It is uncommon for writer, cinematographer and director Topel Lee to helm a romantic comedy movie but he was thankful that the perfect casting helped him in making The Hopeful Romantic deliver what is needed from it – to offer laughs and kilig.
Watch our video coverage from The Hopeful Romantic bloggers’ conference aka #HopefulBlogcon below:
The director tells, “Surprisingly, ‘nung binigay sa akin ‘yung story, I was worried kasi naka-trabaho ko na si Empoy, naka-trabaho ko na si Ryan Agoncillo before sa comedy, I was looking for someone na meron talagang input or may dala nang patawa, I mean madali mong makita na pwede pala siyang romantic tapos pwede rin siyang comedian. So ‘nun nakita ko si Pepe (Herrera) , parang I felt relieved kasi sobrang relaxed nitong tao na ‘to, although hindi naman siya nakakatawa ‘nung una ko siyang nakita, nag-jam na lang kami ‘nung time na nagkita kami sa office tapos pinag-usapan naming yung project. Nakita ko naman na meron siyang pwedeng ilabas sa comedy and at the same time, nung pinitch nila si Ritz (Azul), sabi ko perfect kasi we’ve worked together sa channel 5 for a show, but dun pa lang, wala nang ginawa si Ritz kundi tawa nang tawa. Sabi ko, ‘perfect ‘to, at least kailangan ko ng tao na sasalo ng patawa ni Pepe, so si Ritz ‘yun. Ang ganda ‘nung chemistry nila.”
Now, for a first-time pairing, Pepe and Ritz seem to have worked for director Topel Lee. And this unusual pairing isn’t new anymore. Last year, 2017, one of the blockbuster Filipino films starred the unusual pairing of Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy in Kita Kita. The team would also be pleased if the fate of The Hopeful Romantic will be the same as Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s Kita Kita.
“The Hopeful Romantic” opens in Philippine cinemas September 12, 2018 from Regal Entertainment, Inc.