Ever since it premiered on January 24, 2021, The Broken Marriage Vow has indeed never failed to dominate our primetime through its intense and scorching scenes that indeed blew our minds and made our bloods boil. And after exactly six months, the series we all loved is approaching its “the shocking part”.

And now that it's down to its last three weeks, a hybrid media conference was held on Monday, June 6, which was attended by a few media friends both inside the studio and via conference call.

The event, which was hosted by MJ Felipe, commenced by showing the trailer for its exciting finale aptly dubbed “The Shocking Part” and was succeeded by the entrance one-by-one of brilliant directors Andoy Ranay and Connie Macatuno, as well as six of the exceptional cast members, namely Jane Oineza, Ketchup Eusebio, Sue Ramirez, Zaijian Jaranilla, Zanjoe Marudo, and Jodi Sta. Maria.

The question and answer portion started off with the stars being asked about the lessons they’ve learned from their characters. For Jane, it’s learning to love herself, to put herself first, and to let go of someone you love once the relationship is no longer working or has become toxic, just like what her character Diane did. Ketchup, meanwhile, said that his philanderer character Charlie made him realize that infidelity is indeed never unjustifiable.

For Sue, her character Lexy inculcated to her the importance of listening to the people around us, especially to those people who we know would never let us down. Besides, she’s also reminded to value those who take care of her, as well as how we should not always be pushy about the things we want.

Zaijian echoed Sue and Jane’s responses, adding that his character Gio also taught him to be mature and be open-minded, as well as how to control his emotions. On the other hand, Zanjoe related that his takeaway from David is to not exact revenge, to let go of negative stuff and emotions, and to keep in mind that we are the one who’s the sole responsible of our lives.

Lastly, Jodi told everyone that Jill impressed upon her that our decisions completely influence our lives. According to her, “Our life will only move towards the directions of our decisions. So, we have to really have to choose wisely, choose our battles. If you’re given the chance to treat the person the same way that person treated you, I always hope that we choose the high road and that we always choose to do better”.

Since The Broken Marriage Vow is the sixth adaptation of the hit British series “Doctor Foster,” not to mention that the Korean incarnation was well-loved, too, here in the Philippines when it was aired on Kapamilya Channel in 2020, it was truly a pressure for the cast to put their own Filipino twist on their characters.

They told the media people that collaborating, speaking, and brainstorming with their directors, company executives, as well as with their co-actors, absolutely helped them pull off their respective characters and set aside their doubts in their capabilities. They also learned to put their full trust to the people they’re working with, and really found it a blessing to have a picturesque location and work with hardworking and exceptional directors, cast, staff, and crew.

When asked what part of her character she would likely to take with her, Sue related that it would Lexy’s being idealistic has taught her to push harder, dream higher, and learn more. She stated, “Kasi ako medyo kontento na ako, ina-absorb ko lahat ng mga natutunan ko sa mga taong nasa paligid ko. Pero kaya ko pa palang layuan, kaya ko pa palang mangarap nang mas mataas, matuto pa ako nang mas madami. So, I think, ‘yon ang best trait ni Lexy na nagustuhan ko at tinake home ko.”

Even though we all know how a great actress she is, Jodi revealed that there are actually instances when she requested the directors for her to do certain scenes more than once because she believed that she still could give more. One of those was that scene when Jill asked David “May babae ka ba?”, which they filmed in different angles and different levels of emotion.

She and Ketchup also recalled the highly talked about love-making scene of Charlie and Jill, which was utterly awkward for the both of them since they’re friends in real life, not to mention that she’s the godmother of one of his kids. However, he’s grateful for the help of Jodi and their directors for the success of that scene, as well as for the opportunity to show off his caliber as an actor that we’ve never seen yet before.

Lead stars Jodi, Sue, and Zanjoe were also asked for their message to one another. Sue started off by expressing, “Z, Ate Jodi, sobrang dami kong natutunan sa inyo. Maraming salamat kasi naramdaman ko talaga na tinulungan n’yo ako at saka inalagaan n’yo ako.” She further elaborated how Zanjoe didn’t make her feel awkward nor frightened because of the level of respect that he showed her.

Zanjoe, meanwhile, imparted how they manifested that Sue befitted the role of Lexy so well, without expecting it or foreseeing that they’re going to be on-screen partners. He told her, “Salamat dahil wala kang ka-arte-arte, pinadali mo ‘yong mga eksena natin. ‘Yun nga, medyo may maseselan pero hindi tayo nahirapan dahil nagtutulong tayong dalawa. Salamat at happy ako para sa’yo. Happy ako para sa nangyari sa’yo dito sa show na ‘to. Congrats and sana marami ka pang gawin na proyekto dahil napakahusay mo ‘di lang sa pag-arte, talented ka sa lahat ng bagay”.

