Gigi de Lana and Gerald Anderson on "Hello Heart"

One of the country’s premier leading men, Gerald Anderson, and the Philippines’ hottest new gen diva, Gigi de Lana, are paired in the upcoming series Hello, Heart. 

This project from ABS-CBN and iQiyi’s partnership is slated to be released exclusively on the iQiyi app and www.iQ.com on December 15, 8PM, with new episodes weekly. 

The fresh pairing of Gerald Anderson and Gigi de Lana is at the heart and soul of this romantic comedy that follows Heart, a beautiful, perky and hardworking woman who is very unlucky in life, and Saul, an emotionless, business-as-usual guy. In the story, he hires her to pretend as his wife to please his grandmother with dementia. As they get to know each other better, they eventually find that they’re no longer pretending to be in love and that they’ve actually developed feelings for each other. 

Hello, Heart is exciting in several ways. Not only will the viewers see the first onscreen tandem of Gerald and Gigi, they will also find that the lead characters are a perfect fit for these actors. The story also hints at a perfect balance between drama and comedy, tugging at the heartstrings while maintaining a light mood overall.  

“’Yung character ko bilang Saul is a character I’ve always wanted to play. Business tycoon. It’s a dynamic character,” Gerald shared during the media conference to promote their series. “And nu’ng sinabi nila na si Gigi ’yung makakasama ko, s’yempre ni-research ko agad sa YouTube. I watched their videos na kumakanta. And for some reason, it always works ’pag ganu’n eh, ’pag fresh, ’pag bago ’yung tandem. It excites me because it’s another challenge para sa akin bilang isang artista, bilang aktor, and it’s exciting for the fans.”

On the other hand, the bubbly personality of Gigi is mirrored in the aura her character Heart exudes. Asked what their differences are, she commented, “Pagkakaiba, si Heart kasi very outgoing siya eh tsaka parang lahat gagawin niya [para] sa family niya. Teka lang, parang wala ata kaming pagkakaiba kasi ganu’n din ako! Siguro si Heart pinaglalaban niya ’yung kung ano ’yung totoo tsaka kung ano ’yung gusto niya. Ako kasi pinaglalaban ko naman pero to the point na kapag nailaban ko na ’yung pinakatodo ko, minsan kasi nag-gi-give up ako eh. So ’yun ’yung differences namin ni Heart.”

This may be Gigi’s first foray into acting (a lead role, at that) but she’s already a digital star. She’s a professional singer whose performances and covers with her The Gigi Vibes band are always trending and gaining hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Hello, Heart’s official theme song, Roselle Nava’s “Bakit Nga Ba Mahal Kita,” was covered by Gigi and even spurred a fun challenge that propelled this rising star into internet sensation status.  

Gerald, on the other hand, remains an in-demand leading man today, when he’s already marking his 15th year in showbiz. His recent series are A Soldier’s Heart and Init sa Magdamag. Since he started his career through the first season of Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition, he has played several memorable roles on the small and big screens, such as David "JR" Garcia, Jr. in Tayong Dalawa, Benjamin "Budoy" Maniego in Budoy, and Daniel Benitez in On the Job.

Gerald and Gigi talked more about how they feel about this project as well as their individual careers during their series’ media conference:

GIGI

What was your first meeting with Gerald like?

“Na-intimidate ako sa kanya pero kasi inisip ko rin bakit ba ako mai-intimidate? Pakita ko na agad kung sino ako. Nu’ng nakita ko na siya, kaharap ko na siya, ‘Ay, ang gwapo mo naman!’ Ganu’n agad. Sinabi ko talaga sa kanya… Tsaka sobrang excited ko nu’n kasi finally nami-meet ko na ang the ond only Gerald Anderson.”

This is your first lead role in a series. How do you feel about this opportunity?

“Na-pressure ako kasi first time ko eh. First time kong aarte tapos series pa. Lead role agad! Very thankful ako kasi blessing ito eh at opportunity siya to learn new things kasi panibagong, for me ang tawag kasi namin, panibagong genre naman. Panibagong genre. I am excited agad tsaka pressured. ’Yun lang dalawang ’yun, excited at pressured.”

How did you prepare for this acting venture, given that you are first and foremost a singer?

“Workshops tapos bago ’yung script reading, ang ginawa ko nanood ako ng movies… Para ma-imbibe ko ’yung character ni Heart doon.”

GERALD

What did you love about this project when it was first presented to you? What do you think viewers will appreciate about this one?

“The story. Number one talaga para sa akin, alam po ng lahat, ’yung storya talaga, because hindi ako naniniwala ’yung artista ’yung magdadala or this loveteam, hindi eh. It has to be the story talaga. ’Pag maganda ’yung story, kapag may ibig sabihin siya, mayroong mapupulot na value para sa audience natin at makaka-relate sila, job done.”

Was there a conscious effort for you to present it [Saul] differently from how you normally would approach a character?

“Always! I think ’yun ’yung number one goal bilang artista, bilang aktor. Kasi people will spend money and time para panoorin ka, so you have to change it up. Kailangan laging may bago silang mapapanood sa’yo. And I’ve been very blessed. Sa last 15 years ko (ang tagal!), that I’ve been presented with amazing roles na tumatak sa tao and as an actor na ang sarap gawin, so there’s always a conscious effort para laging bago.”

Lead photos from @iqiyiphilippines