Alden Richards made a touching post for his leading lady Julia Montes and director Irene Villamor ahead of the opening of their film, Five Breakups and a Romance, in Philippine cinemas this October 18.

“Before our movie starts tomorrow, I’d like to dedicate this post to these 2.

(I don’t usually do this hehe),” he wrote on Instagram.

“Direk I, ang dami ko gustong sabihin pero kulang yung mga salita. Maraming salamat sa lahat ng natutunan ko sayo sa pelikula na ‘to, may it be work or personal. Hindi ko din akalain na lalalim yung relationship nating dalawa sa project na ‘to. Thank you for believing in me sa lahat ng aspeto. Hinding hindi ko makakalimutan lahat ng mga pinagdaanan natin. I’m very grateful, Direk,” he said.

Sharing his message for Julia, Alden said, “Jules, hahaha how do I even start to describe you, ngayon ko lang naramdaman ‘to sa isang katrabaho. First time meeting you was a breath of fresh air, ang gaan, ang sarap sa pakiramdam, pero higit sa lahat ang sarap sa puso.

“Thank you Jules… sa lahat lahat (alam mo na yun). You deserve everything that’s coming your way, dahil pinakita mo sa amin yung totoong ikaw at uulitin ko ‘WORTH IT’ ka dahil mabuti kang tao.”

“Andito lang ako palagi (alam niyo yan) isang tawag or text lang ready ako palagi para sa inyo. Mahal ko kayo,” he added.

Aside from Julia and Direk Irene, Alden also thanked the production team behind his latest film.

“Thank you GMA Pictures and Cornerstone Studios for giving my company (Myriad Corporation) an opportunity to work [on] this beautiful project,” he said.

“To my team Myriad, I’m very proud with everything that we’ve done for this film and this is just the first, marami pa tayo gagawin.”

He added, “Cheers everybody! Five Breakups and a Romance in cinemas starting tomorrow (October 18, 2023) in over 210 cinemas nationwide. See you guys there.”

Reacting to the post, Julia left a series of red heart and crying face emojis.

Five Breakups and a Romance is said to be a modern love story that deals with the complexities of romance and relationships today. It follows Justine (Julia) and Lance (Alden), who embark on a relationship after meeting in Singapore, only to find themselves in a series of breakups. 

According to Villamor, the film aims to answer how a person balances career and love. “With love, we don’t know when and how to stop,” she said.

“My movies are about strangers meeting. Hindi natin nakikita yung relationship,” she added. “Ngayon, nag-dwell ako sa relationship. Gaano ka-complicated? Gaano ka hirap? Gaano ka sarap? Kaya siya five breakups. Try nating manakit ng limang beses.”

The film marks the first time Julia and Alden have been paired onscreen.