With the third season of the beloved University Series, Gab Lagman and Hyacinth Callado enter a whole new arena together
Stories once written on Wattpad have recently become the source material for major motion pictures and TV shows. Page to screen, this includes Gwy Saludes’s beloved six-part University Series, bestselling novels that have amassed a combined total of over one billion amorous Wattpad readers. Each one is a story about each of the friends in the “UniverKada”: Luna, Yanna, Sevi, Sam, Via, and Kierra.
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The stories were picked up by VIVA One to turn the tales into a show. In 2022, the first University Series show premiered, starring Heaven Peralejo and Marco Gallo. The sequel, Safe Skies, Archer, was released in November 2023, with Krissha Viaje and Jerome Ponce helming the show. Now, for its third season, Sebastian Vincent “Sevi” Camero’s story is underway with Chasing in the Wild. Gab Lagman (Sevi) enters a whole new arena as the leading man together with showbiz newcomer Hyacinth Callado (Elyse). Despite the series being a lot of their firsts—first lead role, first breakout role, and first project together—they embody their fictional counterparts in a way that imitates perceiving the book in motion right before your eyes.
Preparing for Their Roles
On his star-making turn as captain of the Yellow Panthers, Gab Lagman shares with MEGA Entertainment why he said yes to Sevi and how he approached the next chapter of his story. “The series is one of the most-read on Wattpad, and I’m grateful to be part of it. It’s an honor to portray Sevi Camero…I reread the book twice or thrice,” he reveals. “Binigay sa ‘kin ‘yong role two years ago so I had to come back and reread it. Hya and I also did a lot of workshops. We talked to Direk, to the creative producer, and the author, Gwy.”
The actor also shares with MEGA Entertainment that he had to go to different places such as the palengke to improve his Tagalog and learn how Sevi speaks. “I don’t want to have any regrets while watching it, I don’t want to think, ‘I should’ve done that, I should’ve done this.’ So I’m giving it my all—because this is the biggest project I’ve ever worked on.”
It’s not hard to see why Gab Lagman is Sevi Camero. Dedicated and passionate, Gab’s good nature only overlays the deeper, more heart-rending qualities that make his study of Sevi so accessible and relatable. He’s funny, charismatic, and wickedly sharp—Gab Lagman does not dilute these characteristics.
In conversation, Hyacinth is beside Gab, exuding many of the same qualities that make her portrayal of Elyse Ledezma stand out in today’s crowded TV landscape: charming, eloquent, and self-assured. But to take on the role of Elyse, Hyacinth had to do her homework, too: “I love the story of our book—it teaches a lot of experiences and lessons. For Elyse, I had to focus on improving my Tagalog as well and I had to learn cheerleading. But other than that, when I read the book, I took a lot of notes—I would analyze Elyse to get to know her and how she navigates her relationships.” Hyacinth shares that she also watched shows such as Queen of Tears, Devil Wears Prada, Gossip Girl, and Mean Girls to “get a better idea of the onscreen type of the higher class and of the more kikay and mataray women.”
Embodying their Roles
In the series, basketball is an important aspect—Sevi leads the Roaring Panthers, and Elyse leads the Green Arrows. Despite being on opposing teams, the two make for a story about how their different sports mirror the finesse and intensity in their blossoming romantic relationship. The agile screenplay during the basketball scenes can be credited to the actor who plays them: “It’s always been my dream to be a basketball player. I couldn’t have asked for a better character to be my first lead role; I get a lot of say in what plays I do, the shots that I want—pinayagan ako nina Direk with what I wanted to show in the basketball scenes, and it’s surreal that I was being both an actor and a basketball player.”
“And he’s so good,” Hyacinth adds as a compliment, to which Gab smiles and says, “Thank you. I didn’t want it to look like we were just playing for fun, I wanted it to look realistic—college plays talaga.”
Hyacinth, on the other hand, found cheerleading to be unfamiliar—yet not unwelcome—territory. “I loved learning cheerleading especially because I didn’t grow up sporty, so it was fun to push myself physically and that I am capable of doing something like that. And I only had like five days to learn them.”
Chasing in the Wild is her first foray into show business, and Hyacinth landed her first top-of-the-call-sheet role with a challenge to amplify the facets of her own personality and make them shine: “Elyse is so unfiltered, she’s a lot firmer with her opinions and emotions, and with that, she’s allowed me to be louder with that part of myself,” Hyacinth declares. “Because sometimes, I can be like that, but I don’t have the guts like Elyse—she validates that part of me and that makes her so strong.”
