MANILA — For their “first date,” Ivana Alawi and her four leading men in the upcoming series “A Family Affair” spoke about their characters and filming experience so far.

Producer Star Creatives released the behind-the-scenes feature, dubbed “The First Date,” on Friday, with the main cast introducing their respective characters.

Alawi’s four co-stars will portray the Estrella brothers: Gerald Anderson as Paco, Sam Milby as Dave, Jake Ejercito as Seb, and Jameson Blake as Drew.

Alawi, meanwhile, portrays Cherryred, a woman who becomes their common object of affection. She described the series as “a story of how love and secrets can poison a family.”

“As soon as I read the script, sobrang ganda, gusto ko na mag-taping the next day. Ganoon siya kaganda,” Alawi said.

“I was very excited, especially with the whole cast. ‘Pag pasok ko, natatakot ako, kinakabahan ako, kasi siyempre — Gerald, Sam — mga pinapanood ko lang ‘yan nu’ng bata ako!” she quipped.

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Alawi also expressed excitement about working with Ejercito and Blake, saying, “While I was working with them, it was really fun, because they are all so supportive.”

“Walang ilangan, because they were all very welcoming and they’re all very friendly.”

Aside from being Alawi’s debut series in a lead role, “A Family Affair” also marks her acting comeback after three years.

Alawi, who was a cast member in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” in 2018 and then “Mea Culpa: Sino Ang May Sala?” in 2019, was due to headline her own ABS-CBN teleserye in 2020, after exclusively signing with the network in February that year.

The following month, however, saw the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to delays and change of plans when it came to Alawi’s launching projects.

“A Family Affair” started filming in Masbate in March, and is due to premiere later this year.