When Jerome Ponce and Krissha Viaje were launched as the lead stars of the romantic drama series “Safe Skies, Archer,” they thought that their team-up would just be a one-off thing.

But much to their surprise, the show was a success, attracting considerable following online and prompting Viva Entertainment to give the two actors more projects.

“We didn’t expect that the love team would extend beyond the show. Now, there’s more work coming up. It’s heartening to know that we’re being given more opportunities together, because they believe that we have more to offer,” Jerome said at a recent contract signing with Viva.

“Safe Skies, Archer,” which is streaming on Viva One, is a small-screen adaptation of the second installment of author Gwy Saludes’ “University Series” novels on WattPad.

The two actors’ performances as Hiro and Yanna, respectively, were warmly received by fans who named the tandem “KrisshRome.” Some of them whip up creative and amusing video edits of Jerome and Krissha’s kilig scenes, which often go viral on TikTok.

“We didn’t know if our love team would be official when we first started. But seeing the people’s reception and viral videos on TikTok, we realized that we have a lot of supporters who feel connected to our characters,” Krissha said.

Common ground

Jerome is no stranger to being paired with different ladies. Some partnerships take more time to develop. But for some reason, it didn’t take long for him to feel comfortable with Krissha.

“Sometimes, it takes more than one project for two actors to feel at ease with each other. I have done teleseryes. It can take a year for you and your partner to reach a point where it feels like you’re just having fun on the set. But with Krissha, I felt comfortable with her after only six months. She understands my process at work, how I internalize and vice versa,” he related.

Krissha, who started her career as a singer and as part of the pop group GirlTrends, isn’t as experienced in acting. And so, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of awkwardness when she first started working with Jerome. But that quickly went away.

“We jibed for some reason. We began talking to each other more and more. We also found some common grounds that connected us,” said Krissha, who admires Jerome’s generosity not just to his coactors, but also to his family and friends. “I have learned a lot from him.”

How does it feel that fans are now shipping them, hoping that they do end up together in real life?

“I think it just means that what we’re doing is effective and natural. One time, I saw one of our scenes and thought, ‘Nakakakilig nga kami.’ We don’t really feel that way when we’re shooting, because we’re focused on the scene. It’s not our intention to make fans feel kilig. I guess it’s just a natural effect of the work we do,” Krissha said.

Natural effect

While they’re not in a rush or on a hunt for a romantic relationship, Jerome said he wouldn’t be surprised if his friendship with Krissha develops into something deeper. “Syempre naman. Bakit hindi, ‘di ba,” Jerome said when asked if there’s a chance that he might fall in love with Krissha. “Hindi imposible.”

“It’s good when both of you are helping each other grow. Masarap sa feeling,” added the actor, who couldn’t be prouder of Krissha and her growth as an actress. “She’s from the performance side of show biz. Now, she’s exploring another aspect, and I can see that she’s growing and enjoying the experience.”

“Right now, we’re focused on our jobs. But we’re enjoying each other’s company,” Krissha added.

After “Safe Skies, Archer,” Jerome and Krissha are expected to star in the upcoming horror series, “Sem Break” on Viva One.

“I have had the opportunity to talk to our fans. And I heard a lot of stories about how our projects kept them entertained in moments of anxiety. Naging libangan nila ‘yung team-up namin. It feels good to know that our work can have that effect on people. That’s why we want to continue doing more projects,” Krissha said. INQ