
Gerald Anderson (right) with Ivana Alawi
If she wins, we all win,” Gerald Anderson explained why he’s fully supportive of famed vlogger Ivana Alawi’s debut acting venture as the lead in the romantic drama series ‘A Family Affair’.
“Sam (Milby, her co-star on the show) and I would really guide Ivana. The whole story revolves around her character, and we four brothers are all connected to her,” Gerald said, referring to the brothers Estrella Paco (his character), David (Sam’s), Sebastian (Jake Ejercito) and Andrew (Jameson Blake).
Ivana plays the charming and innocent Cherryred, who becomes the object of affection of the four brothers.
“Because it’s her first, you’ll really see Ivana grow and improve. She’s had this unique opportunity and she’s really giving her best. I have a soft spot for artists like her. She reminds me of when I was just starting out in this business,” Gerald told reporters during a virtual media meeting also attended by directors Jerome Pobocan and Raymund Ocampo.
“I remember telling my manager before I started recording for the show that I will do my best to make her shine. The fans of Ivana, a YouTube star, will be amazed by her performance here. She has demonstrates passion and professionalism,” he said.
Comfort
Gerald said he made sure to guide Ivana especially when recording their love scenes. “As an actor, I’ve done several love scenes in the past, so it’s always a challenge to do a different one from the others. I have to be aware of how I look at it, what part of her body touched first – is it her hair, cheeks or shoulders? It’s also a challenge to make my love scene partner feel comfortable even if she’s “exposed” “.
“Direk Jerome even played some background music, but not before asking what kind of songs Ivana wanted to hear. As a partner, my actions must look very passionate yet professional. I’m glad that even though Ivana is having a hard time adjusting to the job, I can see that she loves what she does.
Gerald added: “It’s important to me that my colleagues feel comfortable on set because what we do is difficult and stressful. At the end of the day, I want them to feel relaxed so that when we get back to work the next morning, we can all perform at our best.
As for what makes his work on “A Family Affair” different from those he’s done in the past, Gerald pointed out that his character, Paco, was a game-changer. “The premise of the shows I’ve done in the past has always been boy-meets-girl and then they fall in love. With this one, I feel challenged because Paco is the first to fall in love with Cherryred and is willing to run after her, he will make his life revolve around her.
He added: “I took it as a challenge. I hope the audience can see how much Paco really struggled to get Cherryred to fall in love with him as well. That thought was actually what made me want to to go to check-in every day.

Anderson says the challenge is to make Alawi feel comfortable doing love scenes.
Gerald said he started preparing by studying and becoming his character long before he got on set. “It’s difficult because we were given very little time to do it. I make sure that when I arrive at work, I’m already Paco. I really took the trouble to get to know him, his heart and his soul. It makes my job easier, especially since we are in the midst of a pandemic and can only work 12 hours. That means we have to do 20-25 sequences a day,” he explained.
Similarities
Gerald said it helped a lot in terms of characterization that he and Paco are similar in many ways. “We love and care so much for our families. We are also very competitive and ambitious. We both want to be successful in whatever tasks or projects we decide to take on. We also know our priorities and we both focus on what we consider important in our lives. We are both fighters. There have been many times in my career where I felt like giving up, but I still chose to fight. Paco and I are the same because we welcome challenges into our lives. It makes us more excited and ready for anything,” Gerald explained.
“I know a lot of viewers will be able to relate. That’s why Paco and the program are special to me. In fact, I thought that for my next project, I hope to do a family drama. I was happy it was given to me,” he said.
Gerald then talked about Paco and his three brothers, with whom he became close to the camera and the camera. “You’ll notice how really close we are the way we talk to each other and hang out in our tambay neighborhood when we don’t have work. This closeness, we were able to bring it in front of the camera, even when we have scenes where we have to argue and fight.
“A Family Affair,” produced by Star Creatives, will premiere June 27 on Kapamilya Channel’s Primetime Bida evening block, as well as on A2Z, TV5, worldwide via The Filipino Channel. INQ
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