Award-winning director Mae Cruz-Alviar had nothing but praise for Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition alumni Bianca de Vera, Will Ashley, and Dustin Yu, who lead the Metro Manila Film Festival 2025 entry Love You So Bad.
Direk Mae said the trio, along with their fellow young cast members, represent a new generation of stars in the Philippine entertainment industry.
“We are looking at the new generation of stars. That’s how I felt. When I was working with them, nakakapanibago kasi iba yung nakakatrabaho ko noon and then suddenly these were new faces, new dynamics. First time ko mag-love triangle na ganitong tight yung competition,” Dierk Mae said during their film’s media conference.
She shared that watching the cast perform made her realize what each young actor brings to the table.
“What really hit me when I was watching them and when we were doing the scenes, this is the next gen — the new generation of stars, the new generation of love teams and we are looking at the new leading men and leading ladies of the Philippine cinemas,” she expressed.
She went on: “I'm excited and honored to be part of a project that launches them. Overwhelming din for me and it was challenging and of course, pressure din for me.”
Although the three actors had already begun establishing their names prior to joining PBB, Direk Mae wanted to show more from the young stars beyond the bond they created inside the popular yellow house.
“Pinanood sila sa Bahay ni Kuya as real people but now there are actors and I have to make sure na hindi lang sila makikilala as love teams but as individual stars na makilala sila and ma-appreciate sila for their individual talents,” Direk Mae said.
She then praised the cast for successfully portraying their respective roles in the film: “I'm proud to say na they achieved that and I’m excited for everyone to witness the talent and galing nilang lahat.”
Direk Mae also discussed the challenges of balancing the cast’s strong chemistry while pushing them beyond “kilig” moments.
“They were together in PBB so real persons yun kahit sila sinasabi iyon. Hindi ito PBB so it’s reminding din an itong acting na ito hindi real life. Next is si Bianca lang yung kilala ko sa tatlo and si Will and Dustin first time ko makatrabaho. The chemistry is easy lang kasi both have chemistry. For me, the challenge is paano babalansehan, paano natin pipigain pa kasi we don’t want na just kilig. We want them na maging actor,” Direk Mae explained.
She emphasized that Love You So Bad goes beyond a typical love triangle story.
“This is not just a film with fluff and kilig. This has depth in terms of what the youth has going through, family dynamics kasi the family plays the big role in the characters stories and kailangan ipaintindi sa kanila iyon kasi ngayon ko lang sila nakatrabaho. It’s honing the character. It is not just the kilig but we are teaching them,” she expressed.
“This is not just a love triangle film. This is a film about the youth and yung cast natin represent them, the friendship, the dynamics of the cast,” she said. “Everyone did the excellent job of bringing out the youthfulness of the film.”
Direk Mae further noted that the film offers a fresh perspective on how today’s generation views love and relationships — an inspiration from the classic film Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita.
“That is the reason why minemention yung Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita, it’s only inspired by that because iba yung generation na iyon sa generation ngayon. Ibang iba na yung dynamics, ibang iba how they relate to each other. It’s an eye opener for the older generation kung paano sila and it is also relatable to their (new) generation na kung paano sila. Makikita nila yung sarili nila rito,” she remarked.
Love You So Bad stars Bianca de Vera, Will Ashley, Dustin Yu, Xyriel Manabat, Ralph De Leon, Zach Castaneda, Reign Parani, Vince Maristela, Dimples Romana, Agot Isidro, Ana Abad Santos, and Bodjie Pascua.
The film is co-produced by Star Cinema, GMA Pictures, and Regal Entertainment.