Gerald Anderson was ‘shookt’ (well, same) when it hit him that the cute little angel he once called ‘anak’ in the inspirational Kapamilya series "Nathaniel" (2015) is now very much grown up. Yup, we’re talking about Marco Masa—Nathaniel himself—who just recently became one of the housemates in "Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0."
The reminiscing happened during Gerald’s Kapamilya Chat guesting with his “Rekonek” co-star Bela Padilla, where they played a throwback game that had them guessing their past teleseryes based on four-picture clues.
In one round where the picture clues included an angel figure and a sonogram, Gerald immediately guessed that the answer was “Nathaniel”—that’s just how iconic the show is and how memorable it still is for him. When a photo from the series flashed on screen, showing him and leading lady Shaina Magdayao cradling then-8-year-old Marco, he reacted, "Mas matangkad na sa akin ngayon [si Marco]," then quipped, "'Yun ang masakit!"
When asked how he felt about Marco becoming a “PBB Collab 2.0” housemate, he shared, "Hindi ako makapaniwala! Pinapanood ko siya, sabi ko, 'Anak ko 'to no'ng 2015!' Ang bilis ng panahon." Bela totally agreed, then hit Gerald with a punchline, "Sabi ko sa'yo, eh, bata pa lang ako pinapanood na kita," to which he playfully clapped back, "'Di ba sinabi ko sa'yo huwag mong sabihin 'yan nang live?"
Meanwhile, in another round of the game, Gerald was shown photos of money, a gun, and what looked like a negotiation scene — all of which are elements from his recent teleserye "Sins of the Father," where he portrayed a bank manager whose life was ruined as he discovered his late estranged father's involvement in a massive scam.
He also looked back fondly on another personal favorite, "A Soldier’s Heart," where he and his co-actors underwent legit military training to prepare for the role. "Malapit sa puso ko ang mga militar. Pinakita namin through that show 'yung mga sacrifices na ginagawa nila," he recalled. "I hate war but I love the warrior."
Bela, on the other hand, took a trip down memory lane to her 2019 mystery drama "Sino Ang Maysala? Mea Culpa," where she went toe-to-toe with acting powerhouse Jodi Sta. Maria—and absolutely held her own. When asked about a memorable moment from the series, she laughed and said they took so long to shoot the pilot episode that the baby character had already grown by the time they finished. "No'ng first taping namin maliit pa siya. No'ng patapos na naming i-shot 'yung pilot episode, kaya na niyang maglakad," she said in jest. But jokes aside, she confessed, "I love this project!"
Catch Gerald and Bela's team-up in the Metro Manila Film Festival 2025 entry "Rekonek," in cinemas beginning December 25.