VP/Xclusives | Art of Timeless Chemistry: The Marvin Agustin-Jolina Magdangal Effect Continues

“Oh, yes…” No other phrase fits perfectly after this line than the iconic “… kaibigan mo ‘ko. Kaibigan mo lang ako!” And we owe the feeling we get every time we hear this string of words to the stars who first uttered them—our ultimate source of ‘kilig’ and among the OG’s of Filipino romantic comedy: Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal (MarJo). It’s been almost three decades since we first fell in love with them, but the MarJo effect continues, painting us with the art of timeless chemistry.

Their spark on-screen and behind the camera catches the heart of any rom-com freak, especially if you are a devotee of the many love teams that emerged in the 90s. The MarJo magic has been consistently lingering in our hearts, thirsty for all the kinds of romance—from meet-cutes to slow burns—that Marvin and Jolina have ever shown us through their films. Although we haven’t seen them together in a project for years, we all know for a fact that the spark remains alive in the crumbs of compiled MarJo clips we see online and the little moments they would mention each other’s names wherever.

Who would’ve thought their chemistry would even resonate one evening in a virtual meeting room, between our screens, and their typical interaction as friends? Jolina first entered the room with a bright smile, wearing her pink Malta cap and a green shirt. And the moment Marvin joined the virtual meet, Jolina immediately spoke: “Hi, labtim!” Oh, yes! They’re not just Marvin and Joilna in their world but each other’s forever love team. And any Filipino rom-com addict’s heart would melt in kilig after Marvin responded in the sweetest tone: “Hello, labtim!” Truly, the Marvin Agustin-Jolina Magdangal effect persists through and through!

Outtakes: Marvin and Jolina Behind the Cameras

We’ve seen them give life to film characters like Bujoy and Ned in “Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang?” (1998), who navigated themselves in a situation that’s probably no longer strange to many of us who fell in love with a friend. We’ve seen them portray Abigail and Nelson in “Hey, Babe!” (1999) who dealt with the complexities of a romance entangled in fate and honesty. MarJo, through their artistry, has told us stories that got us under the magic of their timeless chemistry. On the other hand, behind the scenes, and in real-life outtakes, Marvin and Jolina have so much more stories to tell about the moments they shared, wrapped in rom-com energy but this time more real.

As magical as their spark may appear to many of us, Marvin and Jolina believe that everything began just as how typical teenagers navigate themselves in the process of maturity. “Parang kapag tinitingnan ko nga, parang ang petty lang pala sobra no’ng mga problema namin dati—ng mga pinagtatampuhan namin dati pero noong mga panahon na ‘yon, feeling ko, very serious,” Jolina shared as she recalls some ‘petty’ MarJo moments in the past. Meanwhile, Marvin just couldn’t agree more: “Parang ang petty dati kasi nga ang bata-bata pa namin noon, kaya akala namin napaka-seryoso na ng mga pinagdadaaanan namin.” But isn’t it in the ‘petty’ moments that we sometimes find the most romantically thrilling situations in films and in life?

True enough, their innocence and what they deemed “pettiness” back then led Marvin and Jolina to more moments that even behind the cameras still scream romantic comedy. As they reminisced all those cute instances, they could not help but burst into laughter, reliving and feeling the magic of their favorite moments together.

“Pinakagusto ko talaga ‘yong sa ‘Labs Kita, Okay ka Lang?’ na movie. ‘Yong mga nangyari roon, ‘yong experience doon, doon niya ako tinuruan kung paano mag-text kasi siya ‘yong unang nagka-cellphone sa aming dalawa.”
-Jolina Magdangal

“Marami kaming mga magagandang moments. Isa roon ‘yong niyaya ko siya ng date sa bahay tapos pinagluto ko siya ng ‘masarap na masarap na masarap’ na crispy pata!”
-Marvin Agustin

After Marvin shared their cutesy date at-home setup in their younger years, Jolina immediately laughed, hinting at another side of the story. Marvin didn’t hold long enough before dropping a core memory they shared on that date. “Huwag mo nang baguhin, labtim, ‘yong kwento. Hindi, matigas ‘yong niluto ko kasi hindi pa ako masyadong marunong magluto noon, kaya sabi niya ‘Bubble gum ba ‘to?’ Tapos tawa na lang kami nang tawa. Pumunta na lang kami somewhere to eat,” he revealed.

