In May 2023, veteran actress Manilyn Reynes gave her opinion on Liza Soberano’s statement that the only way to become famous in the Philippines is by having a love team. In an interview on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” Manilyn disagreed with this view, emphasizing that an artist can succeed with their own hard work and talent.

According to Manilyn, while there are times when having a love team can help, especially for those who are just starting out in the industry, she believes that showcasing one’s own skills and talent is enough to succeed. She added that it is important that an artist does not give “half-baked” or lack of effort to their work.

Meanwhile, Liza Soberano expressed her opinion that the culture of love teams in the Philippines can put a limit on an artist’s growth, as fans expect the couple to stay together on and off camera.

Despite their different perspectives, both Manilyn and Liza came from the experience of having love teams in their careers, which gave them their respective perspectives on this issue.

Manilyn Reynes, against Liza Soberano’s comments about love teams
Veteran actress Manilyn Reynes disagrees with former Kapamilya star Liza Soberano’s controversial and talked-about statement regarding “love teams” and how an artist can become famous in the Philippines.

She was asked about it on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda”.

“Certainly you can do that (getting famous or recognized) on your own… given the talent you’ve been given. You don’t need another one,” said Manilyn.

“I’m not saying you don’t need a love team. Somewhere, sometimes, somehow you need to have a love team too, especially when you’re growing up, when you’re a teenager, that’s what it is. But of course you can do it on your own. Show what you’ve got.”

The title of the podcast episode that this came from is “Liza Soberano on Spending Money and Managing Stress” where one of the questions she was asked was about her showbiz career.

Liza mentioned her newly joined management company “Careless” owned by James Reid, who is also an actor-singer in the Philippines.

Here, Liza mentioned the existence of “love teams” in Philippine showbiz. She said that in the Philippines, if you’re not a singer, an artist’s rise to fame will be faster if they are paired with a love team.

She even compared it to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

“In the Philippines, the only way to become a big star really, if you’re not a singer, if you’re an actor, is to be in a love team,” said Liza.

She even gave an example of her own track record, which if you examine the movies and TV shows she has done, it would be noticeable that she has only been paired with one co-actor (Enrique Gil).

They say that there is an “illusion” among fans that the couples are “real-life couples” so if the artists who are “boxed” into love teams are paired with others, their die-hard supporters will be outraged.

Ashley and Peniel were surprised by the trend in the showbiz industry in the Philippines.

Liza, on the other hand, said that this has been a trend in showbiz for a long time, since the 70s or 80s.

On the other hand, Liza said that she doesn’t judge some love teams that ended up in real life. She said that many of them were really happy in their marriage.