Seasoned actor Gerald Anderson on Wednesday, June 15, showed professionalism as he was concerned for his first-time leading lady, Ivana Alawi.
The two will have an intimate scene in the upcoming series A Family Affair that also stars Sam Milby, Jake Ejercito, and Jameson Blake. His character Paco and Alawi’s Cherry, are a married couple.
In the show’s media launch, Anderson said, “Hindi naman kinabahan,” referring to the sex scene. However, he and director Jerome C. Pobocan have discussed what they will do for such a sensitive scene.
“Well, first of all, mas inisip ko kung…kasi pinuntahan ako ni Direk Jerome sa tent. Kasi in-explain niya sa akin kung anong gagawin at kung paano namin gagawin. Sabi ko, ‘Talaga direk? Talaga? ‘Di ba pang-TV ito? Sabi niya, ‘Hindi hindi. Pang-Netflix ‘to, Netflix.'”
A pressing concern for the actor was that it was the first-ever intimate scene of Alawi.
“Siyempre first leading role ni ano (Ivana) and sabi ko, paano namin gagawin ito na magiging comfortable siya sa scene. So kinakausap ka ang mga PAs, sina Direk. Minsan kapag feeling ko na hindi na ganoon ka-kumportable, or may nakikita or medyo revealing, titignan ko lang si Direk,” he explained.
Anderson then added, “More of just… siya ‘yung priority.”
Although it was Alawi’s first acting role, the actor admitted to becoming a fan of the young artist.
“Na-blown away ako kasi I really didn’t know what to expect. Kasi siyempre sa digital world siya, sa YouTube. Wala akong masiyadong background sa kanya. Ang alam ko lang may kissing scene sila dati ni Sam (Milby).
“So noong nag-start lang kami mag-work.
“More than the acting, it’s the professionalism and the dedication, and kung paano niya hina-handle ang first lead role niya. Hindi iyon biro, hindi iyon madali, especially sa schedule na mayroon kami. But she handled it with poise. Amazing, nakaka-inspire.
“From now on, I’m a fan and magiging cheerleader ako. Sana after this ise-share pa rin niya ang talents niya sa’tin lahat ‘di ba? Mas exciting kung ano pa ang gagawin niya.”
A Family Affair will have its premiere on June 27. It will also be available for cable users on several digital platforms like iWantTFC and The Filipino Channel.