The star presence of Jericho Rosales at the premiere night of director Cathy Camarillo’s latest screen opus, “Meg & Ryan,” surprised a number of those who attended.
Will Echo be in the next project of direk Cathy, perhaps after his much-awaited “Quezon” biopic? That is not far-fetched.
What many probably didn’t know was that Echo and Direk Cathy previously worked together in a primetime teleserye. She directed him in “Halik” (2018), which also starred Sam Milby, Yen Santos, Yam Concepcion and Ria Atayde.
Echo clearly showed his support for Direk Cathy by gracing the premiere of “Meg & Ryan,” which featured Rhian Ramos and JC Santos together for the first time.
After two years of being in the can, “Meg & Ryan” will finally be shown on the big screen, and the director, as well as the stars, could not be happier. It’s the first team-up of Rhian and JC, who play the title roles.
“The experience of being on the set with Pocket Media Films, they really made us feel like family,” said Rhian. “This is really a production that we should support. I hope I can work with you again. I hope you will like ‘Meg & Ryan.’ Please help us spread the word.”
“Meg & Ryan” is the third big-screen project of direk Cathy after working on teleseryes for nearly two decades.
“Meg & Ryan” follows “Chances Are, You and I” with Kelvin Miranda and Kira Balinger and “That Kind of Love” with David Licauco and Barbie Forteza.
Screenwriter Gina Marissa Tagasa shared she wrote the script of “Meg & Ryan” two years ago. That was not the original title of the film. But since she is a big fan of Hollywood actress Meg Ryan and adored all her romantic-comedy films, Gina suggested that the film adopt the familiar name.
“There was a time when the word ‘forever’ felt so hard to say,” Gina maintained. “It really felt hopeless with all the break-ups and the hard experiences the couples went through.
“I’ve decided to create something light. Feel-good, but very relatable. We made the story very hilarious. It’s actually a heartwarming sweet escape. I’m very, very lucky because two of the most in-demand actors now, Rhian Ramos and JC Santos, beautifully brought to life the roles of Meg and Ryan.
“I’m really very happy with this film. It was also directed by the power lady, Director Catherine Camarillo. Spread the word on social media. ‘Meg & Ryan’ is now in theaters.”
Direk Catherine, meanwhile, acknowledged Cedrick Juan, one of the supporting cast members in the film, who plays Ryan’s cousin, Ino. Cedrick starred in this project even before he did the historical epic “GomBurZa,” which was shown in the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and won him Best Actor.
The other stars of “Meg & Ryan” — Ces Quesada, who plays Ryan’s mom; Noel Comia Jr. as the young Ryan; Poca Osinaga; Steven Bansil; and J-mee Katanyag — were also in attendance.
Given an R-13 rating by the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board), “Meg & Ryan” used Better Days’ reimagined version of the iconic “Torete,” turned into a love song, as its original soundtrack.
The track, originally recorded by Moonstar88, was first played in the film during the kilig moment between Meg and Ryan happened, perfect for the moment.
