MARCO GALLO is so happy that after doing PBB with ABS-CBN, he moved to Viva as he is now doing one project after another.
“It’s really with Viva that I got to hone my craft as an actor in doing movies like ‘Kitty K7’, ‘Gluta’ and ‘Manananggal na Nahahati ang Puso’, plus the series ‘Di Na Muli’ with Julia Barretto,” he says.
“And now, I’m doing another series, ‘The Rain in Espana’ with Heaven Peralejo and we are so happy as it’s a hit on Viva One and also on TV5 where it’s now shown every Sunday.”
What can he say to predictions that he will replace James Reid as Viva’s hottest male star and his love team with Heaven will replace the James-Nadine Lustre tandem?
“I really don’t know,” he laughs. “I’m flattered, of course, but only the fans can tell if that’s true, if they continue to support me and our love team ni Heaven.
"As for Viva, we cannot complain as we can full they’re really backing us up. ‘The Rain in Espana’ has yet to complete its ten-episode run and we’re now shooting a new movie to keep up the momentum.
"This is a romantic comedy, ‘Ship Show’, directed by hitmaker Jason Paul Laxaman. So sana nga, their predictions will all be true.”
Marco is honest enough to confess that it’s really Heaven who was his big crush when they were together as housemates at Pinoy Big Brother Teens in 2016.
“But we lost touch after that and we were so young then. I was only 16 years old.
"So much water has passed under the bridge since then, so to speak. We’re now different persons in our early 20s, more mature, more responsible people.”
What was his reaction when he was told they will be paired in ‘The Rain in Espana”?
“I was excited and I wondered if she’s still the same girl I knew before in PBB.
"The first thing I is I sent her a text message telling her I’m so happy that we are working together with Viva and I’m looking forward to it.
"And when we finally saw each other sa Viva, I just acted naturally. No pretensions. This is who I am now and this is what I can offer.”
So what changes did he see in Heaven after seven years?
“She definitely is more serious now, very professional when it comes to our work. After taping for several days, I realized how supportive she is.
"She wants us to collaborate well in doing our scenes together, so we rehearse thoroughly, and that is very important for me.
"I don’t like unnecessary drama on the set, that kind of stuff. She makes me feel comfortable on the set and I try to reciprocate there to make her happy during out shoot as well.
"And you can see it in the show. We have a really good team work.”
What about Heaven, what has she discovered in Marco?
“Marco kasi looks so seryoso,” she replies. “People think he’s aloof, suplado. That’s the awra he gives off.
"But if you get to know him well, he has a good sense of humor.
"While working, we have developed our own inside jokes with the rest of the cast and kung minsan nga, we couldn’t start taping kasi we keep on laughing because of the private jokes. Marco really makes us laugh.”
So now that they’re very close after working with each other, what’s the real score between them?
“Well, right now, we can say we are really enjoying each other’s company,” says Marco.
“We’re on the same page and have the same wave length. We are comfortable na, so we can openly talk about our life, our dreams and aspirations.
"When we act together, we bring out the best in each other. But we’re not rushing things.
"People might say, push nyo na yan since you’re a love team na, but we won’t do that just to gain more popularity.”
He says he prefers to take it easy.
“For me, there’s more beauty in taking things slow. I love getting to know her a little bit more every day at work, finding out what annoys her, what makes her smile, what makes her happy when she’s tired.
"So, there’s no need to rush. Just continue watching ‘The Rain in Espana’ because there will be more intriguing developments with Heaven as Luna, the bubbly architecture student who is persistent in pursuing my character as Kalix, a law student.
"Our story will run for ten years kasi we’ll break up then meet again as working professionals, so abangan nyo, you’ll just be hooked by our love story and it will make you fall in love again.”
