How did Barbie Forteza and David Licauco prepare for their kissing scene in ‘Pulang Araw?’

Barbie Forteza and David Licauco went through some preparations for their kissing scene in "Pulang Araw."

In a recent interview with "Updated With Nelson Canlas," the Kapuso Primetime Princess and the Pambansang Ginoo shared that they avoided eating "garlicky" food before the scene, and, of course, brushed their teeth and used mouthwash to keep things fresh.

But aside from the physical preparation, there's also the emotional aspect.

For Barbie, it wasn't hard to get emotionally motivated for the delicate scene, but she still had to put some “gigil” factor to make the kissing seem real.

“Hindi naman mahirap i-motivate emotionally kasi very obvious ‘yung love ni Adelina and ni Hiroshi for each other so lamanan mo lang talaga ‘yon ng restraint and ‘yung pagiging forbidden kasi hindi talaga sila pwede,” Barbie said.

“So parang ‘yung ganon, ‘yung gigil. Ganon talaga eh. Bakit naging magkaibigan tayo dati pero bakit hindi natin pwedeng mahalin ang isa’t-isa? ‘Yung alam mo ‘yung ganong pakiramdam na may mga tao na isa lang ang nagmamahal, yung isa hindi niya mahal ‘yung tao. Pero ang kaso kasi dito, parehas naming mahal ‘yung isa’t-isa pero bakit hindi pwede?” she added.

Barbie also admitted in the same interview that she received bashing online for faking the kiss scene.

“Hindi daw ako magaling na actress kasi hindi raw ako nagpapa-kiss,” she said.

The August 23 episode of “Pulang Araw” saw the characters of Adelina and Hiroshi kissing, with Barbie saying on X (formerly Twitter) later on that she was slightly baffled during the scene.

“Pulang Araw” traces the intertwined lives of four childhood friends: Adelina (Barbie), Teresita (Sanya), Hiroshi (David), and Eduardo (Alden). As war ravages their homeland and Japanese forces occupy the Philippines, their dreams, friendships, and loyalties are tested, leading them on a journey of self-discovery and resilience. 

"Pulang Araw" airs on GMA Prime on weekdays at 8 p.m. after "24 Oras" and on Netflix.

— Jade Veronique Yap/CDC, GMA Integrated News