Friendship is all there is between actress Sarah Lahbati and the non-Filipino guy she was snapped eating with in a chichi resto in Hong Kong.
When their photo surfaced on social media, tongues started to wag and netizens conveniently speculated that Lahbati has found a new guy to replace estranged husband Richard Gutierrez.
“I went to Hong Kong to experience the art. It’s always been a dream of mine to travel around and I was happy that I was able to go,” she said in an ambush interview after the preview screening of her upcoming soap, Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa.
“And in that photo circulating around is my friend. I visited Hong Kong and met up with different friends,” she explained, adding that she’s not bothered by wild speculations about their photo as “it takes a lot more for something to bother me now.”
“But I think as a woman,” Lahbati pointed out, “we’re all allowed to have guy friends, but again, it’s okay to speculate because again, I’m single and it is part of this whole new thing.”
In Carlo J. Caparas’ Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa, which will premiere this Monday, 8 April, 2:30 p.m., after Eat Bulaga! on TV5, Lahbati plays Mercy Balmores, the daughter of Gardo Versoza’s Benito Balmores character. Also in the cast are Rhen Escaño, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Andrew Muhlach, Phoebe Walker, Andre Yllana, Ashley Diaz, Annika Co, Rose Van Ginkel, Jeffrey Hidalgo and Jeric Raval.
Liza Soberano’s advice to would-be actors
Not a few were surprised to see Liza Soberano in Daniel Mac’s “What Do You Do For A Living” YouTube channel.
Mac chanced upon Soberano along one busy street in the US while she was driving her black
top-down BMW, which costs $150,000.
“Hi, excuse me. What do you do for a living? Your car is awesome?” Mac asked Soberano.
“I’m an actress” came Soberano’s curt reply.
“Actress, like, in movies? Mac asked.
“Yeah,” said Soberano. “But a lot of my work is in the Philippines, so you probably don’t recognize me,” she added.
“Are you from Manila?” Mac asked.
“Yeah. I’m from Manila,” she answered.
“I feel like my followers have told me to do a video. Are you Liza?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Oh my gosh! Okay. Do you have any life advice for people trying to get into, like, acting?”
“Just be true to yourself and take risks,” she said.
When Mac asked Soberano what the actress’ favorite car is, she said: “The Audi R8.”
Mac is a famous social media personality in the US with 2.6 million followers on Instagram, 14.3 million subscribers on TikTok and 3.16 million followers on YouTube.
Darren Espanto reveals Belle Mariano’s off-cam personality
Singer-actor Darren Espanto revealed in a short video Belle Mariano’s endearing qualities that he so admires.
In a Facebook page, Espanto’s enumerated Mariano’s traits: She is able to get into her character easily and break out of it immediately. She is caring to everyone in the set. Parang nanay (Like a mother) but not motherly type. She cannot go to taping without a blanket and a pillow.
Espanto ended the video by saying he feels lucky to have worked with Mariano in Can’t Buy Me Love because the series’ star has all those admirable attributes.