In this exclusive interview with MEGA, we talk to Erich about her longstanding friendship with Enchong Dee and their collaborative YouTube channel, Enrich Originals.
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Katorse was a primetime television series that came out on August 24, 2009. It was then that Erich Gonzales captured our hearts with her tenacious and persistent portrayal of 14-years-old Elena Reyes. The years have now come and gone, and Erich herself has had numerous versatile roles since. But one constant presence in both her work and personal life is her best friend and fellow Katorse co-star, Enchong Dee.
There’s a certain allure to the idea of falling in love with your best friend. It’s the chemistry, the relatability, and the idea of being with someone without the trappings of pretension. In a lot of friendships, especially those as close as two best friends, there exist other people’s assumptions of what-ifs and what could be. And this is something that Erich Gonzales and Enchong Dee have encountered throughout their time together. But as intimidating as those lingering questions are, they have remained significantly unperturbed. “We both knew that our relationship can’t evolve past being more than friends. I consider him as my guy best friend; we can talk about anything,” Erich confesses.
“A good thing about best friends means you’ll never break-up, and that’s the way we want it to be. He’s family to me, and definitely a keeper.”
Their earliest leading roles together in Katorse was a happy accident if you ask them. Prior to Enchong’s entry into the series, Erich herself suggested him as the third leading man. Her first impression of him was the “timid type,” but found as she got to know him better that he was actually quite the opposite.
“We were so young back then when we started working together, and we squabbled about petty things.” She reminisces on the early beginnings of their work. A decade composed of five television series and four films later, the two have learned to navigate better around each other. “We have matured and our relationship is stronger than ever. We’ve built our friendship with so much love, trust, understanding, and respect over the years.”
In the days leading up to Katorse’s 11th year anniversary, Erich has been dropping crumbs of information on Enrich Originals, their latest project together. The YouTube channel will act as a catalogue of different original stories, series, and feature films starring and produced by the two of them.
“When Enchong and I collaborated on our vlogs, we noticed the outpouring support from our fans; we felt that they missed seeing us work together. A close friend pitched the idea to us and we both liked the concept.” Erich explains the early conception of this project. “Through this, they will see more of us working and acting together.”
While die-hard fans of them as a couple may be disappointed to find their platonic standing with each other, they can still have that romantic experience with “Enrich” through the channel. “The reason why it’s called Enrich Originals is because the possibilities are endless.”
Presently, they are filming the first season of their first series. The upcoming series will see Erich play Gianna Reyes alongside Enchong as Gian Carlo Santillan. As a passion project, their team is composed of a small but talented group of people. Some of those involved include those they have worked with before such as Noreen Capili, a writer from Katorse, their cameraman from The Blood Sisters, and an editor from Be My Lady.
While unable to release further details, Erich shares that they aim to spread positive and feel-good vibes with their series. “We don’t have any expectations but, we’re hopeful for a good outcome.”
As for Erich herself, she has been having a successful run with her own YouTube channel. She recently achieved the milestone of 1 million subscribers. She’s also been offered a couple of new TV series and films, which remain undisclosed until finalization. For now, she isn’t chasing success so much as she wants to connect with her fans.
“My main goal is for my supporters and I to get closer. What’s important for me is that through my channel, I am able to connect with them.”
For more information on the Enrich Originals upcoming series, you can follow the page on Instagram at @enrichoriginals or subscribed to the YouTube channel here.
