MANILA, Philippines The onscreen chemistry of Thai actor Mario Maurer and Kapamilya star Erich Gonzales happened to just click, according to the director of their first big screen team-up.

"Right away there was chemistry, right away, first shooting day, first scene, first sequence, first shot, bagay na bagay sila sa isa't-isa," said Rory Quintos, director of Star Cinema's upcoming romantic-comedy film "Suddenly It's Magic."

The film tells the story of a Marcus Hanson (Maurer), a superstar in his native Thailand, who finds love in the Philippines, where he meets baker Joey Hermosa (Gonzales).

Recounting how the "team-up" came about, Quintos said: "[I got a call that] there was this project with a Thai actor, Mario Maurer, and that he was going to be paired with a female actress."

"When I found out that it was Erich, I was very happy because at that time that I got the call from Star Cinema, I was with Erich in 'Maria la del Barrio.' We did the series together," Quintos added, referring to the Kapamilya series first aired in 2011.

Maurer, who rose to fame for his critically-acclaimed role in the 2008 Thai film "The Love of Siam," was not particularly hard to get along with, Quintos shared.

"When Mario came here, when we met, what struck me most was that he seemed like such a nice boy, and he's really, really cute. I think women of all generations would appreciate how cute he is," she said.

Also Joross Gamboa, Joy Viado, Guji Lorenzana, Ces Quesada, Dinkee Doo, John Lee and Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul, "Suddenly It's Magic" will hit theaters nationwide on October 31.

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Mario-Erich chemistry was 'instant,' says director