From barely knowing each other to sharing a fleeting moment in the 2020 Star Cinema romantic comedy flick “James and Pat and Dave”—which served as a glimpse of what would later become a defining onscreen partnership—Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano have since grown into one of the most admired loveteams in the local entertainment scene, fondly known as DonBelle.
And this year, they’re set to headline the much-awaited romance film “Tayo Sa Wakas,” which they recently revealed will be their final project together—for now—as a tandem. According to them, the decision is mutual and is driven by their desire to focus on their individual growth as artists and to further explore their respective careers.
They made the shocking announcement during their interview with Bianca Gonzalez on her podcast “Paano Ba ‘To?,” where they reflected on their journeys in showbiz and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
The host began their candid conversation with lighthearted icebreaker questions, one of which was for them to name their favorite movie or teleserye role portrayed by the other. Belle was quick to answer, pointing to Donny’s standout performance as Bingo Mariano in “Can’t Buy Me Love.” She confessed being completely surprised to see a facet of Donny she had never seen before.
“Walang bahid ng Donny when he did that character. Nakakatuwa [kasi] I didn’t know na may gano’n siyang side,” she remarked. “’Yon talaga ang pinakagusto kong character niya.”
For Donny, it’s none other than Belle’s depiction of the feisty Maxpein Del Valle Luna in the TV adaptation of the well-loved teen romantic comedy book series “He’s Into Her” aired in 2021. He recalled being in awe of her talent, especially since it marked their first time working closely together.
“Doon ko unang nakita talaga nang malapitan kung gaano kagaling si Belle Mariano,” he said, describing her performance as a “showstopper.” “Yong mga eksena talaga namin doon, since it was the first time that I worked with her [and that] we worked together, it was really mesmerizing to say the least.”
As Bianca mentioned that “Tayo Sa Wakas” marks their reunion after taking on separate projects—Belle in the 2025 family drama movie “Meet, Greet, and Bye” and Donny in the action-drama series “Roja”—she then asked how they’ve grown since their “He’s Into Her” days, prompting both to reflect on the years they’ve spent navigating the industry side by side.
“It’s not something a lot of people go through. It’s very rare what we’ve gone through. It’s not everyday you can say [that] you’ve spent the last seven years seeing how the person has grown, seeing different phases of their life, seeing different projects that you [have gone] through together,” Donny said.
He went on to enumerate some of the things that he admires about her, beginning with her love for her family and her big heart for people in general, which she shows by making sure that everything and everyone is okay. He also commends her love for her craft, assuring that she would provide nothing but a good performance always and exert effort in showcasing different sides of her characters.
Donny imparted that he finds it “super cool” to witness how her preparation and delivery have evolved over time. Beyond her acting, he also expressed pride in her personal milestones—from launching her own makeup line to building her own home and making independent life decisions.
On the other hand, Belle shared how proud she is of Donny for being able to find his identity. She expressed how happy she is to see how passionate and dedicated he is when it comes to what he’s doing and what he loves.
The conversation then shifted to their individual journeys before they became a love team. Belle looked back on her evolution from being an adorable child star who started out in “Goin’ Bulilit” to becoming a promising teen actress whose first starring role was in “He’s Into Her.” She admitted going through an awkward phase, which made her doubt if showbiz is really for her or if this is really something she wants to do.
“By the end of the day, no matter how many times you fall naman, you find yourself. You should stand up kasi you’re not gonna go anywhere if you just let yourself down there,” she stated. “I’m just so grateful that I'm surrounded by people that actually support me with what I'm doing, like my mom, my family. Never nilang kinuwestiyon, ‘Why are you doing this?’ They’re really just there, and they actually help me find my roots, why I started it in the first place, and why I should keep pursuing it.”
While Belle somehow grew in the public eye, it’s a totally different story for Donny, who officially joined the industry when he was already around 17 in 2016. It can be recalled that he began as one of the gregarious video jocks or VJs of the iconic music channel MYX before transitioning to acting, with the daytime ABS-CBN Studios series “Playhouse” being his teleserye debut.
He revealed that showbiz was never part of his original plan, but it seemed destined given his family’s ties to the industry. He recounted how tough it was at first since he didn’t have any idea about what he was doing, his parents were initially not in favor of him being in the limelight, and he didn’t have any friends yet in the industry at the time until he had Robi Domingo as one of his mentors in MYX.
“It was very a questioning period for me. So many questions talaga, but I navigated through it because I also did have a good support system. It was really just taking in everything day by day, not being so pressured by all the things surrounding me,” he conveyed, adding that coming from a prominent clan indeed added more pressure to him and even made him doubt himself.
Over time, Donny found his rhythm and grew comfortable in the spotlight, which he never imagined would shape his career the way it has. Thus, he feels truly grateful and blessed to be still here and to be able to spend much of his journey alongside Belle, especially at this point in their lives as they work on “Tayo Sa Wakas.”
Reflecting on their experience as a loveteam, Belle described it as having a built-in support system. She told Bianca, “Para kang nagkaroon ng instant kakampi, na there’s someone you can actually talk to about what you’re going through because you’re going through the same things together and it’s nice that we have each other to just seek comfort with.”
Donny fully agreed with her sentiment, recalling a conversation they once had at the beginning of their partnership when he reminded her that they were in it together, supporting and uplifting one another. Looking back, DonBelle is grateful that they’ve managed to stay true to that promise in spite of the challenges and moments of doubt along the way.
“I think it helps that you need another person to [be] accountable to, to whisper to you, ‘Kaya mo ‘yan,’ [and] to push you a little harder,” he said. “Kapag alam mong may kasama ka, parang mas nawawala ‘yong takot na solo ka.”