Young actor Grae Fernandez, it seems, is not about ready to bring his onscreen tandem with Kira Balinger to the next level.

While Balinger admitted in a recent interview that she gets kilig (giddy) in some of their scenes in “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin,” Mark Anthony Fernandez’s son wants to focus on his Jake character in the series.

Balinger plays Hope Villarosa, the daughter of the characters of Iza Calzado and Sam Milby in the said teleserye broadcast at the Kapamilya Channel. Fernandez plays Jake, her love interest, in the series.

Grae Fernandez, Kira Balinger — Kira Balinger and Grae Fernandez star in “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin.” Image: ABS-CBN

“Ako naman po, gusto ko talaga to focus on the craft of acting and making a story na magugustuhan ng mga tao,” he mused during the online conference of their show’s Book 2 on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

(For me, I want to focus on my craft of acting and in making a story that the people will like.)

While some cast members were urging him to talk with Balinger and make himself comfortable with her, Fernandez thinks he has done his share in making himself close enough to her.

“I think we’re at a point na sobrang relax ko sa kanya. (I think we’re at a point where I feel so relaxed with her),” he said. “That I trust her that she’d let me do things at a scene. I trust her that she trusts me as an actor. Iyong trust with your co-actor is very important.”

“Lahat ng mga tao ay may relationship (All people have a relationship),” he said. “We have a great relationship na (where) we’re so comfortable with each other, working with each other. So parang natural na lumalabas na iyong characters namin ay sobrang close. (So it is natural for our characters to be viewed as very close.) We’re very close na (already) in that particular way.”

Their level of comfortability, Fernandez stressed, can be gleaned from the way they act out romantic scenes.

“Kahit ano ang gawin ko (Whatever I do), I can trust her to let me be an actor and be a good actor around her,” he explained.

“Kapag umakbay ako sa kanya or nag-hug kami, walang ilang doon, walang kaarte-arte. Iyong sense na sobrang comfortable na sa mga ganoong bagay, wala lang, sobrang cool niya sa aspect na iyon,” he said.

(When I put my arm around her, or when we hug, there’s no awkwardness, there’s no fuss. The sense that she’s comfortable with those things, as if it’s nothing, she’s super cool in that aspect.)

Fernandez is grateful that he was given a role in the series. It was something he didn’t see coming.

“I’m very happy sa nangyari sa show na ito. Naisip ko po, actually, hindi ko in-expect na magkaka-show ako this year because of the pandemic nga tapos mayroon ganitong show na napakaganda ng istorya,” he said.

(I’m very happy with what happened in this show. I thought, actually, I didn’t expect that I would have a show this year because of the pandemic and then comes this show which has a very good story.)

He’s more than happy that their love team is well-accepted by fans.

“Me and Kira, we’re doing our best to give the best quality we can give to the characters. We’re very thankful na naa-appreciate ang characters namin (that our characters are appreciated),” he said.

He appreciates their fans who follow their TV characters and get affected in the process.

“It is very heartwarming na nagugustuhan nila ang lives ng characters namin. Kumbaga, naaapektuhan sila ng characters in a deeper way. Napapansin ko kapag may nangyayaring masama sa character ko o sa character ni Kira, parang na-a-affect sila sa mga nangyayari sa amin,” he said.

(It’s very heartwarming that they like the lives of our characters. That is to say, they are affected by our characters in a deeper way. I noticed that when something bad happens to my character or to Kira’s, they get affected.) NVG

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