Janella Salvador and Win Metawin in 'Under Parallel Skies'

First meetings are always interesting. They don’t always go as expected, but they can also be filled with pleasant surprises. In the case of the Under Parallel Skies lead stars Win Metawin and Janella Salvador, there was that much-welcome warm-up since they come from different countries.

“I was kind of nervous when they told me I was going to be working with Win,” Janella began, acknowledging how her co-star’s global fame contributed to making her feel that way. “I wasn’t sure一since I’m not exactly the most sociable person, I’m not a social butterfly一I was like, ‘Oh no, how am I going to connect with him?’”

While the different cultural backgrounds and language barrier initially felt like they were going to make Janella and Win’s collaboration challenging, what happened was quite the opposite; if anything, these factors even added a layer of curiosity that gave the two actors something to talk about and bond over.

Janella told Metro.Style, “I don’t know what Thai people are into. I don’t know what his humor is like. I was kind of nervous that we might not be able to talk to each other a lot. And at first, that was what happened. We didn’t talk that much, but eventually, we found things to talk about. And I realized that there are many similarities between the Thai industry and our industry here.”

Win echoed Janella’s observation, telling us in an exclusive chitchat, “I think the Thai culture and Filipino culture are very similar.” That’s why the whole filming experience was also such a breeze even though it’s only the first time he has worked with a Filipino production team.

Under Parallel Skies, directed by award-winning director Sigrid Bernardo, is the debut film of film production company 28 Squared Studios. Pinoy Big Brother alum Richard Juan serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and the film’s executive producer. He and his colleague, Kristhoff Cagape (the company’s Chief Operating Officer and co-executive producer of the film) said they worked on this project for almost two years, and all their hard work is about to pay off.

(From left) Rico Gonzales (Director of Distribution for Warner Bros. Philippines), film director Sigrid Bernardo, Janella Salvador, Richard Juan (Chief Executive Officer of 28 Squared Studios and executive producer of the film), and Kristhoff Cagape (28 Squared Studios' Chief Operating Officer and co-executive producer of the film)

Complimenting the production team, Win said, “I think they are very professional. I think it’s very easy to work together… we get along very well and very easy (sic), which makes me feel very comfortable working with a Filipino team.”

But Win is also all praises to his co-star, Janella. Win told Metro.Style, “My first impression was, when we first met, when we had the workshop together, I think she was very friendly and very nice and very easy to talk to… And I can feel the chemistry between Janella and me. And I think, after we met, she’s always nice to me and helped me a lot while filming.”

Eventually, as Win and Janella got to know each other better while filming in Hong Kong and discovering together the lesser-known parts of this go-to destination (they both cited the island of Peng Chau as their favorite filming location), they bonded over their love for dogs and passion for food.

“He also has dogs. What else? Food. He also loves to eat. I always see him eating. He always has food on the set,” Janella shared.

Of course, a first-time collaboration between a Filipino actress and a Thai actor won’t be complete without some language lessons. Among the many Tagalog words Janella taught Win, what he remembers mostly are “kilig,” “masarap,” and “mahal namin kayo,” and Win taught Janella the counterpart of these words and phrases in Thai too!

Under Parallel Skies, described as a cross-country film, is about a Thai bachelor (Win as Parin) who travels to Hong Kong in search of his missing mother. He then meets a Filipino hotel receptionist (Janella as Iris) who teaches him a thing or two about love, happiness, forgiveness, and healing.

Now that their movie is about to be released, Janella and Win are busy promoting it, and it’s easy to see how much closer the two have become. They kicked off these initiatives with their attendance at the 17th Asian Film Awards (AFA) last March 11 in Hong Kong, where Under Parallel Skies also had its world premiere; Win also received the Next Generation Award from AFA.

Win Metawin and Janella Salvador attended the 17th Asian Film Awards.

Janella Salvador and Win Metawin at the world premiere of 'Under Parallel Skies' in Hong Kong

Janella Salvador and Win Metawin at the grand media conference of 'Under Parallel Skies' in Hilton Manila.

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Inviting moviegoers to watch their rom-com/drama film, Win said, “Please find time to watch this movie. I think it’s got everything for everyone.”

The grand premiere night gala of Under Parallel Skies will take place on April 16 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, and will be graced by Win and Janella.

Under Parallel Skies will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It will be released in the Philippines on April 17, Singapore on May 1, and Thailand on May 9.

Photos courtesy of 28 Squared Studios

Related Story: Win Metawin and Janella Salvador Attend the 2024 Asian Film Awards