Donny Pangilinan, Belle Mariano to star in ABS-CBN series ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
MANILA, Philippines – DonBelle, the team-up of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, are set to headline the primetime series titled Can’t Buy Me Love.
ABS-CBN announced on Tuesday, July 25, that the project under Star Creatives will be helmed under the direction of Mae Cruz Alviar.
During the press-conference, Belle expressed her excitement for the project. “This has always been a dream of mine. Growing up, I used to watch primetime seryes and to be able to do on ewith Direk Mae and him (Donny), grabe! I am so excited. I cannot wait.”
Meanwhile, director Mae also praised the love team for their dedication to the craft.
“They want to make this work even more,” she said. “Ito napaka-hardworking na couple nila, na love team nila. (They are a very hardworking couple, their loveteam) And, together I know that they will go very, very far.
Donny, on the other hand, shared that the connection with the director felt genuine, and he appreciated her guidance and support for their first-ever teleserye together.
“There are so many questions that we have. And we haven’t gone through a lot of these experiences and for her to say na ‘I will guide you, ganito ako, ako ang bahala (This is how I do it. I will help you with it).’ ‘Yung mga ganung (That kind of) words of wisdom, it really means a lot Direk. I am very, very excited to work with you,” the actor said.
Star Creatives also shared on Tuesday the poster for the project, giving fans a first look at the characters that the two will be portraying.
Belle is set to play Caroline, a wealthy Chinese woman from a traditional family, while Donny plays Bingo, a hardworking man devoted to supporting his loved ones.
In the poster, Belle’s clad in a sleek black ensemble, while Donny is sporting a man bun while wearing a gray sando and holding a face towel.
The series is set to begin shooting soon, and is slated to air at the end of 2023, but a final release date has yet to be announced.
Donny and Belle first became a love team when they starred in the 2021 web teen series He’s Into Her that went on for two seasons. They then went on to star in the big screen with the digital release of the 2021 film Love is Colorblind.
The two last worked together in the 2022 film An Inconvenient Love, where they played two young lovers agreeing to a convenient short-term relationship before Ayef (Belle) is set to leave to chase her dreams in Singapore.
Can’t Buy Me Love would serve as Donny and Belle’s first primetime series together. – with additional reports from Jacob Maquiling/Rappler.com
Jacob Maquiling is a Rappler intern.