Martin Escudero reunites with Kapamilya actor Paulo Avelino in the upcoming Star Cinema film My Love Will Make You Disappear.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, Martin revealed that he was handpicked for the role.
“Actually, nalaman ko na lang na handpicked ako ng isang boss. Nag-visit sila sa last shooting yata na, na napakilala ako sa kanya. At napakaswerte ko kasi nung nalaman ko na, na in-introduce sa akin yung project, sabi niya si Paulo Avelino (yung makakasama),” Martin shared.
The actor also expressed his excitement, agreeing right away even without yet knowing the details.
“Sabi ko, tara na! Let's go! Huwag na natin alamin ‘yung detalye, basta gagawin ko support, support sa kanya,” he mentioned.
Martin and Paulo first worked together as batchmates on reality TV show StarStruck in 2007 and last collaborated on a TV series in 2009.
My Love Will Make You Disappear, Martin plays Rom, a character from the LGBTQIA+ community, who has a partner named Jessie, portrayed by Migs Almendras. The couple also has a child in the story.
Martin is no newcomer to playing LGBTQIA+ characters. He won Best Actor at the 10th Gawad Tanglaw in 2012 for his iconic portrayal of Remington in the 2011 horror-comedy Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington.
For this new role, he shared that he wanted his take on the character to feel more natural.
"Ngayon naman sa panahon natin walang definition na kailangan gano'n itsura mo, gano'n ka magsalita. So, yun yung gusto namin na maging natural. Dahil, ang swerte namin, hinahayaan kami ni Direk Chad (VIdanes) na gawin yung gusto namin na maging natural, ipakita kung ano yung kami personally at kung ano yung acting na gusto namin. Gina-guide niya kami pero mas hinayaan niya kami ilabas yung natural," Martin explained.
Migs, who has also portrayed a queer character before, added that it was just as important and helpful that he and Martin shared good energy and chemistry.
“Sa akin nakatulong siya, but more so ang pinaka nakatulong dito is to have a co-actor na somehow bihasa na rin eh. Kasi we would bounce off with each other's energy. Kasi at the end of the day, tulad na sinabi ko, dito sa pelikula to may kita niyo iba't ibang klase ng pagmamahalan. Hindi ko na ii-spoil ko ‘yung iba't ibang pagmamahalan doon. But one of those kinds of love is the LGBTQ (IA+) representation,” he shared.
Migs gained popularity for his genuine and comedic portrayal of Junjun in the 2020 Boys Love series Hello Stranger and its 2021 film spinoff Hello Stranger: The Movie. He was also part of the hit primetime series The Broken Marriage Vow, where he portrayed Justin, the confidante of Sue Ramirez's character, Lexy.
Meanwhile, Martin is also part of several upcoming films, including In Thy Name, Wild Boys, and Mananambal.
Catch Martin and Migs’s team-up soon in My Love Will Make You Disappear, set to be released in theaters both in the Philippines and abroad starting March 26, 2025.
—By Jemuel Tandoc