The 39-year-old actor also congratulated and thanked Jodi for the sacrifices he did for the show, as well as how blessed they are to have one another during their lock-in taping in Baguio City. He stated, “’Di ko malalagpasan ‘tong project na ‘to, ‘di ko magagawa ‘yong character ko kung hindi ikaw ang gumanap na Dra. Jill. Grabe ‘yong pagbitbit mo sa akin on-cam [and] off-cam, talagang nakabantay ka sa amin, kung ano ba ‘yong nararamdaman namin kung okay ba sa akin. Ang sarap lang sa pakiramdam na naging [successful] ang show dahil sa teamwork, sa respeto sa isa’t isa…Kaya napakasuwerte naming lahat na kami ang magkakasama sa lock-in namin sa Baguio, na kahit gano’n katagal, na ang dami-daming sinakripisyo, lalo ka na na ang dami-dami mong sinakripsyo para sa show na ‘to. Kaya naman congratulations and thank you sa lahat.”

Jodi, on the other hand, expressed her gratitude not only to the both of them, but to the rest of the cast, too. She said, “Maraming salamat kasi sa totoo lang, napadali rin ang trabaho ko dahil sumasampa ang mga katrabaho ko nang alam nila ‘yong mga characters [nila], alam ninyo kung anong gagawin ninyo. Kumbaga, nadadala n’yo ako doon sa mga ginagawa ninyo. Thank you to both of you kasi pareho kayong teamplayer. Hindi kayo naging madamot. Salamat sa tiwala na ibinigay ninyo and gusto ko lang din sabihin na pinagkatiwaalan ko din kayo noong ginagawa natin ang proyekto na ‘to at masaya ako kasi mutual ‘yong respeto na meron tayo para sa isa’t isa”.

She further expressed how it’s such a blessing to be given the opportunity to work alongside a “bonggang-bonggang ensemble na cast”. He also echoed Zanjoe’s comment on how their lock-in taping felt lighter and easier because they have one another.

The “Silent Superstar” then clarified that Jill’s hair wasn’t a wig, unlike what many people believe in. She also realized not having the chance to ask for at least one of her costumes. Direk Connie revealed that they just borrowed the outfits from small entrepreneurs and up-and-coming fashion designers. Thus, she reminded the cast to take extra care of each article since they’re expensive.

With regards to what they think is the most exciting part of making this series, Zanjoe said that it would be the moment when the audiences here and abroad began to appreciate the project, as well as be able to relate with the narrative and enjoy it. In short, the overall success of the show is the most exciting part of the show. Jodi agreed to what he said, implying that it would be how our fellow Filipinos have patronized The Broken Marriage Vow, and how they have become proud of the output they offered.

For Direk Andoy, “The most exciting part talaga ay ‘yong pagkukuwento, ‘yong pagkuwento mo bilang isang Pinoy filmmaker dahil adaptation ‘to. So, ayaw mong gayahin ‘yong mga versions na napanood mo because hindi talaga pwedeng maging gano’n kasi iba ‘yong kultura nila, iba ‘yong nuances ng mga artista. And also, the most exciting part really is this bunch of amazing multi-talented actors na hindi na kami nahirapan to direct them because they know, to begin with, kung ano ‘yong mga characters nila, kung ano ‘yong mga scenes na gagawin nila, because we did this at the height of the pandemic and it’s so difficult for us as filmmakers na i-workshop pa sila o sabihin pa sa kanila kung ano pa ang mga susunod na mga scene. Sila na rin mismo, meron silang mga ambag para mapaganda ‘yong ginagawa naming project”.

Meanwhile, Direk Connie expressed, “Sa akin, ang pinaka-exciting is ‘yong makita ko three-dimensionally ‘yong konsepto o ‘yong vision na dati nasa utak lang, ngayon nakikita mo na siya, nangyayari. ‘Yong parang ang sarap maglaro…But at the same time, the whole shoot does not rely on one person alone e. It relies on each and everyone to make that vision happen.” She also went on to commend the teamwork of everyone from the utility to the highest ranks, as well as to impart how it really felt good to see something she worked hard for bloom and come to life.

When it comes to how they would want the people to remember this teleserye, Direk Connie said that she would want it to be remembered as the first-ever series that is very Filipino in approach but in a global context, as well as how it made our kababayans all over the world feels proud to be Pinoys. On the other hand, Direk Andoy wishes it to be recalled as the project that augmented the standard of Pinoy series and be able to compete globally, and be recognized via digital platform all over the world at the same time.

The cast also shared some of their fondest memories during their lock-in taping, as well as their favorite scenes.

Jodi then dropped a shocking revelation, confessing that she actually considered that The Broken Marriage Vow would be the last project she’s going to do as she felt like she has nothing new nor bigger to offer in her next project or character. But it changed when she got out of their lock-in taping as she realized that she only needs to take a break and relax. She further revealed that there are no concrete plans yet onto what she’s going to do after this teleserye, so we should just watch out for it.

The mediacon capped off with the actors and directors thanking the viewers for their love and support, as well as to invite them to continue watching The Broken Marriage Vow until the very end. They also took the chance to celebrate Jodi’s birthday on June 16 by surprising her with a delectable cake!