VIVA HOSTED a special presscon for Heaven Peralejo and Marco Gallo at the new Botejyu Restaurant at the newly opened Gateway 2 adjacent to Araneta Coliseum that really looks so classy.
It’s for the enormous success of their 10-episode mini series, “The Rain in Espana”, now streaming on Viva One, with new episodes shown every Sunday.
And for the benefit of non-subscribers, the series will now also be shown on free TV starting this Sunday, May 14, at 4 PM on TV5.
It looks like Viva is really taking good care of the Heaven-Marco love team as they are now tagged as the MarVen love team. But some fans of “The Rain in Espana” call them LuKal, from their names in the show, Luna and Kalix.
What can Heaven say about the show’s success?
“Sobrang ang saya-saya,” says Heaven. “I didn’t expect that so many people would love it and embrace it with open arms and hearts.
"We’re watching the positive reaction of viewers on Tiktok videos and it really feels so good. Pati sa Twitter, we’re trending and also on Facebook, grabe ang ganda ng feedback so we’re really so happy.”
She realized how popular the series is when she went to Boracay a few days ago. “Nakakatuwa kasi nga I was just in Boracay and when people saw me, they approached me, calling me Luna and asking where’s Kalix. Hinahanap sa akin pati yung ibang members ng cast. Sana huwag silang bumitaw at magsawang manood hanggang sa last episode namin.”
Viva is really pushing their tandem as they are even shooting a full length movie now, “Ship Show”, written and directed by Jason Paul Laxamana.
“Yes, we’re really excited kasi ang ganda ng concept and story ng movie,” Heaven adds. “But when we were initially paired ni Marco, we didn’t expect to be a love team.
"Akala namin, dito lang sa ‘The Rain in Espana’. But siguro, Viva saw our perfect chemistry, which we’re not pushing naman but we’re just acting naturally.”
She says she also didn’t expect that the series will be warmly received by audiences.
“Honestly, wala akong expectations kasi ayokong masaktan. Also, when it was first announced, negative ang feedback ng mga nakabasa sa Wattpad at baka masira lang daw ang story.
"But we all gave it our best and siguro, viewers saw our efforts na mapaganda ang show kaya eventually, naging maganda rin ang reception nila.”
So how would she describe the relationship between her and Marco now?
“Definitely, we have a deeper connection after doing the series and now that we’re shooting a movie.
"We have gained each other’s trust and respect to become better friends which, we all know, will be a better foundation for any kind of relationship.
"Basta we’re not pressuring each other to cultivate the relationship just to make the love team more popular. We’re taking it really slow.”
What else has she discovered about Marco that she didn’t know during their days at Pinoy Big Brother?
“Oh, we were so young then, teenagers pa kami six years ago. Ibang-iba na siya ngayon, and I’m sure, ako rin. He is definitely more manly. And I discovered he is really passionate with his work and serious with his craft as an actor.”
She tells the fans of “The Rain in Espana” to stay glued to the series as more interesting story developments between Luna and Kalix will happen in the coming weeks.
“Yes, very intriguing po ang next episodes namin. Sa simula, ako ang patay na patay at naghahabol kay Kalix, but just you wait and the tables will eventually be turned.
"Marami pa pong mangyayari hindi lang sa amin kundi pati sa ibang characters na kasama namin, so don’t fail to watch us on Viva One and now, also on TV5 starting May 14.”
