Two of the new faces of Star Magic Beaver Magtalas and Mutya Orquia headline When Magic Hurts, a romantic comedy written and directed by Gabby Ramos
The film revolves around the story of Olivia (Mutya), a young woman faced with loss and struggles throughout her life, and Ernest (Beaver), a young man torn between his family and his dreams, who unexpectedly find themselves crossing each other’s path amidst the beautiful scenery of Atok, Benguet.
During the film’s press conference, Ramos revealed that one of the initial ideas for the film was to shoot in either Japan or South Korea as there was a current trend of films shot in such locations. However, the process of finding a location for the shoot eventually led them to Atok, Benguet as the premise of the film required a provincial setting.
Ramos noted that as he toured around the municipality beyond what was offered in the tourist guides, he found out that there were still a lot of untapped culture and locations in the area that looked far more beautiful than what can be seen in media from other countries featuring their own tourist spots.
“Kaya kapag nakita niyo po yung pelikula, ang maipagmamalaki po natin is kuha po ito ng Pinoy at gawa po ito sa Pilipinas,” said Ramos.
The director further recounted the struggles during the production as the crew began shooting in the midst of a typhoon. While the latter part of the year usually was faced with many typhoons, Ramos said that they specifically chose to do so because they wanted to reach the time when the flowers that were not commonly known would be in bloom.
While the film serves as Beaver and Mutya’s first film together, the pair had already been well-acquainted with each other in acting workshops by Star Magic. The former child star who had already played multiple roles in several TV series said that she felt excited when they were cast together.
“Actually, ang saya nga po niya ka-trabaho,” Mutya said about working with Beaver, noting that he was very professional and that he would always ask questions when he needed to.
Beaver admitted that despite this being his second film following his debut movie, Tahanan ng mga Pangarap, he was still quite nervous to take on the starring role as he was quite a shy person.
“But with the help of my co-stars, I gain more confidence. I was able to deliver the best performance that I could,” he said.
Completing the cast are Maxine Trinidad, Claudine Barreto, Dennis Padilla, Angelica Jones, Archie Adamos, Soliman Cruz, Pantene Palanca, Aileen Papin, Mohaira Sanama, Julian Roxas, Denna Bautista, Whitney Tyson, Blumark Roses, Cassie Kim, Josie Tagle, Kris Valdellon, and Quia Barretto.