Producer’s take on BFGF

GMA Films president Ms. Annette Gozon-Abrogar talks about her favorite scenes in “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend (BFGF),” Richard and Marian’s chemistry, and what fans can expect for this Kapuso Valentine offering. Interviews by Jillian Q. Gatcheco and Jose Raoul Claveria. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio and courtesy of GMA Films. iGMA: How did you come up with the theme of the movie? Ms. Annette: Before we conceptualized the movie, we conducted research to see what type of movies Filipinos want to watch during Valentine’s. Overwhelmingly, their response was they wanted to watch a romantic comedy -- they wanted to feel good; they wanted to fall in love. ‘Love comes in unexpected packages’ yung tagline. I think common yun na kilala mo na nang matagal, tapos akala mo hindi mo na magiging type yung isang tao, and then bigla na lang you find yourself attracted, you find yourself falling in love with that person. Maraming nakaka-relate sa ganoon. Alam mo naman ang love – hindi mo ma-control! iGMA: Why is it titled “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend?” Ms. Annette: We wanted a title na hindi naman title ng song. We wanted a title that would capture the gist of the story. So we came up with My Best Friend’s Girlfriend iGMA: How did you choose the artists in this movie? Ms. Annette: For the past three years, we’ve had Richard Gutierrez as the leading man for our Valentine movies, so people have come to expect to see him. So for his new leading lady, we wanted someone fresh, someone very popular, and someone not yet paired with him para the people will have a new experience watching it on the big screen dahil hindi pa nila nakikita sa TV. So we chose Marian (Rivera). iGMA: What do you think of Marian and Richard’s chemistry? Ms. Annette: Well, nakakagulat kasi they have such strong chemistry. They’re very funny, the movie’s very funny, but even behind-the-scenes, mas nakakatuwa pa. Actually, sa behind-the-scenes [footages pa lang], the director said they could make a whole movie [na!] So we’re very happy. And it also translates onscreen. I’m sure they’ll have lots of projects together, not only sa movies, but also sa TV, kasi ang ganda ng chemistry nila. iGMA: Do you think there’s a possibility of them dating in real life? Ms. Annette: I wouldn’t be surprised, kasi they really bonded sa movie na ito, and I could see that they truly enjoy each other’s company. Well – we’ll see! iGMA: Will there be kissing scenes between Marian and Richard? Ms. Annette: Actually, maraming-marami! Yun ang isang dapat abangan ng mga tao – how many kisses they have. We’re gonna launch a promo for that para abangan kung gaano ka-sweet sila. iGMA: How was JC and Marian’s chemistry? Ms. Annette: JC de Vera portrayed a more serious type of character, so iba yung chemistry nila sa chemistry ni Richard and Marian. Si Richard ang playful character dito; si JC, masyadong responsible and mature for [Marian’s character]. So between the two, mas lumabas talaga yung chemistry ni Richard and Marian. iGMA: Could you give us a brief description of the characters? Ms. Annette: Si Marian, lower middle class working student siya, pero palaban at fun-[loving]. Kahit hirap siya sa buhay, she still makes it a point to always laugh. She takes care of her mother and her brother na special child. So minsan rumaraket siya -- kung anu-ano dinidiskarte niya just to earn money. One day nga, since desperate siya, pumayag siya na sumayaw sa cake [for a stag party]. Si Richard naman is a spoiled rich kid -- hindi pa niya alam gagawin niya sa buhay niya, he’s a bum, he’s a a playboy, an ‘asshole type’ na mate-tame ni Marian sa movie. Parang he’ll meet his match in Marian. Si JC plays the best friend of Richard, but in contrast, he’s mature, he’s responsible. Pero may twist sa movie na there’s more than what meets the eye pala. And si JC dito, medyo nahihiya siya na ang girlfriend niya ay isang katulad ni Marian. So may ganoong facet yung character niya. Ehra (Madrigal) naman is a very sexy vixen na mayaman, sosyal, girlfriend ni Richard; hot chick. Nag-break up siya with Richard, and nagsisisi pala siya sa ginawa niya. iGMA: What inspired the storyline? Ms. Annette: Pinagusapan lang namin na parang ang sarap panoorin na lumalabas si Marian sa cake. Tapos bumuo na kami ng kwento around it. It’s the first time na may girl na magpo-pop out sa cake sa isang [Filipino] movie. Some say it’s like Pretty Woman, but it’s very different because the major twist is Marian is playing the girlfriend of the best friend of Richard. Although in this movie, they meet during a stag party when Marian pops out of a cake. Si Marian, yung character niya, medyo may pagka-kanto girl, na kayang-kaya talaga niya! Ang galing-galing ni Marian sa comedy. Si Richard naman, he’s an ‘asshole’ sa umpisa, na talagang nakakatawa yung pagka-project niya. iGMA: What are your favorite scenes? Ms. Annette: Lahat ng nakakatawang scenes, favorite ko, so I have two scenes na nagsta-stand out – one is the stag party, paglabas ni Marian sa cake, and second is the beach scene where the whole barkada plays spin the bottle – nagtu-truth or consequence sila, and nakakakilig talaga yung scene. iGMA: What do you want viewers to take with them after watching this film? Ms. Annette: I want the viewers to feel in love, to feel how they fell in love before, kasi we wanted to give the feeling that in love, sometimes, you don’t expect to fall with a person, but it just happens. Hindi mo sinasadya, but you fall in love, even if medyo mali. Yun yung mga feelings na lalabas sa movie, but this is a feel-good movie, it’s gonna have a great ending, so happy lahat ng tao pag labas nila sa sinehan." Talk about BFGF in the iGMA Forum! Text RICHARD or MARIAN and send to 4627 to Feel the Fun with Fanatxt! To receive pictures from the artists’ mobile phones, text GOMMS RICHARD ON or GOMMS Marian on and send to 4627. (Each SMS costs P2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, and TALK N TEXT, and P2.00 for SUN subscribers. Each MMS costs P5.00 for all Networks)