Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings reflect on their love team after doing 'Sosyal Climbers'

On what love is and their love team

Maris is still in disbelief that she and Anthony now have their very first movie together as a love team, which they consider a significant achievement in their blooming careers.

“When we wrapped up shooting the movie, ito talaga ‘yung feeling na, ‘Wow, meron na tayong movie together.’ Iba na ‘yun eh, i’s a different level na kasi seryosong love team na siya and partnership,” she gushed.

“Masaya kami na nagawa namin itong pelikula na ito. After that, mas nakilala namin ‘yung isa’t isa. And the projects after Sosyal Climbers, they became more smooth and mas may maturity na,” she continued, referring to the action television series Incognito that they are currently working on.

Anthony added that while the dynamics are different, their chemistry with each other is still fun and engaging.

After a steady stream of projects under the romance genre beginning with the 2023 series Can’t Buy Me Love, the two have had plenty of realizations about love and relationships.

“Kapag love kasi, dapat committed ka, kailangan mong isakripisyo ‘yun. Pero depende rin sa tao eh kung sino ‘yung mamahalin mo,” Anthony shared.

“I think masarap magmahal eh, ‘yun naman ‘yung point natin kung bakit tayo nabubuhay eh. It’s to love someone, na may aalagaan tayo and may mag-aalaga rin sa’tin. Pero depende ‘yun sa tao kung committed kayo parehas, alam niyo ‘yung pinapasok niyo,” he continued.

Maris, meanwhile, underscored the importance of “really knowing yourself” before entering a relationship and how you should “enjoy your youth while you can and chase your dreams.”

They also had a chance to reflect on the pressures of social media and shared what they would advise their younger selves regarding this issue.

"Don't be pressured to present yourself or curate yourself sa social media kasi social media nowadays is all about curating your life, but [you should] still be connected to your core and to your soul and to who you really are talaga sa buhay," Maris urged. "Image is not forever, importante 'yung core mo, so have that balance.

"Hindi naman doon talaga umiikot ang mundo. Hanap ka ng masayang activity mo [kasi] mag-aaffect 'yan sa'yo at the end of the day," Anthony said.

Working on the film

Sosyal Climbers explores Ray and Jessa as they strive to give each other an ideal life amid their financial troubles, a theme that isn’t commonly tackled by other films. To approach this delicate topic properly, Maris said that they tried to fill in the role of a couple burdened by their moneyless status.

“I feel like a lot of young couples face that kind of problem, and ang dami ring problems sa Philippines. It’s a comedy film pero meron din siyang reflection of what’s really happening in real life, so we tried to make it as authentic as possible; we really studied the roles,” Maris explained. 

“Masaya itong film na ito because it has a fresh take on rom-coms,” she said. “Mayroon lang siyang hints of sadness na makaka-relate ‘yung mga manonood.”

“‘Yung relationships kasi ngayon nagsa-sacrifice, may commitment. ‘Yung character namin, nung una hindi namin alam kung paano namin iaapproach. Eventually, na-gets namin na ganun pala ‘yung feeling kapag matagal na kayo maglive-in, ilang years na kayo together, ‘yung spark medyo mababa na pero ‘yung care mo sa tao, ‘yun ‘yung umaangat naman,” Anthony said.

With Sosyal Climbers being their fourth project together as a love team after Can’t Buy Me Love, And the Breadwinner Is…, and Incognito, they now have a better grasp of their partnership, which helps during challenging scenes.

“‘Yung mga challenges, parang hindi rin naman mawawala, and kung ‘yung scene naman is challenging para sa amin, ginagawa namin talaga ‘yung best na’min para mapaganda ‘yung eksena. Kasi may times na kapag nag-adlib ako na wala sa eksena, pinapatungan niya rin ng sarili niyang way kung paano niya iaapproach ‘yung acting,” Anthony said.

“Masaya namin kasi kapag na-fulfill mo naman ‘yung challenge na ‘yun, iba ‘yung pakiramdam na nalagpasan mo ‘yun,” he added.

“I wish that after people watch this film, they would crave more rom-coms that have this kind of energy and rapport and have this authenticity and close siya sa reality. This is such a bold and an offbeat kind of rom-com. Hindi siya ‘yung classic rom coms na sweet, ito modern couple talaga,” Maris said.

What’s in store for them in the future?

Watch on TikTok

Despite challenges, Maris and Anthony's future looks bright. Having achieved their first movie together, they're eager to explore new projects as a love team, including a potential horror-comedy.

“Scary Movie, ‘yung mga ganun. Bagay sa’min ‘yun,” Maris said.

For her solo career, the local star shared that she hopes to “take things to the next level” by having “more international projects” that would have her “introducing [herself] to the global stage and representing the country.”

Anthony, on the other hand, appears to be enamored with the action genre: “Kung solo, gusto ko pang mag-action pa, tapos siguro thriller.”

For the pair, Maris and Anthony's success is owed to their unwavering fans, whose constant support they deeply appreciate.

“Sobrang thankful kami sa kanila. Their words of encouragement really helped us and made us really focus on our jobs. 

“Nandyan sila through our ups and downs, so sobrang grateful kami sa kanila,” Anthony highlighted. “We love you guys.”

Sosyal Climbers premiered on Netflix on Feb. 27. Joining Maris and Anthony in the film are Carmi Martin, Shanaia Gomez, and Ricky Davao.