Aljon Mendoza and Karina Bautista. Photo by Anna Cerezo, ABS-CBN News
Karina Bautista and Aljon Mendoza reunite on screen for their most daring and demanding roles yet in the iWant thriller-romance “The Last Resort.”
The pair, who last worked together in the 2023 mini-series “Hex Boyfriend,” took their collaboration to the next level with their first-ever intimate scene.
“We were both so nervous. We did not discuss, we just said na let us do our best so we will refrain from doing extra shots or takes. Nagtawanan kami before and after. We were both nervous, so we were shaking it off. We were both reassuring ourselves. Eventually it worked out naman,” Bautista recalled Wednesday in an interview.
“Gumawa kami isang take nagandahan naman pero may naisip sila na pwede, mas maganda. Noong una na-ilang ako kasi ang dami tao. Never ko pa kasi nagawa iyon, in front of other maraming tao and may cameras. Na-enjoy ko naman,” Mendoza added.
“We both matured na, we both experienced different projects, workmates, love team. So when we came back together, besides being more grown people, let’s do our best, magtulungan tayo. Let’s help each other out,” Bautista said.
The duo revealed they were able to showcase their versatility by taking on new genres.
“Sana makita nila lumawak ang pag-arte namin. Both our characters were very layered. Deep, dark, and ang dami pinagdadaanan. Sana makita nila paano na-embody characters and how hard we worked for this film,” Bautista explained.
“Nanggaling ako sa romcom and light, (so this is) challenging for me. But that is what pushed me. I think nagawa ko best ko, sana makita ng viewers,” Mendoza added.
"The Last Resort" will stream on iWant beginning December 8.