Jayda Avanzado shares parents’ reaction to new loveteam partner Aljon Mendoza
Aside from receiving bouquet of flowers from his dad, OPM hitmaker Dingdong Avanzado, on Valentine’s Day, Jayda also got one from his onscreen partner Aljon Mendoza. Jayda and Aljon are teaming up for the first time in the iWantTFC’s newest series, Teen Clash, which explores music, romance, self-discovery and friendships.
Since they were not together on Feb. 14, Aljon had the chance to give Jayda a bouquet of flowers the next day. “I didn’t expect that he would give me one. I wasn’t expecting anything. He really just showed them, diyan po sa taas po (filming venue). Sa holding area namin. He gave me a bouquet and he told me, ‘I got this for you,’” recalled Jayda during the media conference of Teen Clash held recently.
The singer-actress called it a “sweet gesture,” saying “I think (it’s) really the thought that counts for me… mababaw lang po talaga yung kaligayahan ko. I really appreciate that he would take the time, money and effort to even, you know, (do) simple gesture that makes me happy.”
Teen Clash is an adaptation of Ilyn Anne Danganan’s hit Wattpad comingof-age story. It tells about “a young eclectic group’s passion for music and their journey to find their voices in a chaotic world.”
It is helmed by Gino Santos and produced by iWantTFC and Black Sheep. Teen Clash starts streaming for free in the Philippines on March 17 on the iWantTFC app (iOs and Android) and website (iwanttfc.com).
Teen Clash also stars Markus Paterson, Andrea Abaya, Luke Alford, Gail Banawis, Kobie Brown, Zach Castañeda, Fana, Ralph Malibunas and Bianca de Vera.
Aljon said he and Jayda made an effort to get to know each other better when they first learned that they would be working together for the project.
“We started texting each other,” shared Aljon. “Inalam ko yung hobbies niya and vice-versa.” During tapings, they were “very collaborative” and they helped each other out in every scene.
“Halimbawa may scene na madaling araw, tapos lowbat ako, papahawak lang ako sa kamay niya. My love language is physical. So every time there’s someone who would hold my hand, I feel that energy. I get recharged. We also talked about our strengths and weaknesses and some strategies (on how to get on with the scenes),” he added.
According to Aljon, every time Jayda also needs help, he will motivate his loveteam partner. “I really appreciate that from her because she is willing to work with me. There is that trust and of course, this is her acting debut and launching project, pinagkakatiwalaan niya ako and I’m very thankful for that.”
“I really trust him and trust is the foundation of our working relationship,” concurred Jayda. “Our approach is to really develop our friendship before we started this project. I also felt that he is committed to this project and we are both working towards one goal.”
“There were moments na may ilangan ng konti, but I think nawawala din yun eventually. We feel comfortable with each other as we go along. I do feel that since we are working towards one goal, there was no feeling of discomfort or anything like that. Tiwala lang po talaga,” she added.
On what was the most kilig thing Jayda did to Aljon, the latter shared, “This is weird, pero kinilig ako nung nagtampo siya sa akin nung hindi ako nakapag-update kung nakauwi ako. That was 3 a.m., so baka nakatulog na ako.”
Jayda just laughed and said that they have this “system” of letting each other know if they got home safe after taping. “I was just worried. Kasi di ko po alam kung nakauwi po siya.”
Besides Aljon’s “sweet gesture” on Valentine’s, Jayda added that what makes her kilig over Aljon was when he was there during her “darkest and lowest” moments. “For me, it just showed that this person cares about me and it’s a mutual thing that we care about each other. That’s very special for me and I think it’s the little things that matter to me.”
They also find each other girlfriend-boyfriend material. So when Aljon was asked if he is courting Jayda, he replied, “I just want to show kung gaano ko siya na-appreciate, ginagawa ko.”
Jayda commented, “If you have a genuine connection and (that is a) good foundation in any kind of relationship, honestly, I think, at this point, I would say that wherever life takes us, I welcome that. Kung ano man itinadhana po for the two of us.”
Aljon came from a previous love team with Karina Bautista and when queried about it, he reacted, “The
first thing I did and should do is don’t compare. Jayda is different. Iba-iba lahat ng makakatrabaho mo, eh. This time kay Jayda, we really get along well and we have the same goal. I think it’s more effective and mas naappreciate namin yung genuine (acts) na like we don’t need to ask, nagkakaroon ng kusa.”
“Simple gestures like (asking), ‘Are you OK?’ I appreciate that every time we see na lowbat yung isa or napapagod,” he furthered. “We are there for each other. Jayda is very intelligent. She offers solutions or suggestions every time na may gagawin kami. I enjoy our conversations because napakatalino kausap and malaman.”
Moreover, Jayda described her acting debut project as a “wonderful experience” and, at the same time, challenging and making her feel “pressured.”
For this particular series, Jayda likewise received acting advice from her parents, Dingdong and singer-actress Jessa Zaragoza. “(It’s) really just be humble, be teachable and be willing to learn from every single one and everyone on set.”
“When it comes to my career, I think from the very beginning like what I was always told… First of all, they never insisted that I enter this industry,” she told The STAR. “They were always very real with me, in terms of bringing out the pros and cons and ups and downs, especially coming from this particular background. There’s a different set of pressure that comes with it, but they will always tell me to make sure that you love what you do and pinili mo talaga ‘tong art na ‘to.”
“My dad always tells me until this day (to) never lose sense of yourself and your core values as a person because you are bound to meet so many people, so many experiences,” added Jayda, whose parents “just stay by my side to help me stay grounded and I surround myself with the right people.”
Aljon had already met Jayda’s parents, Dingdong and Jessa Zaragoza. She shared, “They really do respect him and they really appreciate how gentleman he is, especially with this working experience. He’s met my parents and talked to them and stuff like that. They have nothing but good things to say about you (Aljon).”
Aljon reacted, “Deep inside, nanginginig talaga ako, but I had to man up. I also appreciate them because they were very hospitable. Ang ganda ng pakikitungo talaga nila kumbaga siyempre stars sila… but they talked to me like normal na tao sa mga kakilala lang nila and that’s what I really appreciate about them.”