Dustin Yu, Bianca de Vera ride wave of rising popularity into 'Ba't Di Na Lang Tayo'
By Neil Ramos
At A Glance
- Dustin Yu and Bianca de Vera trace their quick rise from "Pinoy Big Brother" housemates to DustBia, a popular onscreen pair now starring in "Ba't Di Na Lang Tayo."
No doubt, Dustin Yu and Bianca de Vera are among today’s hottest showbiz tickets. Their sold-out fans day, “DustBia: Love Actually,” is proof of that, with tons of devoted fans gathering at the venue, screaming their names hoarse and getting giddy over practically everything they said or did.
It is quite a sight for two young stars whose rise has happened in such a short time.
Indeed, it seems like only yesterday when they first started making hearts swoon during their stint on “Pinoy Big Brother.” It could have ended as quickly as it began, as is often the case with reality-show pairings, but the fans would not let it. They followed Bianca and Dustin from one project to the next, giving DustBia a life beyond the “PBB” house.
Now, here we are. As announced during the same fans day, the two are set to star in a movie titled “Ba’t Di Na Lang Tayo” under Regal Entertainment, a production house familiar to generations of moviegoers for creating hit vehicles for the popular love teams of their time, dating back to the 1980s.
With that comes a different set of expectations.
There are more people watching now, and considerably more riding on what they do next. For two young performers still learning the business, it would be easy to be overwhelmed by the speed of it all.
Bianca does not seem to see it that way.
“I think pressure is a good thing because that just means patuloy yung hunger namin,” she told us.
“Personally naniniwala ako na when the day comes na hindi na’ko gutom, I feel that would be such a great disappointment to me, the younger version of myself who was once so hungry and was once so passionate about what she’s doing,” she said.
“So I want to be hungry hanggang sa makakaya ko.”
Dustin, meanwhile, has Bianca to go through it with.
“Buti na lang talaga na may kasama ako ngayon sa career ko, na tumutulong sa akin na hindi muna magpahinga,” he said.
The two have taken to discussing their plans, the things they still need to learn and what they can improve as a love team.
“Nagfo-focus kasi kami ni Bianca sa goal namin, which is to make more projects together,” Dustin said. “Talagang inaaral namin bawat bagay na kelangan namin matutunan. Pinag-uusapan namin mga plano, mga kelangang pa naming iimprove as love team.”
Bianca puts it more simply.
“Masaya rin ako kase this time around meron akong nakakasama, meron akong kakampi, meron akong kadamay,” she said.
It is easy to appreciate the sense of perspective in the way the two talk about their careers. They know they have been given a chance, and they seem intent on making the most of it.
They are young, they have the looks and they have the chemistry that made audiences take notice in the first place. But there is also an evident willingness to learn the business and put in the work.
That brings them to “Ba’t Di Na Lang Tayo.”
The film follows two young people dealing with the responsibilities of adulting, with romance developing as they try to make sense of this new stage of their lives. But as responsibilities mount and life takes its inevitable turns, they are left to find out whether love can keep pace.
There is a bit of irony in that. Bianca and Dustin are young themselves, figuring out what comes next as their careers move at a pace neither probably expected when they first entered the “PBB” house.
“Yeah, may mga similarities pero may mga differences din sa pagkatao namin in real life,” Dustin said.
Bianca agreed, adding, “Like Dustin said, hindi 100 percent. And that’s where the acting comes in.”
But what about the fans who helped bring them to where they are now? Does the need to keep them happy ever weigh on them?
“Minsan, I couldn’t help but feel that need to please them, make them happy,” Dustin said. “But at the end of the day, I just hope they allow enough room to grow.”
Director Jason Paul Laxamana, for his part, is not about to let the DustBia phenomenon dictate the film.
“Yung skill nila talaga, yun ang mahalaga. Na-obserbahan ko na sila dati pa, at yun ang dahilan kung bakit excited ako makatrabaho sila,” he said.
That may be the more interesting part of the DustBia story. The fandom has already established their appeal, and the two have shown that there is talent behind the pretty faces.
Now comes the box office.
For two young actors at the start of what could be a long career, it is another chance to see how far they can go.