Anthony Jennings is on pace to be the next big thing

“Mama mo!” and “Nakatapak ka ng jackpot!” are some of the unlikely punchlines that have become memorable funny lines thrown by rising star Anthony Jennings in the hit Netflix and TV5 show “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The show has propelled him to another level of stardom with his character Snoop.

His portrayal of the laid-back, funny friend of Donny Pangilinan’s Andrei/Bingo character on the show is now one of the reasons why fans are extra hooked on the series. This can also be attributed to the surprise chemistry between Anthony and Maris Racal, who plays Irene, that hit it off onscreen with their street “kanal humor”-versus-sosyal “air-con humor” banter on primetime. “Ganoon minsan eh, kung anong biglaan iyon ang nag-wo-work,” he said.

Last Tuesday, the fans went wild as Anthony walked the red carpet in support of his friend and co-star Donny’s first solo movie, “GG.” What could be a five-minute entrance took a good 10 minutes for Jennings to reach us at the very short red carpet in Mandaluyong because he was being stalled by fans for selfies and constant screams!

Even though his character has been successful for a few months now, Anthony has been telling us that he still isn’t used to all the love he is getting from the fans.

“Speechless ako, nagulat nga ako, eh. Hindi ko naman alam na ganito,” he shared.

The impact of Snoop is so real that even online posts about him have the poo emoji, which was made popular by the now-viral scene of his character and Irene.

Though many of us got introduced to Anthony’s talent when “Can’t Buy Me Love” was aired, this isn’t his first “rodeo.”

Anthony was debuted back in 2019 in the mega hit Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo starrer, “Hello, Love, Goodbye.” In 2021, he was part of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry called “Love At First Stream,” alongside Kaori Oinuma, Daniela Stranner, and Jeremiah Lisbo.

In terms of series, he had a stint in LizQuen’s canceled 2020 drama “Make It With You,” and KathNiel’s now-defunct Netflix show, “House Arrest Of Us.”

Looking back, Anthony recalled his growth before smoothly gliding into primetime stardom nowadays.

“Talagang proseso, repetition po talaga. Bano naman po ako dati umarte! Repetition siya hindi naman sa hindi talaga ako marunong umarte noon, pero gumagaling ka lang. Mas natututo ka lang,” he said.

The beauty of Anthony’s success is that he shares it with his colleagues in “Can’t Buy Me Love.” He said that the cast propels one another to greater heights, and their friendship goes beyond the show.

“Sobrang sarap! Minsan umuuwi na nga ako kay Donny. Oo nangyayari iyon minsan kapag pagod na pagod kami. Umuuwi ako minsan sa bahay na niya! Kulang na nga lang maging kapatid ko na siya.” Anthony added.

“Actually, kaming lahat naman po sa community. Lahat ng cast naman, maganda naman iyong relationship namin sa isat-isa.”

That is why, even if the SnoRene tandem is now being demanded by fans to get more airtime, Anthony said he feels the love and support of his castmates.

“Iyon nga po, syempre grateful at nagpapasalamat! Sa performance na rin iyan ng lahat. Hindi ko alam nag-work lang din talaga siya, pag-gising ko ganoon na eh!”

The young actor also thanked his bosses at ABS-CBN for trusting him with Snoop. “Nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa lahat ng naniwala sa akin na kaya ko mag-comedy.”

With all his incoming success, there will be no slowing down for Jennings. He isn’t even gifting himself with anything.

“Wala ng regalo, wala naman ako materyal! Pare-parehas nga lang damit ko minsan,” he said.

When it comes to his love life, it is definitely taking a backseat for Jennings.

“Wala pa! Iisipin ko pa, eh. Mas marami pang importanteng bagay gaya ng trabaho,” he concluded.