MANILA — Nadine Lustre and Alden Richards team up in the romantic drama series "Love, Siargao," which premieres on Viu on Friday, June 26, at 6 p.m.
The series also stars Kim Ji-soo, Kyline Alcantara, Gab Lagman, Coleen Garcia, Kakki Teodoro, Adrian Lindayag, AZ Martinez, Vince Maristela and Christopher Diwata.
Ahead of the series' debut, broadcaster Karen Davila visited Lustre and Richards on location in Siargao Island, where much of the series was filmed.
In an interview for Davila's vlog, Richards and Lustre admitted that they enjoy working together. They also explained why they love shooting in the popular island.
"It's really nice because this is home to me also, so homebase. And masaya ako sa food kasi everything here, I always tell people na I prefer it here in Siargao because there's lot more options for us compared to Manila. Sa Manila kasi it's really hard for me when I have to buy food, dito madali lang," Lustre said.
For his part, Richards said what he loves about Siargao is its people.
"The thing that Nadine taught us -- kasi she's been here for quite sometime already, 'yung the essence of being a local is already in her -- being here in Siargao makes you grounded for some reason. Parang nagre-reconnect ka with yourself for a time. And I think that's one of the magic that this island has," he said.
Lustre said that through the series, she really wanted to make sure that Siargao is represented well.
"I really made sure that a lot of the elements that are in there about Siargao is accurate. The representation is very important, especially for the people here... it's such a big thing for them to get it right," she said.
Screen grab: YouTube/Karen Davila
Richards and Lustre said they were pleased to collaborate with Viu, which has been expanding its focus on "content tourism" productions that showcase destinations.
"Actually this is my first time, but I've known Miss Garlic Garcia (Viu Philippines head of content) for the longest time, and for the longest time we were planning to really get into a project together. One of the things na hinintay namin pareho was the right time, the right project, and then right partner for the project. I think, with the concept of the show and how we wanted to... make people, especially the Filipinos, appreciate that we have something to be proud of globally with what we have here in the Philippines," the actor said.
"Saying yes to 'Love, Shargo' is also a dream for all of us, because this is like our dream project for 2026," Richards added.
According to Lustre, "Love, Siargao" is especially meaningful because of her personal ties to the island. "This is different because this is close to my heart. This is home for me. And I'm just really, really happy that Viu has been so gracious when it comes to us being able to suggest, input ideas. And I'm happy because we're finally being able to showcase the Philippines or Siargao properly. Especially because, a lot of content has been spreading online of what Siargao is not. So it's very important to correct that somehow at least to get it right," she said.
"Love, Siargao" marks Lustre and Richards' first-ever acting project together. The series follows Jao and Kara, who cross paths at the famed surfing destination.
Before their respective successful solo careers, Lustre was half of the popular love team "JaDine" with James Reid, while Richards was half of "AlDub" with Maine Mendoza.
Full cast revealed for Nadine Lustre, Alden Richards' 'Love, Siargao'