Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin on the Enduring Magic of Love Teams

Just as many love teams that have come before and after them, Marvin and Jolina’s eventual pairing began as a product of chance. Before the pairing now known as “MarJo” came to be, Jolina had already accumulated acting credits as a child star, with her role in the youth-oriented series Ang TV as a launch pad for her influential presence in the industry. 

Soon enough, Marvin and Jolina were paired for the variety show’s segment, and things clicked. The audience’s warm reaction brought them roles in the teen drama series Gimik, which starred an ensemble cast with the likes of Judy Ann Santos, Rico Yan, Diether Ocampo, G. Toengi, and Mylene Dizon. Later on, this translated to their own top-billing roles in films like 1997’s Flames: The Movie and 1998’s Labs Kita Okey Ka Lang, with dialogue that became earworms in pop culture’s consciousness. 

The case, however, was different prior to their eventual team-up. “Ako nga, sinabihan na three years lang daw ako sa industriya,” Marvin recalled. “Hindi raw ako katangkaran, hindi ako kapogian. Tapos, 'pag pinagtabi ako kina Diether at kina Patrick (Garcia), mukha raw akong PA (personal assistant),” he laughed. “So ayun, tuwang-tuwa ako na hanggang ngayon, sa panahon na ito, kami pa rin ni Labtim.”

Many of Ex Ex Lovers’ scenes were shot with the charming skyline and historical architecture of Malta as a backdrop, where memories of the past are a running theme in both the film and the comeback itself. Plenty of Filipinos reside in the small European locale which made the actors feel at ease, and the moments that weren’t caught by the camera certified Marvin and Jolina’s chemistry and working relationship once again. 

In Malta and in scenes filmed back home, Marvin and Jolina dusted off their know-how as an onscreen pair, which, to them, involved warming up and internalizing their characters Ced and Joy. “Doon pumapasok 'yung chemistry na meron kami. And 'yung pinakahugutan 'nun, 'yung pinaka-rason na gusto ko maging secret,” Jolina explained, saying that the mystique was part of their tandem’s running force. “Gusto ko lagi lang akong, ‘Ano kaya 'yun? Ano ba mayroon siya sa dimples na 'yan? Ano ba mayroon siya sa kakulitan nitong alam ko naman nang-bubola lang pero patol na patol ako?’” 

Many cultural historians recognize that love teams are almost as old as cinema in the country, with Mary Walter and Gregorio Fernandez noted as the country’s first love team, who starred in a string of silent movies from 1928’s Ang Lumang Simbahan to 1934’s Ang Lihim ni Bathala. The audience detects the curious concept known as chemistry in one instance, and the industry runs with it at full speed. In what some may note as a conceptual “arranged marriage” of actors, these stars find themselves paired in several projects. The audience yearns for each appearance, and in between the lines and the scripted dialogue are the real-life questions of “Are they, or are they not?” Often, they’re artfully avoided or eventually confirmed. Staunch supporters will hope for the latter, but in the case of Marvin and Jolina, their reunion film may not have come to fruition if they, well, “were.”

In recent years, actors and actresses who were formerly in love teams have been vocal about the limitations brought about by the system, especially for those who yearn for artistic growth and a personal life that wasn’t hinged on an on-screen relationship. As actors who’ve been recognized as part of a love team, Marvin and Jolina understood where they were coming from. But they acknowledged that first and foremost, show business was a business, and like any industry, it was hinged on demand.

“It’s for the fans. Kahit sabihin natin ang hirap gawin, but meron bang madaling trabaho? So this is work. This is business,” Marvin said. “It’s not for everyone. Hindi lahat tumatagal. Kung hindi ka ganun kagutom, hindi mo gagawin 'yung mga pinagagawa sa’yo.”

Much has been said about love teams in discussions amid the showbiz system and the machinations that have “puppeteered” its actors for almost a hundred years. At its core, the love team is a pop culture pillar that spoke to the hopelessly romantic nature of Filipinos, an audience that unabashedly valued romance as a genre, regardless if the genre has been looked down upon as an art form. To Marvin and Jolina, there was already merit in the joy love teams brought to audiences, which was a strong argument for their existence. From an actor’s side, it was also what sparked careers and boosted livelihoods.

“Bakit tatanggalin ang isang bagay na may nakakatulong ng ibang tao? Merong ibang individual na 'yun 'yung paraan para sila sumikat,” Marvin said. Like them, many artistas in a love team setting are free to explore their own careers or their own passions, which, said Jolina, was vital to remind them of their own individualities. “Dapat lang talaga na magkaroon sila ng something na para sa sarili lang nila.”

More pairings have come after them, and there will be more as generations in the industry continue to be introduced. Love teams are evolving, as leeway has been made for actors who hoped to pursue beyond their on-screen partnerships. But it seems, from the view of the audience, the concept as a whole is not going away anytime soon–it just comes with a few changes, and hopefully, with more to come.