Donny Says His Character In The Movie “An Inconvenient Love” Is His Most Challenging So Far

Now a nationwide charmer, the DonBelle rom-com An Inconvenient Love has reportedly transcended the Php 6-million mark in ticket sales, as of 5pm on November 24, 2022. Starring Star Magic artists Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, the much-awaited movie serves as Star Cinema’s grand comeback gesture as it bounces back to the big screen and celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Directed by Petersen Vargas, the film debuted in cinemas last November 23, owning the box office and drawing attention from DonBelle admirers. Delivering a top-tier performance from two of the most talented young celebrities in showbiz today, An Inconvenient Love revolves around the story of a convenience store clerk and aspiring animator, Ayef (Belle), who wills to achieve success abroad. She randomly stumbled upon plantito and social activist Manny (Donny), whom she agreed to seal a contractual relationship with.

Donny tells us in an exclusive interview, “I feel like it’s very timely, because a lot of people experience this type of love, na parang nagse-second guess sila kung parang, ‘Ito ba talaga ’yung gusto kong gawin?’ Or, ‘‘’Pag pinasukan ko itong relationship na ito, magagawa ko ba ’yung mga pangarap ko?’”

The He’s Into Her and Love Is Color Blind actor personally believes that “there’s so much going on” in the modern day to arrive at a romantic relationship. “Even in today’s generation, everyone wants to do so many things. Is love a part of that priority?,” Donny ponders as he walks us through the worthwhile tale of An Inconvenient Love.

When asked what he is most passionate about in the project, he muses, “When you read the script for the first time, you can really feel the emotions. Si Belle nga, umiiyak nu’ng nag-reading kami.” Written by Enrico Santos and Daisy Cayanan, the movie is what Donny considers to be his most challenging by far, making it to the many firsts that he has encountered. 

As to why he loves An Inconvenient Love, Donny explains, “I think it’s just the whole process of putting myself in another person’s shoes again and the idea that it’s going to be showing in cinemas.” His role, Manny, whom he regards as something novel, sent Donny to trying out new things: “First time ko siyempreng mag-plantito, activist role—very game, very energetic.”

“First time kong mag-big bike! I had to learn this for this movie,” Donny shares with Metro.Style. “It was challenging but really fun, especially working with Direk [Petersen],” he continues.

When asked what the most challenging role he has played in his career so far, Donny says, “I always say the most recent project because there’s a different challenge for every project. Siguro ito, ang mahirap naman dito [An Inconvenient Love] e, the fact that we had to shoot in a lock-in again. Minsan kasi mahirap ’yun ’pag one month tapos hindi ka nakakauwi. Hindi mo nakikita ’yung pamilya mo, ’yung friends mo. ’Pag emotional ’yung scene, wala kang kalas masyado kasi next scene na ulit. Du’n ka lang. Parang nasa bubble ka lang. That was one of the hard parts, challenging parts. Also kasi, I always try to portray something different that I didn’t portray before, so it always becomes more challenging. And, maybe we also did feel the pressure sometimes with the time, and we were also going abroad, shows in between then went back to shooting. So, getting back into character and just having so many things happening at the same time [made it more challenging].” 

On the subject of teaming up with his on-screen partner Belle Mariano for this project, Donny tells us, “After working with each other for over three years, alam na namin kung paano ’yung working process ng isa’t-isa.”

Donny adds, “If we’re going to read the script, alam na namin. ‘Uy, baka puwede mong sabihin ’to dito!’ Or, ‘Do you need some time off so that you could get emotionally prepared?’” It occurs to Donny that his shared partnership with Belle also helped them attune to each other. “Alam namin kung pa’no mag-adjust sa isa’t-isa and we know how to support each other as well.”

In awe of Belle’s superb acting in the film, Donny commends his leading lady. “Just seeing her portray Ayef, grabe! Ang galing niya kasi sobrang iba sa personality niya. ’Yung ibang characters niya, siyempre ganu’n din—iba. Pero ito kasi, even the way she talks, moves—it’s so different from Belle in real life.”

“It’s always fun working with her. I love working with her, obviously,” Donny smiles. Showing in over 175 movie theaters nationwide, An Inconvenient Love tugs at the heartstrings. “It’s a must-watch because this is the perfect time to experience that rom-com again that we all miss from Star Cinema,” Donny enthuses. 

With a passion that never wavers, Donny narrates the synopsis of An Inconvenient Love in his lens. The takeaway that he learned, he says, is “to not give up on your dreams and to stay true to who you are.” He also concludes, “What I love most about my work is the fact that we’re able to share stories. It’s always a blessing and something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

Take a look at the trailer of An Inconvenient Love:

Lead photos from @donny and Star Cinema's Official YouTube Channel