Hindi sya Juday project. It was for Toni talaga.
“Starting Over Again” is not the usual story about a man and a woman falling in love and living happily ever after, according to multi-awarded filmmaker Olivia M. Lamasan also fondly known as “Inang.”
Inang related the story behind the story. “Nakabasa kami ng material written by one of our writers, Carmi Raymundo. It was a romance comedy about a couple on their way to a wedding in Vigan and as they were traveling, parang nag-di-disintegrate ang kanilang relationship. I expressed interest in the material and right away, Malou (Santos) said, ‘Gawin mo ’yan for Toni (Gonzaga).’ I said, ‘Sige, but can I study the material first?’ But Malou already told Toni, ‘Tuloy na, magkakasama na kayo ni Inang.’”
The director added: “Although inaaral ko pa, Malou told me, ‘You’re committed na to Toni.’ I said, ‘I have no problem working with Toni, kailangan ko lang makapag-isip ng kuwento na babagay talaga sa kanya.’”
It was also Malou who convinced Inang to pair Toni with Piolo Pascual, telling the
[textspeak!]m director, “Si Toni, matagal nang hinihingi na maka-partner si Piolo. At kayo ni Piolo, dapat mag-reunite na kayo (Inang last worked with Piolo via ‘Milan’ in 2004).”
Inang admitted hesitating at first as “hindi babagay ’yung material. At their (Toni and Piolo) age, kailangan medyo mature ’yung characters na gagampanan nila.”
She suggested, “Let’s do a story about exes.”
“We brainstormed with the writers. We came up with the premise: What if one day you get an email from your ex, somebody you loved so dearly but somebody who hurt you deeply? So, dun nagsimula. Bumagay na sa kanila. Initially it’s a rom-com, but at some point I realized hindi siya pwede. So instead, it’s a romance drama with lots of comedic moments.”
Inang recalled that after “Milan,” she asked herself, “Ano pa kaya ang materyal kung si Piolo ulit ang gagawan ko ng pelikula?” Apparently, she came to a point that she felt Piolo was “masyado nang mataas para sa akin.”
“Parang he was so up there, he has everything, so handsome, so mayaman na at magaling na artista,” she added. “Sabi ko kay Piolo, ‘Sana kung gagawa tayo ulit ng pelikula, na mahawakan kita ulit, ’yung maramdaman ko na tao ka, na you can feel, you can get hurt, you can laugh at yourself.’ That’s the kind of role that I was looking for him na, very real, very human...”
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/starting-over-again-not-usual-love-story-000042723.html