Even without scripts and a storyline, life keeps writing them genuine and mundane film-like moments. Even though no cameras were around to record their true-to-life rom-com scenes, their memories captured even the littlest details of their stories back when they were just starting as a love team. On the other hand, as they got on with their careers and personal lives, their moments became as rare as their on-screen appearances together—not until life wrote yet another moment that just gives the romantic comedy energy we would all enjoy!

“Biglang nag-text sa akin si Marvin dahil nakita niya ‘yong sasakyan ko sa EDSA! Nandoon pala siya sa likod ng sasakyan ko! Tapos sabi niya ‘Huy, mag-coffee naman tayo.’ Tapos ‘yon, nag-coffee kami at nag-catch up.”
-Jolina Magdangal

One random day in a place where thousands of vehicles pass on every single day, Marvin and Jolina, who by that time were in different networks, just met again—another red string-perfect idea to remember MarJo. More than fate being the writer and director of it all, their relationship rooted in genuine love and respect made every Marvin-Jolina moment behind the cameras and in real-life outtakes possible.

Coming Soon: Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal are Ex Ex Lovers

Oh, yes! Years after missing the magic and chemistry of Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal on the big screen, MarJo will once again bring the kilig back to life as they reunite in Ex Ex Lovers, which they call their dream project. “Ilang beses nag-attempt gumawa, ilang script ang dumaan, pero kapag hindi pa time, hindi talaga matutuloy e. Hindi pwedeng ipilit. Kaya nga ang tawag namin ni Marvin dito ay dream project,” Jolina shared. “Kanino pa ba ako gagawa ng pelikula—kung babalik ako sa mundo ng pagpepelikula? Siyempre ang gusto ko, kasama ko ‘yong labtim ko,” she added.

Ex Ex Lovers – Official Trailer | PROJECT 8 PROJECTS

“Parang every year, ‘yong comeback daw namin ang pinagdadasal nila. At isa roon sina Tonet (Jadaone) at Dan (Villegas), kaya they wanted to make sure na kung magka-comeback kami, sila ang gagawa, at ito na nga ‘yon,” Marvin says when asked about the process that led to the MarJo reunion. Directed by JP Habac and produced by Antoinette Jadaone, Ex Ex-Lovers will surely give birth to new dialogues and scenes that will forever scream Marvin Agustin-Jolina Magdangal in our minds.

Years after doing individual projects, how was it working together again, I asked them. Marvin was quick to answer first, sharing a momnet from their first shooting day. “Actually, ‘yon ang nakakagulat. At first, parang paano ba ifi-fit ito, pero noong nagdikit, fit talaga! Nakakatuwa ang reaction ng production na kinikilig at natutuwa. Para kaming puzzle pieces na swak sa isa’t isa,” he replied. Meanwhile, Jolina pointed out the only adjustment she saw in working again with her love team, proving the magic of their timeless chemistry.

“Mas sumaya ngayon. Mas naging komportable pa, because kilala na namin talaga ang isa’t isa to the point na sa sobra na ‘yong connection namin, kahit kami ni Marvin ay nagulat na sabay kaming nagbitaw ng isang dialogue na wala naman sa script.”
-Jolina Magdangal

Expressing their excitement for the premiere of their dream project on February 12, the Ultimate Love Team shared moments during their shoot that are another set of entries to their real-life outtakes. “May ekesena kami na grabe ‘yong support na ginawa sa akin ni Marvin doon. May mga times na siyempre, nahihirapan akong umiyak pero ‘yong support ni Marvin kahit ‘yong hawak lang niya ng kamay, nararamdaman kong tinutulungan niya ako,” Jolina shared. Marvin also hinted on the roller coaster of emotions that their comeback will bring.

