Push Admin

Kapamilya Snaps: The sensational rise of DonBelle from supporting acts to phenomenal loveteam

Article (news)

Mary Ann Bardinas

Both of them have been in the local entertainment scene for quite some time. One has been endearing us with her charm and acting skills ever since she was just a little girl, while the other one is a scion of a famous Filipino clan and started out in the industry when he’s already a teenager.Despite coming from different backgrounds and beginning their respective journeys in showbiz in different periods, the universe has its wondrous way of intertwining the paths of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, who are among the hottest young stars and most popular loveteams in the country at present.And as we enthusiastically look forward on seeing them in a different light through their characters Bingo and Caroline in their much-awaited first-ever teleserye together, <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/cantbuymelove">Can’t Buy Me Love</a>, let us look back first on their acting stints apart and together through the years in this special edition of Kapamilya Snaps.Let us start off with Belle, whose real name is Belinda Angelito Mariano. In an exclusive interview on Karen Davila’s YouTube channel, she imparted that she always dreamed of becoming a star. But attaining that ambition was really tough, as she recalled attending more than 100 auditions before finally scoring her first gig at 9 years old, which was a commercial for a powdered milk drink brand.She eventually became a full-fledged child actress when she was cast in the long-running kiddie gag show <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/goinbulilit">Goin’ Bulilit</a>. That paved the way for her to land more acting jobs both on TV and movies, such as Lorenzo’s Time (2012), in which she was paired with Zaijian Jaranilla, who played the titular character. She also portrayed the young counterpart of Kapamilya leading ladies and actresses in various teleseryes, like <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/53091317-throwback-princess-and-i-2012-15796">Princess and I </a> (2012), <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/onthewingsoflove">On The Wings of Love</a> (2015), and <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pasiondeamor">Pasion de Amor</a> (2016).In her teenage years, Belle became part of big projects like <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/angprobinsyano">FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano</a> (2015), <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/lalunasangre">La Luna Sangre</a> (2017), <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/bagani">Bagani</a> (2018), and <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/kadenangginto">Kadenang Ginto</a> (2019), as well as “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (2017) “Love You To The Stars and Back” (2017), and “Four Sisters Before the Wedding” (2020).Meanwhile, showbiz isn’t a new territory for Donny – a.k.a. Donato Antonio Laxa Pangilinan – anymore as he grew up being surrounded by stars, including his beloved parents Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa. Thus, it wasn’t surprising if he already had appearances onscreen when he was still a young boy. In fact, he starred in a chocolate cereal TV advertisement alongside his mom.However, it was only in 2016 when he had his official TV debut through his guesting in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/magandangbuhay">Magandang Buhay</a>, also with his Mommy Maricel. Later that year, he was launched as one of the newest of video jocks or VJs of the music channel MYX.In 2018, he landed his first-ever acting gig via the daytime series Playhouse, which was succeeded by his stints in movies “To Love Some Buddy,” “Fantastica,” and “The Mall, The Merrier.” He’s able to further showcase his hosting and dancing chops in variety programs <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/asap">ASAP Natin ‘To</a> and Aja! Aja! Tayo Sa Jeju.Even though he came from a famous clan, Donny revealed in a <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/tonightwithboyabunda">Tonight With Boy Abunda</a> interview that he actually didn’t plan to enter showbiz, but it was the fans and opportunities that found him. He told the King of Talk, “I was just waiting patiently.”Both of them might be part of <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/playhouse">Playhouse</a>, but it was only in 2020 when Donny and Belle got to share the screen for the first time in the romance-comedy flick “James and Pat and Dave.” Despite only sharing a short scene together, the palpable chemistry they exuded was enough for their tandem, DonBelle, to be born.Their first project together was the teen drama series <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/hesintoher">He’s Into Her</a> in 2021, in which they were cast as lead characters Deib Lohr Enrile and Maxpein Zin Del Valle Luna. Their team-up was indeed a huge success, so they were bestowed their first full-length film together “Love Is Colorblind,” which was also released that same year through various digital platforms.After the second season of <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/hesintoher">He’s Into Her</a> in 2022, DonBelle went on to star in another movie, “An Inconvenient Love,” which won the Best Asian Feature Film/Telemovie category at the ContentAsia Awards last August 2023.And this year, Donny and Belle are finally headlining their first-ever teleserye together, <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/cantbuymelove">Can’t Buy Me Love</a>, which is one of the most highly anticipated Kapamilya shows of 2023. <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/cantbuymelove">Can’t Buy Me Love</a> will be broadcast on <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-news/kapamilya-channel-livestream-12685">Kapamilya Channel</a>, <a href="https://kapamilyaonlinelive.com/">Kapamilya Online Live</a>, Jeepney TV, TFC, and A2Z beginning October 16.

Let’s look back first on DonBelle’s acting journey through the years in this special edition of Kapamilya Snaps.