Words by Matthew Mendiola
Photos by Jeff Pascual
It has been close to two decades since fans of Angelica Panganiban and Carlo Aquino first watched the “Cargel” tandem make their debut on the hit ‘90s show G-mik. While Angelica Panganiban and Carlo Aquino may have gone from real-life lovers to just friends, fans can expect to see the onscreen tandem rekindle their flame once again in their upcoming reunion film Exes Baggage.
Directed by Dan Villegas and produced by ABS-CBN’s latest film outfit, Black Sheep, Exes Baggage follows the love story of Pia (played by Angelica) and Nix (played by Carlo), two romantics who haven’t had the best experiences with past relationships. The teaser trailers feature flirty exchanges between the characters, and a lot of hugot (Watch the new teaser trailer). Fans are reminded why they fell in love with the Cargel tandem. After all this time, sparks still fly between the two.
During the Exes Baggage media launch, Angelica and Carlo answered questions fans have been longing to ask, particularly regarding their current relationship status and what it was like to work with each other again.
Angelica and Carlo admitted that they both had their fair share of mistakes in the past, and while breaking up wasn’t easy for them, time heals. On moving on and getting over, Carlo said, “Oras lang. Kailangan mo lang talaga ang mga kaibigan mo tapos siguro mag-focus ka sa trabaho. Huwag mo masyadong isipin. (You just need time. You need friends and to focus on work. Don’t overthink things.)”
The pair said that even though they are real-life exes, they never felt awkward with each other on set. As Angelica said, sobrang kilala nila ang isa’t-isa (They knew each other so well). Working together reminded them of the things that they missed about each other. For Carlo, it was seeing Angelica’s “pabaliw” na quirks, like how she would talk to plants and animals (which Angelica jokingly explained as her exes’ fault–“kagagawan ito ng mga nanakit sa akin (the ones who hurt me did that)”). While the two may not have the real-life fairy tale ending Cargel fans are hoping for, they’re happy with just being good friends.
The pair enjoyed working on the film. For them, Exes Baggage, which happens to be their first feature film together, is definitely a dream come true. The two teased each other about the kissing scenes in the movie. Carlo described them as “wild” and “pwede pang Instagram”, while Angelica said that when we see the film, we’ll agree with her about how yummy Carlo was, “Pag napanood niyo, parang tama yung sinabi ni Angelica. Ang yummy niya sa movie (If you see the film, you’ll see Angelica’s right. She’s very ‘yummy’ in the movie).”
While they couldn’t give too much spoilers, what they loved most about the film were the different dynamics at play. From the lighthearted scenes like the first time Pia and Nix meet at the bar to the heavier moments in the movie. Angelica said that playing their roles felt so natural, and she lauded Dan Villegas for realistically portraying the relationship and all its complexities.
When asked about what’s next for Cargel, the two hinted that Exes Baggage won’t be the last time they will be working together on the big screen. Carlo even said that he’s hoping for a G-mik cast reunion, “Isa yan sa mga gusto kong gawin. Sana gagawin ng Black Sheep. Siyempre ang saya noon kasi nagkaroon ng reunion ang Gimik–sana kami rin (That’s one of the things I wanna do. I hope Black Sheep does it. It was so fun since Gimik got a reunion–I’m hoping the same for us).”
Cargel fans, save the date. Exes Baggage is scheduled for release on September 26, 2018.
