Kathryn Bernardo Talks About “Hello, Love, Again” Plus Familiarity & Friendship With Alden Richards
In the cover feature of PREVIEW PH magazine, Kathryn Bernardo delved onto making the sequel to “Hello, Love, Goodbye” with Alden Richards. She felt that everyone was waiting for the next chapter on Joy and Ethan’s love story. Kathryn spoke to Director Cathy on how she would approach her character considering her life experiences in restorspect to what the character is all about and what the story entails https://feistymomma.com/2024/05/20/in-photos-hello-love-again-announcement-with-stars-alden-richards-kathryn-bernardo/. Kathryn also talked about the familiarity with working with Alden and the friendship that they have built after doing the first movie. It’s easier now and essentially, they both want to perform well and make it work.
The Making of an Artwork
In the literal sense of the word, Kathryn Bernardo was in the midst of making her art when she took our call. It was evening in Calgary, Canada, and the actress had taken a brief moment in the last leg of her shooting schedule for Hello, Love, Again to converse with Preview.
Much as any artist, the challenges of shooting a film are embroiled with physical toil and the emotional demands needed to portray a character. As the sequel to 2019’s Hello, Love, Goodbye, one of the Philippines’ highest-grossing films of all time, the bar has been set, and it was hanging over them on set. “I feel like everyone’s waiting for this and I’m trying not to be too pressured sa mga sinasabi at expectations ng mga tao,” Kathryn admitted. “So, ‘yun talaga ‘yung at least na iniisip ko ngayon.”
The 2019 film leaves a bittersweet note to audiences, as Kathryn’s character, Joy, parts ways with Alden Richards’ Ethan, albeit with a loving assurance. In Hello, Love, Goodbye, the two roles find an unexpected connection in the bustling cityscape of Hong Kong, but the realities of life are left prioritized over a simmering romance. Love exists at the end of it, but the film’s sequel will pose more questions as they find each other in Canada, a starkly different setting from five years past.
To portray Joy, a nursing graduate and domestic helper, Kathryn took cues from Director Cathy Garcia-Sampana for the original film, immersing herself in the lives of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) while filming on location. During the first movie’s promotional run, the actress famously recounted how those around her referred to her as “Joy.” At one point, Kathryn had been barred from using her phone in hopes of staying laser-focused on her character, which, admittedly, led to some frustration on her part.
But for the second time around, things were different. “We talked about it before. It was a nice learning experience for me, but siguro meron lang ibang ways to do it this time,” Kathryn reflected. “I’m 28 now and I feel like ang dami na ding nangyari at nakatulong din ‘yung mga personal experiences ko.”
“I told Direk Cathy na, of course I’m gonna respect her ways, kung ano ‘yung gusto niya para malabas ‘yung tamang emotions. But also now, it’s like teamwork,” she explained. “I’m very honest with her kung ano ‘yung comfortable ako sa process para marating ko ‘yung mga emotions na kailangan. Iba ‘yung naging process ko ngayon, iba din ‘yung hinihingi ng story.”
The story of Hello, Love, Again is a contrast to Hello, Love, Goodbye, after all. The questions that surround the sequel are the aftermath of a boy-meets-girl story, where five years have passed—along with a true-to-life pandemic—and how a long-distance relationship paints their blissful, honeymoon stage in a different light. According to Kathryn, Joy is a different person compared to her younger self. The pandemic and Canada have changed her, and the movie’s second part was its manifestation.
And with Joy’s change comes a change in her relationship with Ethan. Kathryn noted that her dynamic with Alden as the leads had helped improve how they portrayed their characters. “The familiarity is there, which is good,” she said. The actress compared this to when they worked on the original film, which she considered a “warm-up,” given that it was their first project together. “Easier lang in a way because we’ve been friends for quite some time now. Nakatulong na na-build namin ’yung friendship, so I’m very comfortable with him now and ganun din siya sa akin. Nandyan pa rin yung willingness namin ni Alden to perform well and to make this’ work, which is ’yung gusto din namin since day one.”(SOURCE: Preview PH)
