FILIPINA actress Janella Salvador and Thai actor Win Metawin are among the sought-after young stars in their countries’ entertainment industry. But as we all know, the road to success is not always smooth and there will be twists and turns along the way, teaching us valuable lessons as we strive for greatness.
Salvador and Metawin also got their fair share of lessons on their path to stardom. They revealed these lessons in an interview with republicasia during the grand media conference of “Under Parallel Skies” on Tuesday, April 2.
If there was a lesson that the 26-year-old Pinay actress learned along the way and would share with others, it would be “hard work always pays off.”
“That’s one of them [lessons]. I don’t know if I need to say more. Hard work always pays off,” she stressed.
For Metawin, it’s that people should keep improving themselves.
“Never stop leveling up yourself. No matter how hard you go, you have to keep leveling up yourself and doing your best,” said the 25-year-old actor.
The two celebrities will star in the forthcoming romantic-comedy film helmed by Filipina director Sigrid Bernardo.
“Under Parallel Skies” follows a Thai bachelor named Parin who flies to Hong Kong to find his missing mother. But his search also leads him to meet a Filipina hotelier named Iris, who helps him navigate love, heartbreak and healing in the foreign city, despite their differences in culture and identity.
Janella-Win chemistry
When the official teaser of the movie dropped in February, many netizens apparently loved the chemistry between the lead stars and praised their acting skills. Their chemistry is something that the filmmaker made sure to transcend the screen and onto the viewers.
“I think coming from different cultures is already hard enough to bring the chemistry in the movie because, you know, all know that we’re doing is a romantic-comedy, it’s a love story, so it’s very important for me to have that chemistry for both actors,” Bernardo told republicasia.
She explained that what helped them bring out the chemistry from the lead actors was the acting workshop, the bonding that they had during the filming, and the efforts they exerted to get to know each other.
“I’ve been telling them that I can definitely see your eyes if you’re not in love with each other. I have to [feel the] ‘kilig’ in order for the audience to see it, it resonates on the film. If I, myself, as a director or as a storyteller cannot see that ‘kilig,’ then definitely my audience won’t feel it,” she said.
The director expressed her gratitude to Salvador and Metawin for not only being dedicated to their characters and the work they have done for the movie but also for putting extra effort to get along with one another.
Before the grand media conference, film production company 28 Squared Studios, the movie’s producer, held a press conference for “Under Parallel Skies” in March where it formally inked its partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures for the distribution of the movie.
This is the second mainstream Filipino film that Warner Bros. will distribute after “Mallari,” an official entry to the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which also starred Salvador.
“Under Parallel Skies” will premiere in three countries: the Philippines on April 17, Singapore on May 1 and Thailand on May 9.
Win’s Philippine visit
The Thai actor visited the Philippines to promote “Under Parallel Skies” to the Filipino audience.
Metawin went on a mall tour around Metro Manila, where he received overwhelming support from his Filipino fans for this new movie.
He also visited the noontime variety show “It’s Showtime” with Salvador, where they were greeted with cheers from the live audience. They did the show’s iconic greeting, “What’s up, madlang people!”
Meanwhile, Metawin also surprised Salvador with a birthday cake during the grand media conference. The actress turned 26 on March 30.
Metawin is set to return to the country for the Philippine grand premiere gala of “Under Parallel Skies” on April 16 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, according to 28 Squared Studios.