More than personality, the actress also had to step up to the high-inch shoes of her character—literally. The costume department also deserves its flowers—put simply, Elyse has been brought up on money and it shows. Flitting from spotless suiting to athletic fits to saccharine-sweet ensembles, Elyse Ledezma’s wardrobe is another of Hyacinth’s favorite parts: “I don’t normally dress like that; I’m not the most kikay kind of girl so it’s been really fun dressing up as Elyse—I find the outfits so beautiful.”
Stars Aligned for these Two Stars
Gab Lagman and Hyacinth Callado work naturalistic wonders in the adaptation of the popular novel. In the plethora of romance films or series in the Philippines, what makes a good romance great is when a triptych of elements fall into place: first, a novel plot and refreshing script writing. The second is the value of production and the behind-the-scenes work to uplift each frame. The third and final requirement? Unparalleled and convincing chemistry. In Chasing in the Wild, the stars couldn’t have been more aligned when these two stars were paired together.
“One of the most important things in the workshop is the relationship building that we did together—you have to be comfortable with each other,” Gab ascertains. “I always ask her if she’s okay or if she’s comfortable doing the scenes—because for some of the other scenes, it’s Hya’s first time doing it. I always check in and ask if she’s in the right mind or how she’s feeling, because sometimes we’re blocked and we really have to be open to act those out. Most important thing is we’re always there for each other.” Hyacinth agrees and adds, “We try to be open and honest because we’re a team.”
The #HyGab love team possesses the sizzling, heart-fluttering on-screen chemistry that few could only ever dream of. Gab and Hyacinth have taken the time to understand the “want” that drives a character’s machinations from scene to scene, to hone in on how and why Sevi might respond to Elyse and vice versa. But this takes work in the real world and onscreen to cultivate.
“We worked on our chemistry ever since we were partnered—on and off-cam,” Gab begins. “So whatever we do, when we’re together, it’s genuine because we have to do it on the screen—you can’t fake it sa screen.”
Hyacinth agrees and says, “We always make sure that our intentions are clear, and we ensure each other of the respect we have for each other when it comes to our personal and work lives.”
Gab adds, “At the same time, we have to know the boundaries of: this is Gab and Hya, and this is Elyse and Sevi. But most of the time, when we’re together, we want to feel like it’s real because it’s hard to go into the scene and look in love. So you have to build the connection, know each other, kilalanin talaga ang partner mo—so when we’re together, we try to know each other, we open up to each other, we tell each other everything. We’re going to be together for three more shows after Chasing in the Wild for the University Series.”
Chasing the Dream, and Now Chasing in the Wild
The third season of the series is built on risk. Sevi and Elyse are both well-loved characters; and fans, inevitably, already have preconceived notions about who these people are in the pages of Saludes’ writing. Not only does translating these characters to the screen—and executing them well—comes with a heavy burden, but Gab and Hyacinth would also have to be stepping into the leading role space last occupied by successful performances of Heaven Peralejo, Marco Gallo, Krissha Viaje, and Jerome Ponce. How do you up the standard?
Hyacinth answers, in complete honesty and bravery, “I’m new to the industry; to this day, but most especially at the beginning, there was so much I wasn’t sure of—like what to do and how to handle things. There were so many mixed emotions of ‘I got this, I believe in my potential, I know I can do it,’ there were some days I thought, ‘Am I not Elyse enough?’”
She continues on to express how those opinions affected her when it was first announced she would be the newest member of the cast: “A lot of people had opinions about me as Elyse. So there were moments where I would feel good about portraying her, and another moment where I think I need to be more like her and I lost a sense of security within myself. But then later on, as time passed and I grew more within my acting skills, I’ve been able to become secure with who Elyse is and who Hya is. I’ve begun to trust myself to know who my character is.”
Gab also reveals that the success of the first two books indeed pressured him, but that switching his mindset into thinking that pressure is good has helped him a lot going into filming: “I kept thinking that this project is meant for me. I know there’s a lot of noise, everyone has their own opinion, but I prepared myself before the shoot so I can feel confident. I trusted myself and I trusted God: kung ano man maging outcome nito, kung sa’n man ako dalhin ng project, basta I gave it my best at wala akong regrets.”
