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Kathryn Bernardo on her first movie kiss with Daniel Padilla

Vernise Tantuco

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Kathryn shares about what happened when she and Daniel shot the scene for 'Barcelona: A Love Untold'

MANILA, Philippines – In their upcoming new movie, Barcelona: A Love Untold, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla officially share their first movie kiss. (READ: 7 fun facts about KathNiel movie ‘Barcelona: A Love Untold’)

In the past, the popular actors, also known together as KathNiel, have kissed in shows like Pangako Sa ‘YoIn those scenes, camera angles obscured their faces, leaving room for fans to interpret whether the actors kissed in real life.

But in Barcelona, there’s no doubt about it. 

At a press conference on its opening day, Wednesday, September 14, Kathryn and director Olivia Lamasan were asked by the media how they did that particular scene in the movie. (WATCH: Full trailer of KathNiel movie, ‘Barcelona,’ released)

The details of the scene weren’t identified but it was implied that it was the kissing scene: “Nahirapan ba kayo kasi first-time nila gagawin on the big screen ang eksena na yun?” (Was it difficult becuase it was the first time they would do that scene on the big screen?)

Olivia shared that before they began working on the movie, she already sat down with the couple and asked them if they were ready: “Kasi it’s not just for gimmick’s sake. It’s part of the story, parte ng gagawin ng characters nila sa pelikula. So nilatag namin sa kanila yun at sila mismo ang sumagot.”

(Because it’s not just for gimmick’s sake. It’s part of the story, it’s part of what the characters had to do for the movie. So we laid that all out for them and they themselves decided on it.)

KATHNIEL. Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla speak to the media at a previous press conference for their movie, 'Barcelona: A Love Untold.' Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler
Later, Kathryn herself shared her experience of doing the scene, joking that she prepared by brushing her teeth.

She said she agreed with Olivia that it would be a waste not to have a kiss in the movie. She added that the scene was also for the fans:

“So sabi namin ni DJ [Daniel], oo nga, parang kung ako rin yung fan, ilang beses na silang na-hopia. Sabi ko na perfect ‘to na… kasi yung kwento rin eh, yung sinabi, parang perfect rin siya for the story. Na parang yung love kasi ni Ely at Mia, yung pinag-daanan nila, yun talaga eh, parang kulang talaga kung wala.”

(So DJ [Daniel] and I said, yeah, if I were a fan, they’ve gotten nothing so many times. I said this is perfect… because the story, what it says, it’s perfect for the story. That the love of Ely and Mia, what they went through, that’s it, it would be lacking if the scene wasn’t there.)

In Barcelona, Daniel plays Ely, a man who can’t move on from his past love, while Kathryn plays Mia, a woman from the Philippines who is trying to rebuild her life in Spain.

 

On doing the scene itself, Kathryn shared that director Cathy Garcia Molina, who directed the KathNiel movie She’s Dating the Gangster, was there when they shot the kissing scene, watching along with Olivia.

“Sa susunod nanginginig yung lips ko!” Kathryn shared with the press, laughing. “Nakakakba siya kasi ang daming tao, ganiyan, siyempre maiilang ka. And [nakuha] naman siya after ng one take.”

(Next thing I know, my lips were trembling! It made me nervous because there were so many people, so of course you’d feel awkward. And we got it after one take.)

“Una, pinractice muna siya, parang dinemo nilang ganiyan, kamay lang,” continued Kathryn, putting the tips of her fingers together.

(At first, they practiced it, they demo-ed it like this, with just hands.)

KATHRYN BERNARDO. Kathryn shares that she was nervous about the kissing scene in 'Barcelona.' File photo shows Kathryn at a previous press conference for the movie. Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler

“Tapos sabi ko, ‘Ah, okay.’ Tapos take na, action! Nanginginig na, sabi ko [kay Daniel], ‘Sayo ba yan yung nanginginig yung lips?’ Sabi niya, ‘Hindi ‘no, sayo yun!’ Kasi naiilang talaga ako,” said Kathryn.

(Then I said, ‘Ah, okay.’ Then it was time for a take, action! I started trembling, I said [to Daniel], ‘Are those your lips that are shaking?’ He said, ‘No, those are yours!’ Because I really felt awkward.)

According to Kathryn, her mom also previewed the scene after they shot it.

The actress was happy with the final scene when she saw in it during the film’s premiere. “Nakakakaba, pero nung pinanood ko with the music and everything, aw, worth it naman talaga and happy naman ako na binigay namin yun with Inang [Olivia].”

(It was nervewracking, but when I watched it with the music and everything, aw, it was really worth it and I’m happy that we did that with Inang [Olivia].)

After Kathryn spoke, Daniel arrived at the press con, but didn’t speak about the scene further.

More mature roles

LOVE TEAM. KathNiel pose for the press at a conference for their movie before its release. Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler

At the conference, the stars, Olivia, and writer Carmi Raymundo agreed that Barcelona: A Love Untold is a more mature film for the couple, not because of the kiss, but because of the conflicts that the characters go through.

“Hindi yun yung buong pelikula, diba?” she said. (The kiss isn’t the entire movie, right?)

The roles were challenging for both Kathryn and Daniel.

For Mia, Kathryn had to convey a lot of the character’s inner conflict: “Ang daming dapat kita sa mata niya. Na kunwari kahit masaya siya, kita mo yung lungkot. Hirap niya gawin talaga!”

(There was so much that had to be communicated in her eyes. For example, even if she’s happy, you need to see her sadness. It was really so hard!)

DANIEL PADILLA. Daniel plays Ely in 'Barcelona: A Love Untold.' File photo shows the young actor at a previous press conference for the movie. Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler

Daniel said playing Ely was challenging because there were some experiences he couldn’t relate with. “Mayroon mga eksena na never ko pa ne-experience. Actually, naging problema din yun sa mga ibang mga eksena dahil nga may mga eksenang never ko pang nararamdaman, diba? So ako kasi pag may eksenang ano, humuhugot ako from myself eh, from my experience, yung sa nangyari sa akin noon or near that experience. Pero merong ibang, ‘Saan ko ito huhugutin,’ diba?”

(There were some scenes that I’ve never experienced. Actually, it because a problem for some scenes, because there were some scenes that I’ve never experienced, right? So for me, I usually draw inspiration from myself, from my experiences, what happened to me in the past or something near to that experience. But for some scenes, it was like, ‘Where am I going to draw inspiration from?)

It seems the challenges were worth it. During the conference, members of the media who had seen the movie praised both actors, saying that they no longer saw Kathryn and Daniel in Barcelona, but the characters Mia and Ely. 

Will you head to theaters to see what director Olivia Lamasan called Kathryn and Daniel’s “transformation?” Barcelona: A Love Untold was released on Wednesday, September 14. – Rappler.com

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Mayuko Yamamoto

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Vernise Tantuco

Vernise Tantuco is on Rappler's Research Team, fact checking suspicious claims, wrangling data, and telling stories that need to be heard.