Viewers watched them slowly and closely in Pinoy Big Brother. A few years after an onscreen pair became one of the new towns of Philippine tinseltown enlivened by Millennials. What came next were a string of television and movie performances where McCoy de Leon and Elisse Joson
were embraced by coming-of-age people, twenty-somethings and the even the young at heart.
In the 2017 hit serye A Love To Last, Ellise plays a rich girl forbidden by her parents to get closer not even communicate with McCoy, who comes from and alleged troubled family. Theirs is a subplot difficult to ignore for there is sincerity over what they show to viewers. Now in their first major movie Sakaling Maging Tayo of Black Sheep Production end helmed by JP Habac, McLisse reunites but little did the world know even possibly their widening fanbase, that here is a loveteam who personally and gradually harbored reluctance to communicate with each other; thus they themselves threatening that their onscreen pairing and real life togetherness’s flame will dim like embers. Both actors sounded like their characters in the movie. Pol and Laya being two different people on a personal journey and are both strangers to one another. But when they accidentally meet, spontaneity and chances lead to revelations and finally confronting their issues that can bring them too close for just comfort. Indeed here is where McCoy and Elisse can be likened to Pol and Laya. Both almost became strangers to each other. What was blooming between them wilted. Now they need to fan away the smog for their need to clear everything about them.
Both young actors were candid and unwilling to sugarcoat the pending threats and fears they both felt and thought of over working with each other. Because they were both admitting their communication nearly became nil if not yet totally zero. Both parties were sounding subtle over what problems they might have had why their togetherness lead into limbo if not totally incognito. This makes us all just ask ‘sakaling there will be a perfect time, occasion or even a ‘discussion over coffee’ where we can all know where their promising pairing lead to, perhaps the sky gets cleared. Which they both helped everyone at the movie’s press conference be enticed to sense at least. It was such a good anchor for Sakaling Maging Tayo’s director JP Habac to intimate that “sa mga pinagdaanan po ng movie na ito na marami…nagging aware naman kaming lahat kung ano ang state ng communication ni McLisse. So I just reminded them constantly na dapat mag focus lang. So kung ano ang pinagdadaanan nilang dalawa at that time
na mga personal na bagay eh huwag lang dalhin sa set para hindi maapektuhan ang trabaho.”
The director laying down a goal for every shooting day to run smoothly, McLisse were smart and quick to pick up what the filmmaker was gearing at. With the smoke already emitted over how how, why and since when their closeness is going sour, and both parties did not sugarcoat what their thoughts and feelings were for each other. Ellise was quick to suffice “nagawa po naming i-set aside ang mga personal matters, kase nag-consider kami ni McCoy kung ano ang puwedeng mangyari pa kung hindi kami magko-cooperate with each other. Kaya in the end alam po naming nagging maganda ang na deliver naming work for this movie.” Crediting the press and bloggers, she added “tapos nanadyan po kayo na parang nagging support system naming. Kaya po very thankful na kami kay Lord. Nagging successful ang shooting namin”. McCoy was even more candid. Without batting an eye and like the roguish street charm he always possessed on screen, he says “tapos po inisip din talaga namin ang mga taong nasa paligid naming eh. Kase mas maganda talaga na nag uusap na lang kami ng mabuti ni Elisse. Kailangan talgang focused kami. Dahil kung hindi maaapektuhan ang work naming eh. Nakakahiya. Mahirap din naman para sa amin na may personal things kami sa isa’t-isa dahil makaka-distract. Mas minabuti nalang po naming mag usap.” Confirming the communication gap then that they now make sincere efforts to perish, Elisse added “kung noon po nagkaroon talaga ng…ano ito ah..lamat and pagsasama namin, nagging mas maayos ngayon. Kung hindi kami nagkakausap outside work, mag tatanguan lang or ngitian lang tapos wala na, mas maayos na ang communication naming ngayon”.
This can only show what promise the movie has just as the promise both McCoy and Elisse set for each other. Sakaling there will be a restart of something good, theirs is a loveteam we can say Maging happy lahat Tayo.
Reported to Ted Claudio by Wilbur F. Hernandez
