The press conference for ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc.’s upcoming family drama “Meet, Greet and Bye” was successfully held on Wednesday, October 8. The film stars Piolo Pascual, Joshua Garcia, JK Labajo, Belle Mariano, and the “Diamond Star” of Philippine showbiz, Maricel Soriano.
In an interview with TV Patrol, Pascual shared his excitement about returning to Star Cinema after several years.
“It’s good to be home, it’s good to be back home and to be able to offer the audience something so close to our hearts, something talaga na regalo namin para sa audience. So sana tangkilikin nila ang Pelikulang Pilipino — Meet, Greet and Bye from Star Cinema,” said Piolo.
Pascual’s last Star Cinema project was the 2017 film “Last Night.” In recent years, he has been more active in projects under MQuest Ventures, the film and TV production arm of MediaQuest Holdings, the parent company of TV5.
For singer-actor JK Labajo, “Meet, Greet and Bye” marks his first-ever Star Cinema movie — an opportunity he considers both humbling and inspiring.
“I feel really grateful, feel really honored as well and blessed to work with Star Cinema and these wonderful cast and sana hindi ito yung huli, eto pala yung simula talaga,” Labajo said.
Belle Mariano, who stars in her first Star Cinema film without her regular on-screen partner Donny Pangilinan, shared her gratitude for being part of such a major production alongside veteran actors.
“Syempre it’s such an honor to be able to work with such amazing artists, artists that I really look up to and all throughout the movie I would say I learned a lot,” said Belle.
Meanwhile, Maricel Soriano said she agreed to do the film because of its touching and relatable story.
“Maganda ho ang kwento atsaka totoo na nangyayari sa (mga) buhay natin kaya nagustuhan ko po ’to,” shared Maricel.
Like Piolo, this film also marks Maricel’s comeback to Star Cinema. Her last project with the Kapamilya film outfit was the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy,” alongside Vice Ganda — a performance that earned her the Best Actress award that year.
“Meet, Greet and Bye,” directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, opens in cinemas nationwide on November 12.