Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin ready to take partnership beyond ‘kilig’

Growing together as an on-screen pair for Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin means more than giving fans their next dose of kilig.

After years of building their partnership, the two are now looking toward roles that can push them outside their comfort zones while remaining conscious of the young audience that has followed their journey.

Their latest project, iWant’s A Cake to Remember, gave the FranSeth tandem a chance to mark a personal milestone. For Seth, one of the moments that stood out was finally sharing a kissing scene with Francine.

The pair had been approached about doing one in earlier projects, but they deliberately held off until they found a story and setting that felt appropriate.

“Siguro ‘yung kiss. Ito kasi totoo pong sagot, ‘yung mga projects na ginawa namin before A Cake to Remember hinihingan kami ng — kung kaya namin gawin, kung kaya namin mag-kiss sa isang scene pero sabi namin, gusto namin ibigay ‘yung ganong moment siyempre sa ABS-CBN. At tsaka, nasa tamang kwento, nasa tamang palabas (Probably the kiss. To be honest, for the projects we did before A Cake to Remember, we were asked — if we were willing — to do a kissing scene; but we said we wanted to save that kind of moment for ABS-CBN. Plus, it had to be the right story and the right show),” Seth shared.

For Francine, the scene carried its own significance. It was also her first kissing scene, making the decision to wait for the right project even more meaningful.

“Hindi pa ako nagkaroon ng kissing scene ever. At saka, ‘yung mga nauna naming projects before A Cake to Remember — hinihingan talaga kami ng kiss pero gusto talaga namin ibigay sa ABS-CBN kasi siyempre sa kanila kami talaga nagmula and parang, we want to give back kahit sa maliit na way (I’ve never had a kissing scene — ever. Also, for the projects we did prior to A Cake to Remember, we were actually asked to do a kissing scene; we really wanted to grant that request to ABS-CBN because, naturally, that’s where we started, and we wanted to give back, even in a small way),” she said.

But the two also wanted the moment to serve a purpose within the story rather than exist simply for fan service.

“Hinahanapan din kasi dapat ‘yun ng magandang kwento, and I think naging perfect scene siya sa series na ’to kasi micro series and parang ano bang iiwan mo sa mga manonood na tatatak sa kanila bukod sa kinilig sila at nasaktan (You really need a compelling story for that, and I think it turned out to be the perfect scene for this series — especially since it’s a micro-series — because you want to leave the audience with something that truly resonates with them, beyond just the thrill of romance or the sting of heartbreak),” Francine added.

Beyond the usual love-team formula

With that milestone behind them, the next question is how far Francine and Seth are willing to stretch themselves as performers.

While the pair is not ruling out more mature or unconventional material, Francine suggested that “daring” may not be the best way to describe what they want to explore next. Instead, the focus is on having the courage to accept roles that demand more from them individually and as a pair.

“I think kung gagamiting ‘yung word na daring, baka maging too much to describe ‘yung next step. Baka mas magiging courageous kami to take on roles na daring for us individually and ng magkasama (I think using the word daring might be a bit too much to describe the next step. We might be more courageous in taking on roles that are daring for us — both individually and together),” she explained.

That distinction points to a shift in the way the pair views their partnership. Rather than simply escalating the romantic elements of their projects, they appear interested in discovering what else they can bring to the screen together.

For a love team that has grown alongside its audience, however, that evolution also comes with responsibility.

Growing without losing their audience

Francine and Seth know that a significant portion of their supporters is young, something Seth keeps in mind when considering the projects they take on.

“Karamihan po kasi ng mga tagahanga namin is bata so gusto po namin na may mapulot pa rin na aral — kailangan po namin maging masinop sa mga pinapakita namin para kahit papaano, hindi po namin tinatanggal sa sarili namin na gumawa ng ibang mga proyekto, o maging versatile na aktor o aktres (Since most of our fans are young, we want them to still be able to glean some lessons from what we do; at the same time, we need to be prudent about the content we present, without ruling out the possibility of taking on other projects or becoming versatile actors and actresses),” Seth said.

A Cake to Remember may have delivered a memorable romantic milestone for the tandem, but it also hints at what could come next: A FranSeth partnership that is willing to evolve, take risks and discover a wider range of stories.