“May mga eksena na dapat light moments lang, na kunwari magkatinginan kami tapos dapat light lang pero nagiging sobrang emotional ng eksena. Totoong-totoo ‘yong mga nararamdaman namin.“
-Marvin Agustin

Meanwhile, the love team believes that Ex Ex Lovers will move people and create a fresh perspective on the complex but magical concept of loving and being loved. Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal also shared where they drew their most authentic emotions to portray the characters of Joy and Ced and convey the messages beyond their lines.

“Ang laking bahagi ng mga personal naming istorya at istorya ng mga pelikula namin dati—maraming dikit dito sa movie na ‘to. Kaya kapag napanoon nila itong movie na ‘to, maraming magpa-flashback sa kanila.”
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-Marvin Agustin

“Hindi lang ito basta isang pelikula. Isa siyang kuwento ng totoong pagkakaibigan, relationship ng dalawang tao na mag-iiba ng meaning ng love. It’s beyond soulmate, beyond love, beyond family.”
-Jolina Magdangal

Teaser: Marvin-Jolina Through and Through

As we look forward to their most-awaited comeback on our screens through Ex Ex Lovers, I asked them about the possibility of seeing them together in projects more often soon. Both Marvin and Jolina are careful enough not to reveal whatever is coming but tease on a story in progress that Marvin himself conceptualized. “Actually, mayroon kaming iniisip ni Jolina na bago. May pini-pitch ako sa kaniya na bagong pelikula kasi inspired na inspired ako rito sa movie namin ngayon. Pero di ko pa pwedeng sabihin dito kasi hindi pa buo,” he teased on a potential Marvin Agustin-Jolina Magdangal project. Meanwhile, Jolina was quick to support her labtim’s idea, which despite being under its progress at the moment, she would be more than willing to do.

As they enjoy the moments they share for their upcoming film, Jolina and Marvin have so many goals in store for themselves as partners on-screen and friends for life. The majority of these were from the inspiration and magic they encountered doing Ex Ex Lovers. “Di pa nga tapos ‘yong pelikula, ang dami-dami ko nang naiisip gawin. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam! Sana I could do more after this,” Marvin revealed. Meanwhile, Jolina also hopes that the MarJo partnership goes beyond their acting projects and even into business as lifetime friends.

“If mabibigyan ka ng gift na magkaroon ng project at mabait na katrabaho, cherish that. Mahalin mo! Disiplina at respeto sa sarili, sa trabaho, at sa katrabaho,” Marvin says on what kept their chemistry alive. Jolina agreed while also emphasizing the importance of a heart full of graitude and a mind that always go back to how everything began.

The future, unlike films, does not drop teasers and trailers on what really awaits. On the other hand, to live in the present and to look forward is to write a story of what tomorrow could be. And so I asked Marvin and Jolina about their promises to each other to keep the MarJo magic alive through and through.

“Promise, labtim, safe space mo rin ako kahit pa anong mangyari, alam mo na ‘yong trust and friendship ay hindi magbabago sa hindi magandang paraan. Kung magbabago man, ‘yon ay palaging sa ikakaganda pa ng ating samahan. At anytime, kung anong maitutulong ko at kaya ko, go! Love kita at love ka namin ng family ko!”
-Jolina Magdangal

“Promise, ‘yong mutual respect natin sa isa’t isa, sa craft natin, at sa mga gusto nating gawin individually and as a labtim, hindi ‘yon mawawala. Sana magtagumpay tayo, hindi lang sa mga trabahong ginagawa natin kundi kahit doon sa mga personal nating buhay. Promise kong hindi tayo magiging stranger sa isa’t isa.”
-Marvin Agustin