JE C.C.
The long-awaited TV series will make its Primetime Bida debut on June 27.
The cast members and the showrunners of the upcoming Kapamilya series, shared details of their show to members of the press, during a media launch held yesterday, June 15.
Aside from the expected questions about the characters and plot details of the series, one of the most interesting and most intriguing questions asked, was whether or not A Family Affair, is the one originally intended for the now-Kapuso star, Bea Alonzo.
Previously, Alonzo’s supposed teleserye was shelved, when she announced her departure from ABS-CBN and eventual transfer to GMA Network last year. Originally titled, Kahit Minsan Lang, the series was supposed to be starred by Alonzo, along with Richard Gutierrez, Rafael Rossell, Christian Bables, and Jameson Blake. Of the original four lead male stars, only Blake was able to retain his role, when the series was handed to Ivana Alawi.
Marking Alawi’s first lead role in a teleserye, A Family Affair, made necessary adjustments to make it fit to allow the actress to own it and shine.
“When Bea left, the show, the management, and all of us felt that the show was too good to be shelved. So we racked our brains, we revamped, we edited, we changed the core of the concept, to make it 10x, 20x better than what was left behind” shared the show’s creative manager Jay Fernando, who told the press that Alawi was on top of his mind when the casting was made.
“It’s a common knowledge that it was (Bea’s project) but ang layo na nya…kasi unang una, if it was tailor made for Ivana, malayo na ang itinakbo ng istorya. At saka iba ang casting nun eh…ngayon naiba na sya nang husto. It’s basically an Ivana project. So ‘yun…kung ano’t anuman…kung ano man sya in the past, it was in the past. Io ngayon ay ibang project” added director Jerome Pobocan, who shared Alawi was already attached to the project when he and Raymund Ocampo,the show’s other director, joined the series.
Fernando also emphasized how the creatives of the show, ensured that Cherry Red, the lead female character of the series, would be perfect for Ivana Alawi’s capabilities.
“Ivana and Bea are two very different people. You can not just get an actress to portray (Cherry Red). This particular program had to change it to suit Ivanaa as well..kasi may mga magagawa si Ivana na other actress can not do, and you can see that in the program na may magagawa sya na modern, and new, and exciting, and that is what we kept…and that is what we expanded, to make the show completely different and completely Ivana.”
Judging the leaked, unofficially released, the trailer for Kahit Minsan Lang, it is also easy to see the stark difference between the supposed Bea Alonzo-starrer and A Family Affair. “We changed the entire show, all of it was completely…even the core of the conflict” added Jay Fernando.
@lionheartv Is “A Family Affair” the project that Bea Alonzo left? #LionhearTV #EntertainmentNewsPH #AFamilyAffairMediaLaunch #IvanaAlawi #BeaAlonzo
A very noticeable similarity between the two projects is the rivalry among four brothers, who are all vying for the attention of the same woman. In A Family Affair, that one woman is Cherry Red, played by Alawi, while the four vying brothers are Paco Estrella (Gerald Anderson), Dave Estrella (Sam Milby), Sebastian Estrella (Jake Ejercito), and Andrew Estrella (Jameson Blake).
A Family Affair is slated to debut on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida block on June 27, 2022, after 2 Good 2 Be True. Watch the official full trailer below:
