Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards on Recreating Ethan and Joy’s Chemistry in Hello, Love Again

Five years after their on-screen pairing won fans over, Filipino superstars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards will return to play Joy and Ethan in Hello Love, Goodbye . The sequel to the 2019 box office hit Hello Love, Goodbye finds Joy (Bernardo) living and struggling in Canada after leaving Ethan (Richards) in Hong Kong. Five years after the events of the first film, Ethan also arrives in Canada, and the lovers must come to terms with how much each of them has changed.

Katie Garcia-Sampana returns to direct Hello Again, a film that has already set its own record as the widest-released Filipino film in North America to date. Fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the reunion of Bernardo and Richards, and the film is a touching tribute not only to the challenges faced by Filipino expatriates abroad but also to the eternal nature of young love. While Hello Again ‘s box office total remains to be seen, there’s a chance audiences could take a third spin around the city of stars if it lives up to the first film’s highs.

Connected

ScreenRant interviewed Bernardo and Alden about reconnecting on screen in Hello Love Again . The duo shared their favorite memories of filming the film in Canada, reflected on how Joy and Ethan have changed since the first film, and their gratitude to fans for the opportunity to be a part of this new love team.

Ethan and Joy in the movie “Hello, I Love You Again” are very different people.

But their love remained strong despite the hardships.

Swearing Scene: Hello Love Again The story takes place 5 years after the previous part but for the audience, it has actually been 5 years. How long did it take you and how did each of you feel about immersing yourself in the story of Joy and Ethan again?

Alden Richards: Well, it was a challenge for us, being apart for five years in the movie – and somehow in real life, but we saw each other as much as we could.

I think being able to step back into the shoes of my characters was quite refreshing and challenging in a way because in the five years that Joy and Ethan were apart, a lot of things changed and a lot of questions were asked. What happened? What changed individually and as a couple? I think these are the challenges that the characters face as the Hello, Love Again story continues.

Screen Rant: Katherine, can you tell us what changed for Joy? We see this footage of you two still trying to communicate and we see things quickly fall apart for Joy.

Kathryn Bernardo: Oh my gosh, so many things. I think things have changed, especially with Joy, and now we have Marie. I think Canada, and especially her relationship with Ethan, has made her do it because she needs to survive. That’s why she becomes Marie; she needs to hide all the pain and what she’s going through after what happened to Ethan.

And also after the pandemic, I think all the changes that have happened to her have made her who she is now, which is Marie. She acts differently, especially with new people. She’s very careful. She has a lot of walls, but at the end of the day when she comes home, takes off her makeup, changes her clothes… I think she’s still the Joy that we all loved in Hello, Love, Goodbye. She’s just trying to show this image right here and doesn’t want to appear weak.

Screen Rant: Speaking of Canada, we met Ethan and Joy Dean from Hong Kong in the first film, and now we’ve met them again in Canada. What was it like for each of you to film this leg of the trip in Canada, and what was your favorite memory?

Alden Richards: Yeah, I think being able to shoot Hello Love Again in another country really helped change the nature of what we were going through; the growth and maturity of both characters. The location helped a lot, but also, a lot has changed in five years and they’ve gotten older. The circumstances really changed the way they think and the way they approach life and love.

But sometimes in life, when we’re faced with life decisions, sometimes love is always the right answer. I think that’s the question that they’re both trying to answer, but they’re struggling with the circumstances and the context that they have in their relationship. If you’re talking about filming in Canada, sorry.

Kathryn Bernardo: I loved filming in Canada. It was a completely different experience than Hong Kong. Distance-wise, it’s a long way because it’s only a couple of hours of direct flight from Hong Kong to Manila, but this time in Canada – especially in Calgary – we were really far away from home.

I think it helped us in some of the scenes. The distance helped us, as he said, develop our characters. It was fun to reprise these roles and experiment with these roles again.

The struggles in Hello, Love Again will appeal to young people all over the world.

The film asks the question: “Is love always the answer to everything?”

Screen Rant: We’ve heard some things from Katherine about how Joy has changed. Alden, what can you say about the differences between Ethan in 2020 and 2024?

Alden Richards: Ethan in Hello Love, Goodbye, as you can see, this character is a laid-back guy. He has a lot of love and cares a lot about the people he cares about. But with Hello Love Again, a lot of things have changed for this guy because of the time away from Joy.

Joy is in Canada but lives in Hong Kong on the other side of the world. And when the pandemic hits, a lot of challenges come his way and it really affects the way he looks at life now. Ethan has grown up completely in this film and I think people might be shocked by how Ethan deals with the challenges that he and Joy face in this film.

Screen Rant: Katherine, you’ve teased how Marie is different from Joy, but what can you say about the relationships she’s building in Canada professionally and personally?

Kathryn Bernardo: I’ll start with the personal. As for Joy and Ethan, I think it’s really cool to see their dynamic change as the series progresses. From having Joy fulfill her dream of flying to Canada and then just experiencing this long-distance relationship, trying to work it out, and then oh my gosh, what happens next? I think it’s interesting because a lot of my friends are in long-distance relationships and it’s not easy. We get to see that side of Joy as a girl-lover and how she’s able to navigate her relationship.

I think like anyone who moves abroad, whether it’s to Canada or wherever you want to go, I just admire her courage to pursue her dreams and try new things. There’s uncertainty, but I think what I admire most about Joy is her courage. She gets what she wants, she’ll do anything for her dreams and that’s awesome. She’s very strong, she’s a dreamer and she has Ethan supporting her in her dreams.

I think it’s great because a lot of women go through this, especially when they move abroad and try their luck abroad. This is not a joke. And through this film, we get to see it from the Filipino perspective. What usually happens when you get there, how you start rebuilding your life. And breakups happen, which complicates things. With all these layers, it was fun to play these roles and I hope you guys enjoy it.

Screen Rant: Alden, one thing that’s so admirable about Ethan is how much he supports Joy in her dreams. Can you talk about his enduring love for her and how he believes at the beginning of the film that they can get back together?

Alden Richards: There’s a lot of promise in the beginning of the film. We see how confident Ethan is in supporting Joy in achieving her dreams. And that one day they’ll realize this future and meet and spend the rest of their lives together. But there are things in life that come to us unexpectedly and we don’t know how circumstances will impact our lives and the promises we’ve made.

I think because of the circumstances of these characters in their lives, there are a lot of questions when it comes to identity and who they are as a couple. Without spoiling too much, I think it’s the truth [about] doing the right thing. I think it’s the answer to questions that love can’t always answer. Do what you think is right for your life.

AND [then there’s] the question: “Is love always the answer to everything?” I think that’s one of the questions that will come up as we tell the story of Joy and Ethan.

Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards thank the universe for bringing them together on screen

At the time of its release, Hello Love Goodbye became the highest-grossing Philippine film.

Screen Rant: While watching Hello Love, Goodbye I read all the comments from fans who were stunned by your chemistry. They love you two and love watching your performance. Were you surprised when the film first came out? What was your favorite response from fans and viewers?

Kathryn Bernardo: I think [I loved] everything that happened in the first film, and there were a lot of surprises along the way. We both came from a love team, and then we worked together from that love team. They were like, “What would happen if you put them together on screen?” We really didn’t expect anything. We were a little nervous because we weren’t sure if it would work, so it was really unexpected.

Even in this movie we didn’t expect [part 2] to happen, but that was another surprise. Sometimes it’s nice to let the universe do its thing. I think now is the perfect time for a reunion project because everyone, Filipinos here and in the Philippines, are also looking forward to the continuation. And hopefully this will answer all their questions.

Alden Richards: In addition to what Kat said, the beauty and uncertainty is one of the [best] things. We trusted the creative team, we trusted each other, and we jumped in together not knowing what was going to happen. But we were very fortunate with the opportunities that opened up after the first film came out.

We’re working on the sequel now and I think it’s a testament to the courage we’ve shown over the years. Like Kat said, the Universe is always doing something and you just have to trust it.