the LGBTQIA+ community in a positive way by having the Anti-Discrimination Bill approved! Besides the continued interest for BL, the amount of queer writers, directors and creatives in the film industry are on a rise. On the other hand, Paolo believes that the BL series should not only be limited to boys only as the LGBTQIA+ community is so diverse. As much as he wants BL to remain, it's important to expound more as other queer representations like lesbians, transgenders, bisexuals and such to have their own stories to tell and be represented in (hopefully) the mainstream media in the long run. Other forms of love should be definitely seen, recognized and celebrated on our TV and movie screens as well!
There have been several BL series that came out this year in the country. Here's where you can check them out and binge-watch too:
"Gaya Sa Pelikula" starring Ian Pangilinan and Paolo Pangilinan. Directed by JP Habac.
"Hello Stranger" starring JC Alcantara and Tony Labrusca. Directed by Petersen Vargas.
The first ever Filipino BL series, "Gameboys" starring Kokoy De Santos and Elijah Canlas. Directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal.
And the newest on-going GL series under the "Gameboys" installment, "Pearl Next Door" starring Adrianna So. Directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal.
Get to know more about our newest BL stars by watching their full interview on The Morning Rush here: