MANILA, Philippines—Richard Gutierrez and Heart Evangelista, stars of the new GMA 7 series “Full House,” fell instantly in love with Prague, where scenes of the Koreanovela remake were taped recently.

“It’s a magical, beautiful place,” Chard said of the capital of the Czech Republic. “There are 13th-century castles everywhere. It’s like visiting a storybook land.”

Heart agreed: “It’s amazing. It’s great that we got to tour and visit various scenic spots, like the Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square. The ambience really helped me get into character.”

They also cruised down River Vlatva and bought paintings in the city, which was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1992.

“I love art,” Heart said. “As a souvenir, I bought a painting of Charles Bridge, where a girl in red is dancing with a guy whose face is hidden. It kinda sums up my life now because I’m not dating anyone.”

Chard said he visited the image of the Infant Jesus of Prague in Our Lady of Victory Church. “I made it a point to do that because my mom (manager Annabelle Rama) is a Sto. Niño devotee.”

He bought a Sto. Niño of Prague statuette for Annabelle. “I hope to take her next time I visit Prague,” said the actor.

It’s a pity that Chard only had eight days in the city, and Heart stayed for just four days. She had to fly to Beijing to catch up with Dennis Trillo for the “Mano Po 6” shoot.

Still, Chard and Heart have obviously grown more at ease with each other since their last Kapuso show together, “Asero.”

“We’re more relaxed in each other’s company now,” she said, “which helps because we’re doing a romantic-comedy.”

A new side

“We’re always laughing on the set,” Richard confirmed. “When we did our previous projects, we were always serious. We’re happy to report that viewers will see a different side to us.”

With his new role, Chard got to play around with his matinee-idol image. “I portray an actor on this show. There’ll be a lot of inside jokes about show biz.”

Apart from Europe, Chard and Heart also enjoyed their tapings in Subic, Zambales, and Lakeshore Estate in Mexico, Pampanga.

“The Lakeshore home looks exactly like the original house in the Koreanovela,” Chard said.