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Metro Exclusive: Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudio's Interview for MMFF Entry, "Unmarry"

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New parents and happily married, Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo are at peace with their respective lives. To have a busy showbiz schedule slightly disrupt that flow means the work has to be worth doing. The upcoming drama film Unmarry, an official entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival, is that kind of project. “Tahimik” was how Angelica described the story of Unmarry. But that’s not to say filming didn’t come with challenges. More than the love story, she said she found herself leaning more towards her character’s journey to healing, while discovering an unlikely and unexpected friendship with Zanjoe’s character, whom she meets while going through the painful process of annulment with the guidance of Eugene Domingo&#x27;s character, Atty. Jacqueline Lambridas.“Doon pa lang na-excite na ako kung paano siya gagawin,” Angelica told Metro.Style. “Mahilig ako sa challenges. Mahilig ako sa kakaiba. So sabi ko, kung babalik ako, hindi masama na ito ’yung balikan kong project.”Angelica gave birth to a daughter, named Amila Sabine, in September 2022. She and her partner, Gregg Homan, then <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/what-we-love-about-angelica-panganiban-s-wedding/37212" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">got married in December 2023 in Los Angeles</a>, followed by <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/angelica-panganiban-gregg-homan-siargao-wedding/37880" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a second wedding ceremony in Siargao in April 2024</a>. Family life became her focus, stepping away from showbiz to portray the roles of a wife and a mother. Unmarry serves as her comeback project following her starring roles in the 2021 movie Love or Money and 2022’s The Kangks Show and The Goodbye Girl. Meanwhile, Zanjoe recently started a family, too. <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/ria-atayde-zanjoe-marudo-wedding-details/37769" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">He and actress Ria Atayde got married in March 2024</a>, welcoming their son, <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/zanjoe-marudo-ria-atayde-welcome-their-first-child/38973" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sabino</a>, in September of the same year. He also took some time off from acting after the 2023 movie Keys to the Heart and the series Dirty Linen.Unmarry, directed by Jeffrey Jeturian and written by Chris Martinez and Therese Cayaba, came at just the right time for him to reconnect with his passion for acting. “S’yempre comeback movie ko sa mainstream, andu’n pa rin ’yung pressure,” Zanjoe admitted. He added, though, that being a new husband and dad made him more comfortable playing the role of a family man, giving his portrayal more depth and making it more plausible.<div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1766481488741Angelica Zanjoe for Unmarry - MetroStyle interview 1 A.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A simple yet relatable and compelling narrative</div>The plot, grounded in many people’s reality, is a tricky and sensitive topic to explore. But Zanjoe said the real challenge in bringing this story to life lies elsewhere. “Tingin ko ’yung challenge dito is ’yung pagiging simple ng story, at paano siya magwo-work,” he noted. Angelica plays the character of Celine, a bakeshop owner who wants to break free from her toxic relationship with her husband, Stephen, played by Tom Rodriguez. On the other hand, Zanjoe’s Ivan is an artist with alcohol addiction, who’s confronted by the annulment case filed by his wife, Maya, Solenn Heussaff’s character. “’Yung simplicity ng storytelling, du’n ako na-engage sa project,” Angelica offered. “So nu’ng na-present siya sa’kin at nabasa ko ’yung script, kahit ako na-challenge ako du’n sa paano ’to gagawin.&quot;But sometimes, the simplest stories tug at the heartstrings most, especially when, as Zanjoe said, the story is &quot;masyadong totoo.&quot; Because the painful process of annulment is familiar to many—not just the couples directly involved in the cases but also those around them—the reality, as depicted on the big screen, bites harder.Although it shows the legal process of annulment, it must be established first that it does not encourage or advocate for that kind of resolution. The Philippines doesn&#x27;t have a law allowing divorce for its citizens. What the movie does is simply present a painstaking reality. Watching it is like witnessing the separate journeys of two people—beginning to end—and seeing how their paths cross in their search for healing. Before viewers dismiss it as another love story, Angelica emphasized that Unmarry goes beyond that, part of the reason why the project appealed to her. As someone who began in the industry as a child star, she has seen all sorts of plots and genres. For something to pique her curiosity and draw her in, it must spark joy. Unmarry did so for Angelica—to be exact, in her words, &quot;Nu&#x27;ng dumating ito, nagkaroon talaga ako ng lukso ng dugo.&quot;&quot;Kaya ka nag-step out doon sa peaceful life na meron ka naman, ibig sabihin gusto mo talaga &#x27;yung ginagawa mo,&quot; she continued. &quot;Parang ayokong makita siya na ginagawa ng iba. Nu&#x27;ng nabasa ko talaga &#x27;yung script, hindi ko siya mapalampas. Alam ko na kaya ko siyang gawin. Alam ko na bagay siya sa akin. Kaya napa-oo talaga ako. Gusto ko na rin bumalik, naghihintay lang ako ng tamang project.”