Many things in life go well together, like cookies and cream, peanut butter and jelly, and black and white. Yet other combinations don’t sound good on paper but surprisingly work well together. GMA Public Affairs explored the various opportunities by mixing opposing elements to create a unique miniseries.
Love You Stranger is GMA’s new series that merges mystery and romance with folklore and filmmaking. The genre and themes are from somewhat different ends of the spectrum, but GMA’s creative team found commonalities between them to make it work.
For instance, the folklore and filmmaking aspects revolve around storytelling as both aim to shed light on the legend of the shadow creatures that cause the main problem throughout the series.
The series also marks the first-ever primetime series starring Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos together. The real-life Kapuso couple already has experience working together on other projects, but Love You Stranger posed a new experience for them.
“Since this isn’t our first time working together, medyo kabisado na namin ‘yung isa’t isa when it comes to our work ethics [and] dynamics. For this one lang, it’s a very heavy script, a very heavy story talaga. Na-test talaga ‘yung pagtutulungan namin not just as partners, but as fellow actors,” Gabbi said during the media conference for Love You Stranger.
Gabbi also admitted that the script was challenging for her, especially since they’re following a suspense-filled script while adding hints of a budding romance between their characters. But with Khalil’s help, they managed to develop their characters and their relationship in front of the cameras.
Yet despite the challenges, Gabbi is excited for audiences to watch the miniseries.
“First time namin gumawa ng mystery, thriller, romance na type na kuwento. Kaya pati kami excited. Talagang pinaghandaan ng bawat cast member ‘yung show na ‘to. Talagang binigay namin lahat ng best namin para mapaganda ‘yung Love You Stranger,” she said.
In the miniseries, Gabbi plays the role of LJ, a young woman dedicated to caring for her mother, who has an unexplained fear of shadows and aversion to strangers. As she desperately seeks solutions to her mother’s condition, LJ serendipitously lands a major movie project that could bring her closer to understanding her mother: a film based on the Lilom folklore itself.
A charming young director named Ben, played by Khalil, spearheads the film set in the town of Sta. Castela, the one place where LJ was forbidden to return. As the film progresses, both LJ and Ben will soon unravel the secrets of the Lilom.
King Baco directed Love You Stranger, with Irene Villamor as a script consultant. The miniseries also unites notable actors from various generations, who each have a different take on how they’ll play their roles forward and interact with each other.
Joining Khalil and Gabbi in the cast of Love You Stranger are Andrea Del Rosario, Gil Cuerva, Carmi Martin, Tonton Gutierrez, Lexi Gonzales, Kim De Leon, Maey Bautista, Angelli Sanoy, Alex Medina, Nor Domingo, Ces Quesada, Lui Manansala, Bodjie Pascua, Soliman Cruz, and Dindo Arroyo.
Catch the premiere of Love You Stranger tonight at 9:35 on GMA Telebabad.