A lot of on-screen tandems end up having off-screen relationships. But it is the exact opposite for Kapuso couple Ruru Madrid and Bianca Umali, who found themselves on the other side of the spectrum
This is an excerpt from MEGA Entertainment’s April 2023 Issue
Beautiful faces, big-hearted energy, and modern-classic style—three descriptions suddenly come to mind as GMA’s top homegrown actors Ruru Madrid and Bianca Umali are approaching me at the table beside the photoshoot area. The young stars are ready to intimately talk about their first-ever on screen project together, The Write One.
Ruru and Bianca sit very close to one another, with their hands intertwined like it’s second nature. When I ask questions, they briefly look each other in the eye, smile, and continue or finish each other’s sentences—something, I find out, that comes naturally to them, as well.
They reveal how they never had any plans to actually work together throughout their four-year off-cam relationship.
“At first, never namin napag-usapan na gusto namin magka-work, as in ayaw namin,” shares Ruru.
Bianca adds, “We never look forward to it, kasi siguro we really want na separate iyong work and iyong relationship.” Ruru also stresses, “Kami ang pahinga ng bawat isa. We never talk about work.”
Then, The Write One—which came along thanks to Garlic Garcia, the content development manager of content service provider Viu—happened. It was Garcia who invited Bianca to a karaoke session.
“She invited us to an event,” Bianca recalls. “And I brought Ru as my plus one, and then, sakto, she told us that she wanted us to be together in a show, and she doesn’t see the point of us doing separate shows na hindi kami magkasama.”
Hot Couple
Both Ruru and Bianca have stellar career portfolios in the country’s number one network. Ruru, who is dubbed as “Kapuso Action-Drama Prince,” made a mark in Philippine showbiz through the shows Lolong and Running Man Philippines. Meanwhile, Bianca is known as “Kapuso’s Primetime Gem,” showing her acting range through the drama shows Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune and Kambal, Karibal. Now, they are at a point in their careers where they are given a bit of free hand to make decisions when it comes to their careers.
The road they took to get here wasn’t easy. Ruru and Bianca recall the adjustments that they had to make at the beginning of their careers, when they were paired with different love-team partners.
Read more about Ruru Madrid and Bianca Umali’s upcoming series in MEGA Entertainment’s April 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography DENNIS SULIT
Creative Direction JONES PALTENG
Fashion Direction RYUJI SHIOMITSU
Beauty and Grooming Direction MIA CASTRO
Styling JOHN PAUL DIZON (Bianca) and DAVID MILAN (Ruru)
Makeup THAZZIA FALEK
Hair MYCKE ARCANO
