A different kind of rom-com

If you saw them as the cutesy young couple in Can’t Buy Me Love, fans are in for a wild ride as they’re about to see Maris and Anthony take on the sexy comedy genre.

The film explores a financially struggling couple, Ray and Jessa, who are mistaken to be the owners of a mansion located in a high-end subdivision. From there, they started scamming their neighbors to raise money.

While Maris admitted that she felt butterflies in her stomach in tackling this new turf, she shared that she had a bit of an idea on how to handle the script, thanks to her past role as Irene, who fostered a slightly sexy dynamic with Snoop.

“Noong nalaman namin at nabasa namin ‘yung script, nagulat ako. Grabe ‘yung mga ginawa namin dito, but masaya naman. Excited kaming mapanood ng mga tao ito kasi it’s a different kind of rom com. It’s brave,” Maris said.

Anthony added, “‘Yung mga gusto naming malabas kay Snoop tsaka kay Irene, dito nailalabas namin.”

Despite having to film these hard-core scenes, Maris shared that she and Anthony were just having a fun time on the set.

“May workshop kaming ginawa, but most of the time, we were talking about our characters. ‘Yung workshop namin, about sa lalim ng characters, so nung nasa set na kami at ishoshoot ‘yung mga scenes na matatapang. Tawa lang kami nang tawa kasi our assistant director really made sure that we were both comfortable,” the actress said.

If Irene and Snoop were able to capture the hearts of viewers thanks to their clashing “kanal vs aircon” humor, Sosyal Climbers promises an even more entertaining dynamic between Maris and Anthony’s characters.

“Masaya dito. Both kaming kanal na kalaban ‘yung mga aircon, so ang saya. Marami talagang mae-expect na mga interactions na funny, ‘yung humor na Pinoy, and kanal,” Maris said.

Improving their chemistry

Both actors stated that attending the workshop was their idea, aimed at refining their on-screen partnership.

“Kaming dalawa ‘yung nag-initiate na mag-workshop kami kasi [sa Can’t Buy Me Love] naman kami minahal or napanood ng mga tao dahil sa mga eksena, banters namin. Parang we learned na mayroon kaming ganoong magic, so sabi namin, ‘Why not mas gandahan pa natin, mas kilalanin natin ‘yung characters?’” Maris said.

“We realized na kaya nag-work si Snoop at Irene because nakilala namin ‘yung characters,” she added. “So dito, we really made sure na kilala namin si Ray at Jessa sa core nila para mas natural ‘yung banters.”

On what they appreciate about their collaboration, Maris said that she enjoys Anthony’s spontaneity in delivering their scenes.

“Kapag ka-eksena ko si Anthony, ang naa-appreciate ko sa kanya is he doesn’t stick to the script, tapos kunwari may gagawin ka, magrereact siya, so doon nakukuha ‘yung magic ng banters, ng chemistry. Both of us, hindi kami nagsi-stick talaga sa script,” she shared.

“Ang dami niyang binibigay,” Anthony joked of Maris. “Minsan nga nauubos na ako eh. Parang hindi matatapos itong eksena. Minsan kahit cut na, magtititigan kami at tatawa kami pareho kasi alam naming may gusto pa kaming ibato.”

For John Paul, Sosyal Climbers is a “continuation of the magic” between Maris and Anthony from Can’t Buy Me Love.

“I’ve been admiring them from a distance, ‘yung mga nagvi-viral nilang scenes sa social media, so ngayon parang nakikita ko in front of me ‘yung chemistry na nabuo nila and gusto naming i-extend ‘yung chemistry na ‘yun para sa project na ito,” he said.

However, the 100 Tula Para Kay Stella director admitted that he initially had concerns about whether he could do the explicit scenes justice due to MaThon’s inexperience in that realm.

“‘Yung nabuong nilang love team, nandoon ‘yung aspect na wacky love team. Of course, nandoon din yung kilig, pero sa kanila, mayroon silang crazy na dimension. So dito sa pelikulang ito, akala ko magiging challenging ‘yung mga love scene kasi hindi pa nila nagagawa sa career nila ‘yung ganun,” he said.

“Ako mismo, nung dinedirect ko ‘yung mga ‘yun, kinakabahan ako kasi first time nila. Pero surprisingly, hindi ako nahirapan kasi talagang very professional sila as actors. They gave me more than ‘yung ineexpect ko na bare minimum, so applaud talaga ako sa kanila as actors,” he continued.

Sosyal Climbers premiered on Netflix on Feb. 27. Joining Maris and Anthony in the film are Carmi Martin, Shanaia Gomez, and Ricky Davao.