After finishing as the 4th placer of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition alongside duo AZ Martinez, Kapamilya actor River Joseph is now booked and busy promoting his upcoming film The Four Bad Boys and Me.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, River shared his excitement about headlining his first-ever movie project, which also stars fellow Kapamilya talents Anji Salvacion, BGYO’s Gelo, Harvey Bautista, and Dustin Mayores.
“Siyempre super overwhelming and ako, I’m very excited for this, kasi paglabas ko ng PBB, nakita ko may trailer na para sa Four Bad Boys. And it’s the first movie I’ve ever done, kaya super excited ako. And I hope it does well,” River said.
River will portray the role of Charles Gonzales, the eldest brother of Anji’s character, Candice, and one of the school’s notorious “bad boys.”
He described Charles as a character who is both different from and similar to himself.
“Charles is very different from River. Si Charles kasi lahat ng mga linya ko sa script ay Tagalog. Kaya, puro Tagalog ako [r]o’n. Tapos palaaway si Charles. Lagi siyang maangas and laging mainit ang ulo,” River explained.
He went on: “Siguro ‘yung similar traits naman namin is we’re very protective of the ones we love. So, si Charles is very protective over Anji, over Candice—especially when it comes to boys.”
River also recalled how director Benedict Mique guided him in building his version of the popular Wattpad character.
“Actually, that’s one of the things I’ve tried doing before, well, studying for this role. Pero, sabi ni Direk, ’No. You make your own character. Don’t try to peg anyone — any other character. This is a whole new different character, and you have to make it your own.’ So, I decided to do that, and I went with Direk’s advice,” he shared.
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“Through the help of Direk, the writers, they really helped me build the character of Charles. Kaya, I hope I was able to give justice to Charles ‘cause, siyempre, Wattpad nga ‘to, a lot of pressure. So, I just hope for the best,” he continued.
The Four Bad Boys and Me is not only a milestone for River but also for his girlfriend, Gela Alonte, who is part of the cast. This would be her first acting project.
River shared how grateful he is to be working on the film alongside Gela, saying they are each other’s biggest supporters.
“We support each other, siyempre. Kung eksena niya, nando’n ako — just waiting for her. At kung eksena ko, she’s also just there giving her support also,” River said.
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“That really helped also ‘cause I’m glad na her first project, kasama ako. I’m happy na I was able to be there, and see her experience what it’s like to be in a set, to be in a movie. So, ako, super happy ako na we are in this project together and hopefully, we have more projects in the future,” he added.
The Four Bad Boys and Me is set to premiere on July 31 via ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel.