Actress-singer Maris Racal revealed on Wednesday, February 2, that her real-life boyfriend Rico Blanco always makes her feel safe.
The couple will work for the first time in the upcoming limited series The Goodbye Girl.
In the virtual media conference of the series, she said, “Para sa akin si Rico ewan ko, if yung presence ko to him is like fun, happy vibes, sa akin talaga is pahinga. It’s like security. Parang I feel safe when he’s around.”
Racal further stated, “Safe talaga yung feeling ko ‘pag and’yan si Rico.”
The actress then explained that Blanco tends to provide the answers she seeks whenever she feels down or anxious.
“Feeling ko kapag any kind of problem or overthinking, kapag sinasabi ko sa kanya, he always gives this logical reason kung bakit ko ‘yon nararamdaman and like unti-unti kong naiintindihan yung self ko and whatever I was thinking. Gusto ko na may ganoon sa buhay ko and I like to keep that around.”
The Goodbye Girl is led by Angelica Panganiban, who plays Yanna, a heartbroken girl who talks about her failed relationship through a series of videos.
Meanwhile, Racal, who plays “the bitter hopia girl” Ria, admitted she shared similar experiences with her character.
“Ano naman ako eh, mabilis naman akong makatanggap like ‘okay kung itigil mo na go.’ Pero yeah, napagdaanan ko na yung mga hopia moments sa buhay, kahit naman siguro sino.”
The presscon also marks the couple’s first time sharing their relationship.
The couple has kept their relationship private for quite some time. They only went public in May 2021, with the actress confirming that she is dating Blanco.
According to Racal, talking about her love life makes her uncomfortable. However, her relationship with Blanco made her forget about the questions that the press would throw once they went public.
“Noong when we kept it as a secret po muna yung relationship namin kasi honestly hindi pa talaga ako ready. And then yung time na ‘okay I think I’m ready na i-post si Rico and all’ nakalimutan ko yung press and yung questions and stuff.
“So after kong mag-post noon, and then I’ve had mga presscons for MMK, nakalimutan ko na itatanong.
“Noong natanong ako for the first time about [our] relationship, parang yung kaba ko parang hindi ko ma-contain. Kasi ito yung pressure ko dati,” she shared.
Working together in the show, Blanco praised Racal for her acting skills. The latter then expressed how grateful she was to her “number one critic.”
“Well si Rico naman hindi naman siya BS talaga. Sasabihan ka niya ng totoo so I really appreciate yung sinabi niya kanina.”
She added, “So binibigyan niya ako ng mga comments and all so I take that to heart. But naiintindihan ko naman yung iba kapag hindi niya gusto yung gawa ko. But like na-appreciate ko, thanks for being honest.”
However, the actress revealed that working with her boyfriend in a show was strange. Racal explained that it was different to her seeing Blanco act.
Nevertheless, she realized it was fun working with her special someone on a project.
“But noong nagtuluy-tuloy na super comfortable ako. Parang, ‘Ah! Kaya pala ang saya ng mga mag-jowa ‘pag nasa set sila!’ Kasi masaya! Kasi and’yan yung boyfriend nila. ‘Ah okay ganito pala kasaya ‘yon.’ Parang oh my gosh I’m missing out! Finally meron na akong ka-eksena na boyfriend ko so that makes me very happy.”
The Goodbye Girl also stars Loisa Andalio, Barbie Imperial, Elisse Joson, RK Bagatsing, Joshua Colet, Ronnie Alonte, and Turs Daza.
It is based on the book of Noreen Capili and is directed by Derick Cabrido. The show is co-produced by Dreamscape Entertainment and Clever Minds.
Catch the show this Valentines’ Day on iWantTFC.
