From frat brothers to school bad boys, Kapamilya actors Harvey Bautista and Dustine Mayores are now stepping into lead roles in the film adaptation of the hit Wattpad novel The Four Bad Boys and Me.
Playing the characters of Marky Lim (Harvey) and Troy Mendoza (Dustine), the two admitted feeling a mix of excitement and pressure in bringing to life the well-loved characters created by author Tina Lata, also known as blue_maiden.
“I would say it's both nakaka-pressure and fun, 50/50,” Harvey shared in an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN. “You all know, adaptations naman kasi — sabihin na natin, Harry Potter, Marvel movies or others — na maraming fans iyon.”
Dustine echoed the sentiment, saying, “Takot kami sa expectations ng readers, kasi sobrang minahal nila ‘yung book, ‘yung kwento. Iba-iba talaga. Sabi nga ni Harvey kanina, iba ‘yung nagsulat ng book and sa film, kaya ayun—tiwala naman kami sa pinakita namin, sa preparation namin.”
In the story, Harvey and Dustine’s characters are part of a group of four notorious school bad boys who shake up the life of the awkward bookworm, Candice. While their characters may initially seem like troublemakers, both actors shared how there were deeper layers to their roles.
“Sobrang like ko ‘yung kay Troy. Kasi bad boy lang kami tignan, pero deep inside, iba ‘yung puso namin. Iba ‘yung bond, ‘yung friendship. Parang nakikita lang ‘yung gulo, ‘yung away, pero may mas malalim pala behind that,” Dustine said.
For Harvey, his curiosity about Marky’s backstory helped him connect with the character.
“I think what I like about Marky is parang on the fourth or fifth day ng taping, nagtataka ako na bakit considered bad boy si Marky. That was one of the unanswered questions that fueled me. Bakit nga ba siya part ng group? Dahil ba sa childhood friends niya ‘yung iba? Pero ‘di kasi siya bad boy talaga,” Harvey expressed.
He went on: “Kaya, I think what I liked most about him is sobrang observant niya sa tao. He’s so observant, sobrang, in a way, scarily manipulative si Marky. Parang very mental si Marky, you’ll see that.”
Embracing both the tough and tender sides of their characters, the two actors shared their key learnings from the project.
“Ako, late ko na na-realize ‘yun na ako pala talaga (personally) si Troy. Kasi dati, takot ako sa comedy. Di ko alam na may comedic timing pala ako. Nanibago ako. At the same time kasi kung paano siya makitungo sa girls,” Dustine said.
Harvey, on the other hand, discovered greater confidence in his acting skills.
“Siguro ‘yung natutunan ko ay [to have] more confidence in my skills as an actor. Naalala ko, one day, we were shooting a scene. Climax din siya ng film—one page ng script, monologue ni Marky lang. I read the script weeks before, pero ‘di ko alam na that day pala siya isho-shoot,” he recalled.
“So I had like an hour or 40 minutes to prepare. Even noong nagba-blocking na kami, nakausap ko pa si Direk. I was super nervous, sobrang kabado ako kasi usually prepared naman ako, pero that day parang, ‘Wow, anong nangyari?’ Pero ayun, ginawa ko ‘yung scene and okay naman, na-deliver ko. So I think ang natutunan ko is to trust myself more as an actor,” Harvey continued.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Brent Manalo to channel inner ‘good boy’ in ‘The Four Bad Boys and Me’ movie
The Four Bad Boys and Me, directed by Benedict Mique, is now streaming on the ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel and iWant app. The coming-of-age story also stars Anji Salvacion, Gelo Rivera, River Joseph, Brent Manalo, Krystal Brimner, AC Bonifacio, Analain Salvador, and Gela Alonte.