'Be Careful with my Heart' success came by surprise

MANILA -- The success of the hit television series "Be Careful with my Heart" came as a surprise even to those who are working on it.

Director Jeffrey Jeturian said they didn't expect "Be Careful with my Heart" to rate because of its morning timeslot.

"Mahirap buhayin 'yung slot na yun for TV," Jeturian said in the documentary "Cheche Lazaro Presents: Si Ser Chief, Si Maya at Ang Teleserye" which aired on Sunday.

Even actress Jodi Sta. Maria, who plays the role of Maya in the series, admitted that at first, she saw nothing new with the story.

But in just one week, the success of "Be Careful with my Heart" became apparent as ratings went up.

And Sta. Maria, despite her long years in the industry, has started to become more known as her character Yaya Maya -- especially among kids.

"Ang tingin talaga nila (ng mga bata sa 'kin), ako talaga si Yaya Maya.. Personally, nagkaroon ako ng social responsibility bigla." Sta. Maria said.

Meanwhile, her loveteam partmer Richard Yap, who plays the role of Sir Chief, also began to feel his newfound fame.

"Now I get more than 600 tweets in an hour. I used to answer all of them when I had lesser followers but now I can't," Yap said.

"Be Careful with my Heart" creative manager Mel del Rosario said it was the first time that she saw a huge reaction from the fans for a teleserye.

"Yung asawa ko na walang pinanood sa 20 taon kong nagsusulat sa TV at film, for the first time, ang sabi niya ay 'Uy, si Sir Chief ganyan-ganyan'... Ito na yata 'yung tugatog ng tagumpay." del Rosario joked.

While the story of Maya and Sir Chief is quite simple, Jeturian said it was the lightness "Be Careful with my Heart," which goes against the norms of the past teleseryes, that captured the heart of the people.