Conquering the New Arena Together
Gab waited seven years to gain his leading man status, and Chasing in the Wild is Hyacinth’s debut role. In navigating this make-it-or-break-it moment in their careers, the actress tells MEGA Entertainment that she and Gab have found a balance, a kind of pas de deux—they’ve constructed a meaningful and healthy routine of giving more when the other can’t. “There were times when he would feel pressured, and I would feel okay and I’m able to be there, and there were moments when I would feel the pressure, and he’s more secure and positive about things,” she explains. “The really good thing is because of that balance, where we’re kind of like yin and yang, we have that way of naturally seeing the pros and cons of the pressure and being able to help the other out.”
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Gab says. “When I first came into showbiz, they gave me a good supporting role which was with industry greats Sam Milby and Jericho Rosales, and I got overwhelmed. I didn’t do well and I regretted it because I feel like I could’ve done more. And then I remember promising myself that if I ever get a lead role, I would give it my hundred percent—because not everyone can get a lead role in a good project in this industry. Hindi mo alam kung babalik pa sa ‘yo ‘yan. So my mindset is to do everything I can, enjoy the process, and never take it for granted.”
The actor’s dedication is clear in his portrayal of the role. He also tells MEGA Entertainment that sometimes, he tends to over-analyze already: “I keep thinking and asking, ‘Did I do it right? What can I do to make it better, to be more like the character?’ Because I just want the fans and viewers to enjoy and see na hindi si Gab ‘yon, si Sevi ‘yon.”
On Filming Together
With the release of the steamy episode eight just last week, Gab actually reveals that Bohol was his favorite scene to shoot—they had just finished filming during the time of this interview. “We watched the dolphins, we went to Chocolate Hills, and when we looked at the final editing—it was so beautiful,” The actor shares. “Bohol was so fun, and I enjoyed that we had such a beautiful time on and off camera,” Hyacinth agrees.
But first blushes are easy. What’s trickier is sustaining that sense of elation and heartsickness, yearning and caution, as the story spreads out. So for the next episodes, Gab says, will really challenge them as actors and as a love team. “I am looking forward to the drama scenes we’re going to do in the next couple of weeks. Madaling magpakilig, pero ang magpaiyak at maparamdam ang emosyon sa viewer, ‘yon ang mahirap. I’m looking forward to that.” Cheekily, he adds that it’s a big scene, but Hyacinth cuts in, shushing him, and teasingly says, “Don’t spoil! Not everyone is a reader!”
Gab just grins and says, “Okay, basta I’m looking forward to those scenes because it will challenge us both. We’ve done a couple of heavy filming already during the past few weeks, and I’m happy we support each other during those emotionally challenging moments. When you do heavy scenes, nakakalungkot talaga before and after, and you have to set up your mind that this is what the characters are going through. At grabe pa naman ang nangyari sa story.”
What’s Next?
When asked if after University Series, would they be open to exploring the depths and layers of this collaboration in a different project together, Gab lights up and answers, “I was just telling her I wanted to do an action movie or series kagabi—or a superhero movie. I’ve always been a fan of action-thrillers…”
Hyacinth questions, “With me?”
Gab looks at her and says definitively, “Yeah, of course, with you.”
“Really?” the actress asks, laughing. “Aw, that’s sweet.”
“Why not?” Gab answers. “That would be cool—like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. ‘Cause being an actor, now in my seventh year, I want to do more challenging roles to see what I’m capable of and I’m just really looking forward to what Hya and I can do together in the next few years.”
“I also want to do more projects with you,” Hyacinth tells Gab. “I feel like we work well together and we have a good foundation.”
Gab questions her, “What type of genre do you want to do?”
“Honestly, there’s so much for me to experience, so anything,” she says with a smile.
Final Words from Sevi and Elyse
Both stars have become an indelible screen presence, forming a show that manages to launch a fresh and novel story that many other Young Adult targeted shows have failed to emulate. With this, Gab says, “I’m just grateful to portray Sevi. Thank you so much for the overwhelming support, the edits, the trending hashtags, the tweets, what you guys do for us on social media, traveling two to three hours to see us at our mall shows…sobrang nakakataba ng puso. We also see messages that we inspire them to be better. And that’s the thing I love—we inspire them to be the best version of themselves.”
“And they also inspire us to be the best version of ourselves,” Hyacinth adds. “It’s been such a journey. They make so much effort to show us that they support us, and it’s insane. It’s amazing, we are beyond grateful. I still can’t process it.”
Photos and Featured Image: VIVA ONE, STUDIO SIMULA (via Instagram), STUDIO VIVA (via Facebook), IMDB
