Getting ready for the anticipated premiere of their first big on-screen pairing in “Call Me Mother” for the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival, Star Magic artist Brent Manalo and Sparkle talent Mika Salamanca shared their first taping experiences in the December 4 episode of Kapamilya Chat.
The unequivocal chemistry they naturally developed, from being the ‘Selfless Duo’ to the ‘Big Winner Duo’ of “Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition,” clearly manifested in Kapamilya Chat’s mini card game, where the two answered random questions written on the multi-colored cards.
Hitting off the first query about his biggest purchase, Brent smoothly answered that he had bought a car, to which both Mika and host Jeremiah added a humorous touch, joking that it was literally a “massive” purchase for its size.
On Brent’s turn to shuffle the cards, Mika responded to an adorable dilemma about whether she would rather be the funniest or the smartest person in a room. “I wanna be funny but I wanna make sense,” she explained, which Brent playfully countered, reminding her that the rules allowed only one choice.
Nearing the brink of her thinking, Mika gives in and sweetly asked Brent instead, but he emphasized more what Mika wants to be. “Smart and funny ka na, kaya hindi na kailangan,” Brent commented, prompting Mika to express a cute “Yay!”
Brent’s gentle and selfless personality was once again highlighted in the last question directed at him, which Mika heartfully selected, particularly regarding how he sometimes stands in the way of his own success. The rising Kapamilya actor acknowledged his tendency to be overly shy, even to the point of downplaying his achievements.
“I feel like I don’t give myself enough credit. Even ‘yung pagiging big winner ko, I don’t think I talk about it enough,” he shared.
He then explained how he keeps himself grounded amidst the increasing spotlights and admiration, saying that anything can be taken away at any moment, so he strives to take care of what he has. “Hindi naman ako ‘yung nagtatrabaho, ang daming sumusuporta… [Especially ‘yung] management para tulungan ako, so gusto kong alagaan talaga,” he added.
Ended the interview on a hilarious note, Brent, purposely picked the card Mika had skipped earlier, but first tricked his duo with a false question about which housemate annoyed her the most, before finally asking who the three people she would want on her team during a zombie apocalypse.
Mika, treating the livestream as a friendly off-the-screen kwentuhan, endearingly listed the qualities of her preferred dystopian-world teammates, ultimately picking Brent as one of the three before adorably rambling about the latter two, who ranged from her personal friends to her manager.
Delicately, and with a chuckle, Brent reminded the excited Mika to clarify who’s who for the viewers: “Akala mo barkada natin lahat ng viewers,” he joked.