Shining on their own and together, Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan prove that their shine was not success built overnight
Hailed as this generation’s phenomenal love team, Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan have made a mark in show business as individuals and together as a pairing. Last night, at the Eastwood Walk of Fame, their own stars were a testament to their influence today.
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Walking into stardom
The Can’t Buy Me Love stars walked together as they earned their respective stars in contrasting outfits, channeling a yin and yang fashion. While Donny looked dapper in a BOSS suit, Belle went for a dainty feminine fashion courtesy of her white dress from AJ Javier.
“Used to dream about things like this,” the actor wrote on Instagram, taking a photo with his own star. Belle, on the other hand, emphasized her gratefulness to her supporters for the recognition. “Feeling nostalgic after attending yesterday’s Walk of Fame. [This] reminds me of my childhood, of how I used to dream of having my own star. Thank you for helping me reach one,” she said in her caption.
Pangilinan and Mariano tested their chemistry for the first time during the last minutes of the film James and Pat and Dave, when Belle did a special participation as Donny’s potential lover. They then starred in the series adaptation of the Wattpad story He’s Into Her. The rest is history.
The fire in their spark
Since then, their love team has risen to fame. While their intertwined paths further catapulted them at the top of this generation’s love teams, they climbed their way to the top as individuals.
Since her childhood, the 21-year-old actress started out as a commercial model, child actress, and a series regular in Goin’ Bulilit. Over the years, she established her presence in show business by playing the child roles of older actresses. In 2019, she was finally launched as one of the actresses joining their Star Magic Circle batch. Besides acting, she also displayed her love for singing as a recording artist, songwriter, and producer of some of her tracks.
As for Donny, although the limelight has always been in the nature of Donny’s lineage, his mother, Maricel Laxa, encouraged him to start his own path in the industry. The 26-year-old started out as a VJ for the music channel Myx. He also appeared in prods and did spiels for ASAP, until he finally ventured into acting last 2018. Like his on-screen partner, Donny would also dabble into singing from time to time.
While their current achievements are magnified by the public, their journey has also been a long time coming. Together, they help each other grow as actors and individuals, developing a chemistry of fun friendship and natural bond, as exhibited by their joint projects—from Love is Color Blind to Can’t Buy Me Love. Although their on-screen romance has made many of their audiences kilig, Donny and Belle’s real, off-cam camaraderie is also a source of warmth and inspiration not just for both of them but also for their fans.
Featured Image: NIKO GONZALES (via DONNY PANGILINAN on Instagram)
