Playing a different kind of role from his usual boy-next-door persona in the film Saving Cherry, Khalil Ramos said he had no hesitation going out of his comfort zone after being intrigued by the script which labels him as the unfaithful partner to his new wife Cherry (played by Barbie Forteza). This sparks her need to get a different kind of revenge in director Ivan Payawal’s newest film.
“I play the role of Jude here, the cheating husband. I worked with direk Ivan in the series Love vs Stars in 2021 before and I remember clearly my experience there working with him. It was such a great experience kasi he really values the actor and director collaboration, which I love. Sobrang sarap ka-work ni direk Ivan. I actually didn’t know he was directing this. Nauna yung script tapos sinabi na si Barbie yung si Cherry tapos I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’
“Nung nakita ko na si direk Ivan kasama, sabi ko, ‘Oh my gosh, reunion project ito.’ So I was game, super game. Nalaman ko na lang later on na when he was writing this, he was thinking of me. Pero hanggang dun lang, hindi dahil alam niyang cheater ako, hindi yun. It’s not true-to-life (laughs),” he explained.
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As Saving Cherry tackles issues like the sanctity of marriage, loyalty, friendship, and self-love, Khalil revealed why he does not believe in giving cheaters a second chance when it comes to love.
“The craziest thing I did for love is nine years and six months. That’s the craziest of choosing love every single day. For nine years and six months. There’s a long answer and there’s a short answer to the question of giving second chances. I’ll give the short answer. I believe no simply because I believe it is impossible to restore the relationship after breaking the trust and respect,” he admitted.
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The film also stars actresses who play the role of Barbie’s close-knit BFFs like Mika Salamanca, AC Bonifacio, Sassa Gurl, and Mikee Quintos. On and off camera, Khalil remembers how fun it was on the set with his Saving Cherry co-stars.
“I remember nung script reading pa lang namin, nung binabasa na namin yung the funniest moments in the script, naisip ko agad, ‘Patay, gulo ito. As in ang gulo nito. (laughs)’ Kasi yung comedy sa part ko, hindi ka sa punchline matatawa sa akin. It’s the circumstance of what my character goes through. Sila, may liberty silang magpatawa, mag-adlib. So ang pinaka-challenge sa akin is hindi tumawa. As in, ang daming moments, hindi ko mabilang, na lahat sila kapag naging unhinged na, binigyan kasi ni direk ng liberty lahat ng actors to unleash whatever you want to unleash,” he explained.
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Khalil also shared one technique direk Ivan would employ during shooting that made their reaction in the scenes more organic and extra hilarious.
“I remember the very first day, there was one moment, one scene, si direk kasi mahilig bumulong. Bubulong siya ng off script to certain characters na surprise gagawin during the take. So I had no idea kung anong gagawin nila. Gulatan na lang. Eh ayun nga, hindi ako puwede tumawa, hindi ako puwedeng ma-off character. So yun yung pinaka challenge sa akin. Napamura na lang ako (laughs). It was such a really great experience to be able to witness firsthand how close they became while shooting the film. Kasi sobrang genuine, sobrang natural nung connection nila. When you would do scenes with them, naniniwala ako na sobrang tight-knit na barkada na sila. They’re such great actors,” he recalled.
Saving Cherry stars Barbie Forteza, Mika Salamanca, Mikee Quintos, AC Bonifacio, Sassa Gurl, JC Alcantara, and Khalil Ramos. Directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal under Regal Films. The movie is now showing in cinemas nationwide.