Bela Padilla and JC Santos (Images courtesy of Viva Films)

Together onscreen again! Bela Padilla and JC Santos co-star in the upcoming romantic drama "Wish You Were The One" under Viva Films.

In a recent digital press conference for their highly anticipated reunion film, "Wish You Were The One," JC and Bela opened up about their camaraderie which has always remained rooted in genuine friendship, devoid of romantic feelings.

"Kapag sumagad sa idea sa in real life, mawawala yung magic na nagbibigay namin sa audience. We are really good friends, so hindi namin hinayaang mawala yung ininvest natin sa isat-isa," JC said.

(When the idea is applied in real life, the magic that we give to the audience will be lost. We are really good friends, so we didn't let our investment in each other go.)

Bela echoed JC's sentiments, highlighting the utmost respect they hold for each other and their respective partners.

"We respect each other and our partners so much …before JC got married, we never got to a point na we were both single," Bela said. She had never entertained the idea of pursuing a real-life romantic relationship with her co-star.

She added: “We are really good friends, so hindi namin hinayaang mawala yung in-invest namin sa isa’t isa." (We are really good friends, so we made sure not to lose what we invested in each other)

JC married Shyleena Herrera, his former schoolmate, and eventually built a family in 2020; meanwhile, Bela continues to revel in her joyous singlehood.

At the same media conference, Bela was candid about her thoughts on relationships and whether she's considering having a family.

Bela expressed that despite being surrounded by friends like JC and her close celebrity friend, Angelica Panganiban, who are now starting their own families, she never felt compelled to do the same. 

On the contrary, the actress is absolutely thrilled to assume the role of a godmother for them. 

“I love kids so much, but I’m not at that stage of my life,” Bela said.

Bela also found herself overwhelmed with sentimentality, reflecting on the six years of friendship she had shared with JC.

“We’ve been working for six years now, so we are not the same people we were in 2017. Iba na yung mga dala naming pain. Iba na yung mga hugot namin sa eksena,” she said.

(We’ve been working for six years now, so we are not the same people we were in 2017. We bring different levels of pain now. We pull different heartstrings for the scenes)

“But also not just like pains, also victories like we have little achieved,” she added.

"Wish You Were The One" marks the sixth collaboration for the dynamic duo, following their successful partnership in previous films such as "100 Daang Tula Para Kay Stella" (2017), "The Day After Valentine’s" (2018), "On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets" (2020), and Padilla’s film "366" (2022). They also shared the screen in "Miracle in Cell No. 7" (2019), although they were not paired there. The romance-drama flick is directed by Derick Cabrido. It will open in cinemas on Aug. 23. (Mondrein Mikolei Lizarte and Kyla Mari Paulo/OJT/UST)