MANILA - It's difficult to let go of someone who has been a big part of your life. And while you shouldn't remain friends with the person you used to be in love with, it wouldn't be wise to ignore them completely as well, according to actor Zanjoe Marudo.

No stranger to breakups and bumping into his ex (considering he works in the same industry as his former girlfriend, actress Bea Alonzo), Marudo argued that being able to talk with them casually means that you're one step closer to moving on.

"Kailangan mong harapin iyon. Kailangan mo mag-move forward," he said, adding that he isn't the type who ignores his exes whenever he runs into them. "Wala akong kaaway na ex ko. Hindi ko lang masasabi na friends ko sila pero kung nakasalubong ko sila, hindi ako iiwas, puwede ako makipag-kuwentuhan."

(You need to face that. You need to move forward. I have bad blood with my exes. I cannot say I am friends with them but when I am run into them, I can exchange pleasantries with them.)

Back in January, an emotional Marudo confirmed his split with Alonzo, his girlfriend of more than five years. He explained that the problems in their relationship stemmed from their lack of time for each other.

But despite their breakup, Marudo admitted that he keeps in touch with Alonzo, and was even spotted hanging out with the "A Second Chance" star in public in more than a couple of occasions.

A photo posted by Eric John Salut (@ericjohnsalut) on May 20, 2016 at 7:09am PDT

Marudo was on late night talk show "Tonight with Boy Abunda" to promote his upcoming gay rom-com, "The Third Party." In it, he plays the boyfriend of Sam Milby's character, Max. The conflict revolves around the attempt of Andi (Angel Locsin) to win Max back.

Talking about the film, Marudo said that he was annoyed at Locsin's role. “Naiinis ako kasi may past sila. Pero nung nagkakilala kami, iyon pala kailangan ko siyang makilala at kailangan ko siyang makilala para may ma-discover kami sa sarili namin," he said.

(I was quite annoyed because they have a past relationship. But when we met, I realized I need to know her in order to discover myself as well.)

Directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, "The Third Party" will open in theaters nationwide on October 12.