<div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1766481835996Angelica Panganiban for Unmarry - MetroStyle interview 1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A movie ending that can spark a beginning</div>The beauty of Unmarry’s story is that the takeaways one can get from it aren’t limited to what’s relevant to those going through marital problems. At the core of the movie is healing, and that’s a universal experience. Whether or not you’re going through relationship problems, in Unmarry, you’ll find something that mirrors an aspect of your life. That kind of moviegoing experience, where you step out of the cinema with a sense of enlightenment and a feeling of lightness or relief, is worth the trip to the mall even in the middle of the holiday rush. Angelica said that while she did not learn from her character—because she discovered self-love around 2018, way before she came across Celine—she did feel more confident portraying a woman in search of her footing in the world of self-love and healing. “Gandang-ganda ako sa word na ‘healing,’” said Angelica, who went through hip surgeries to cure her avascular necrosis. “Kasi nu’ng nagkasakit ako, nagka-problema ako sa hips ko, parang akala mo dead end na. Ang tagal kong hinintay ’yung healing kung darating ba siya sa akin. Kaya kapag nilalako namin ’yung pelikula at napag-uusapan ’yung healing, marami kasing taong natatakot masaktan pero hindi nila alam sa lahat ng sakit, ang next nu’n, ’yung paggaling, ’yung healing.” When you get that feeling of healing, Angelica said it signals the start of another beautiful chapter, echoing the question presented in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bLDu6QxdNE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Unmarry’s trailer</a>: “Can another beginning come after saying goodbye?” The answer is a resounding yes, and reaching that part is a cause for celebration. “Doon na ’yung pagle-let go. Ilang kembot na lang, okay ka na,” Angelica shared. “So, for me, ’yun siguro ’yung magandang aral ni Celine.” Unlike Ivan, who got married in his 20s just when his career was about to peak, Zanjoe noted that their experiences are opposite because he settled down when he felt he was already stable. “Medyo magkaiba kami ng pinagdaanan,” Zanjoe pointed out. He went on to paint a picture of someone who’s about to lose the most important person in his life and is clueless about what to do next. While that may feel like a hopeless case, Zanjoe shared, “’Yun pala, ’pag naniwala ka lang or dumaan ka lang sa tamang proseso—tama nga ’yung sinabi ni Angelica na tanggapin mo lang ’yung healing ’pag dumating, may dadating at dadating na tamang tao o sitwasyon sa buhay mo magpapaayos nito at ilalagay ka sa tamang direksyon.” He added, “May second chance talaga lagi sa lahat ng bagay—hindi lang sa pag-ibig, sa buhay talaga, meron.” <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1766481908675Zanjoe Marudo for Unmarry - metroStyle interview 1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Basking in the MMFF experience</div>During this season of love, joy, and hope, stories of healing resonate with the audience more deeply. For this reason, Unmarry deserves a spot in the lineup of the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival, a Filipino Christmas tradition that celebrates Pinoy artistry and the viewers’ preference for a multigenre source of entertainment that families and groups of friends can bond over. Quantum Films and Cineko Productions’ Unmarry marks the reunion of Angelica and Zanjoe, who starred in the 2018 series Playhouse (also directed by Jeffrey Jeturian) and the romantic drama film One More Try, which was one of the eight official entries to the 38th Metro Manila Film Festival in 2012. The two are basking in the experience of doing MMFF promotions again, bringing forth a movie that offers a new perspective. With Unmarry, holiday this year will be different for Angelica and Zanjoe. “Ito na ’yung celebration,” she said. “Sila naman, ’yung pamilya naman ’yung isasali sa ganitong celebration. Kasi malay mo, next year, hindi ka naman kasama sa MMFF. So, solong-solo ka ng pamilya mo next year. Ano lang naman siya, give and take lang.”The rounds of promotions are tiring, Angelica admitted: “Kasi walo kayong sabay-sabay nagpro-promote ng pelikula.” Unmarry shares the MMFF platform this year with Call Me Mother; Manila’s Finest; Love You So Bad; Shake, Rattle &amp; Roll Evil Origins; Bar Boys: After School; I’mPerfect; and ReKonek.“Parang ang dami, ang overwhelming nu’ng pakiramdam,” Angelica said. “But of course, bukod sa pagod, talagang napakasaya kasi fiesta e, festival. Kahit magulo, kahit ang daming nangyayari, ang dami mong nakikita na tao ulit na mga malalapit din sa’yo sa industriya, mga kaibigan mo. At the end of the day, kahit na pagod na pagod ka—ako kasi gusto kong napapagod ako basta gusto ko ang ginagawa ko. So at the end of the day, ang sarap pa rin sa pakiramdam.”For Zanjoe, working on a film for MMFF gives one a sense of fulfillment, knowing that they somehow contribute to keeping the cinema culture alive, especially nowadays when many prefer watching online. “Iba ’pag Pasko e,” Zanjoe quipped, hoping Filipinos would be interested enough in Unmarry to want to watch it in the theater. “’Yan ang panahon na gusto mong lumabas, pumunta sa mall… Sana kahit papaano magkaroon ng tulong na makabalik ang mga tao sa sinehan at ma-excite uli sa mga kwento ng pelikulang Pilipino.” <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1766483187916Angelica Panganiban Zanjoe Marudio Metro Interview for Unmarry.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div> </div><div>Watch Unmarry in theaters starting December 25, 2025.</div><div> </div>Photos by Gee Plamenco Jr.Produced by Patricia Sumagui

"Unmarry" serves as a comeback project for both Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo. At the same time, it marks their return to the Metro Manila Film Festival. In this exclusive, the drama film's lead stars share why it's the right project to do now.

"Unmarry" serves as a comeback project for both Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo. At the same time, it marks their return to the Metro Manila Film Festival. In this exclusive, the drama film's lead stars share why it's the right project to do now.

Angelica Panganiban, Zanjoe Marudo Unpack Why 'Unmarry' Was Worth Doing and Why Its Story Is Worth Telling

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Angelica Panganiban, Zanjoe Marudo Unpack Why 'Unmarry' Was Worth Doing and Why Its Story Is Worth Telling

Grace Libero

Published December 23, 2025 05:00 PM PHT

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Updated December 23, 2025 07:03 PM PHT

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