In spite of his impressive body of work as an acclaimed actor, Piolo Pascual admitted that he's very much nervous about doing a remake of the hit Koreanovela Lovers in Paris which earned phenomenal ratings when it was aired in the Philippines in 2004. The actor didn't expect that it would be difficult to immerse himself in a role that has already been done. "When it was offered to me sabi ko, why not, siyempre maganda yung pinanggagalingan and of course it's with KC (Concepcion). But when were doing the workshops, actually, ngayon lang ako nakagawa ng proyektong nakalimang workshops ata kami kasi we had to get into the character na given na. Usually kasi ako mismo yung nagdedevelop ng character ko from scratch, with my director and the writers of course. But this one, it was given so hirap na hirap ako," he said during the grand press con of Lovers In Paris last night.
Piolo took it as a challenge though and even went on to tell the entertainment media the finer points of working on such a huge project. “What’s good about it is alam mo yung journey niya, kung saan papunta yung character mo at yung storya. At first they were strict but along the way, we were given leeway naman so okay na yung characterization namin. We’re also thankful because we’re given one of the best directors ng ABS-CBN, si Direk FM Reyes, and coming from the business unit of Tita Malou Santos (who also heads Star Cinema) na sobrang bawat project na ginagawa e alam nating de kalidad at pinaghahandaan ng husto ng istasyon,” he explained.
Having KC as a leading lady also played a big factor as to why Piolo is enthusiastic about his latest soap. Even though his detractors kept on linking the two of them to various intrigues, Piolo stressed that he has discovered a side of KC that he would like others to know as well. “Nakakatuwa kasi hindi siya mayabang na tao, hindi siya yung tipong nagmamalaki or anything kahit may pinanggalingan siya. Sa set never siyang nagbigay ng problema. And para sa lahat ng cast and staff, siya yung pinaka-baby namin bilang siya ay bagong artista. So nandun lang siya nakikinig lagi kay Direk FM, always observing the veteran actors like Christopher de Leon. She picks up everything she can for her to learn [the craft.]”
No doubt there’s pressure on both Piolo and KC, who are big stars in their own right, to be successful with their first joint project and to meet the expectations of the people around them. “This is a dream project for me. I’m very thankful every chance I get na makakuha ng ganitong klaseng trabaho. But more than anything it’s KC’s first soap. We’re so excited because finally ipapalabas na yung Lovers in Paris na madaming nagkagusto at sumubaybay. Even coming from a hit Koreanovela, we’re just positive na magustuhan din ng mga Kapamilya itong Pinoy version kasi talagang pinagkagastusan ng ABS-CBN at mas pinaganda pa from the original,” he confidently stated.
Watch out for Lovers in Paris starting September 28 on Primetime Bida.
