Direk JP Laxamana On Why MaThon's Chemistry Is A 10/10

Despite last year's public scrutiny surrounding Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings, their first film together, "Sosyal Climbers," soared to No. 1 on Netflix Philippines — suggesting that the off-screen drama had little to no effect on their on-screen appeal. As of Monday (March 3), it entered the international streaming platform's Top 25 Global Movies, according to director Jason Paul "JP" Laxamana, who shared the good news in a social media post.

- Nathalie M. Tomada

The romantic-comedy follows Maris as Jessa, a real estate agent, who falls in love with Ray, a financial advisor. Struggling to make something out of their lives, the couple fall victim to a scam that leaves them drowning in debt. Desperate for a way out, they reinvent themselves with fake identities to infiltrate high society, hoping to reverse their sorry situation — but at what cost?

Meanwhile, when asked if the past controversy involving MaThon — their loveteam name — ever made him concerned about the film's reception, the director of romantic hits like "100 Tula Para Kay Stella" (starring Bela Padilla and JC Santos) and "Between Maybes" (with Gerald Anderson and Julia Barretto, a pairing then that sparked intrigue post-release) told The STAR that he never even brought it up with his lead stars. For him, their private lives were none of his business.

"I personally don't want to mix the personal with the professional," he shared in an exclusive online interview.

However, direk JP acknowledged how local showbiz often fixates on celebrities' personal lives — sometimes at the expense of their craft. While he understands that this is how the industry operates, he prefers not to feed the frenzy, so to speak.

Instead, he focused on the effort Maris and Anthony put into their first lead roles, following their tandem's breakout in the series "Can't Buy Me Love."

Their on-screen chemistry is unmistakable, lingering even through the film's extended kiss scene at the end — which, as direk JP revealed, was captured in just one take.

Read on:

What inspired you to come up with the story and what themes did you want to explore in "Sosyal Climbers"?