StarStudio Magazine, July 2005
StarStudio arranged a date for John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo and got more than what we expected: he teased her, she touched his cheeks, he squeezed her hand. They also gave us their most revealing interview ever.
Round this time of the year, we always come up with a big John Lloyd-Bea story. The first time we did it, we dressed them up as newlyweds, with a bridal gown, tuxedo and the inevitable buhatan ng bride as part of the mock wedding package. Bea was 15, Lloydy was 19. It was all done in the spirit of the nationwide anticipation for what would be the climax of their first romantic vehicle, Kay Tagal Kan Hinintay. She was very shy and reserved; he was meek and, even then, quietly intense. We asked them what their dream wedding would be like-if he was the stubborn lawyer, Yuri, and she the fierce ingenue, Katrina. Before the camera started clicking they were like strangers to each other, the chemistry sparking only as soon as they sat down for the cover photo.
As prelude to their hit movie Now That I Have You last year, we thought of giving their second cover story a sexier feel. The accompanying article would explore the possibilities of that million-peso question: Puwede ba silang magkatuluyan in real life? At the shoot done at Iceberg's on E. Rodriguez, Lloydy was the first to arrive but would wait awhile in his car. Thirty minutes later, Bea comes in, greets everyone in sight in her usual kimi manner, and would sit down on the makeup chair. Enter John Lloyd who walks through the entire length of the ice cream house without ever acknowledging his partner's presensce. For the length of the shoot, they never said a word to each other, except when they finally sat down together to pose. He would tease her to loosen up a bit in front of the camera. Bea was not in the mood for kulitan. And John? Before the shoot proper, he told us he was a bit down, troubled, but wouldn't say why. In that cover story, StarStudion would reveal that everyone's favorite love team doesn't even know each other's cell phone number.
Fast forward to June 2005, just weeks after Ikaw ang Lahat Sa Akin premiered. The venue: Cafe Breton in Quezon City. The big idea: to shoot them paparazzi-style as if caught on a secret date. She arrives first, with an entourage of five. She is still the mahiyan Bea we know, the smile frugal, her arms firmly pressed to her torso. She came from another pictorial. John would arrive half an hour after, fresh from an entire day of sleep. This time, he went straight to Bea's table where she was being made up, and sat beside her. We gave them the questions and explained that we wanted them to interview each other, so that the text would seem like a transcription from their date.
"Nice try," John Lloyd said with a bit of sarcasm.
Like last year, it takes a while for Lloydy to warm up. One difference now, however, is the absence of tension in the air. They have whispered conversations in between takes. She listens to him intently even as she looks elsewhere, and his head is bowed down as he speaks. It's an intimacy shared not only by the closest of friends, but by two people who are very private and secretive.
By the time we finally sit down for the interview at Cheesecake, etc across Breton, they were both game to indulge us on our "date", but we played moderator anyway. And we were surprised - by their honesty and intimacy. The way she would touch his ears, the way John Lloyd looks at her and ask, "Do you want to know about my past?" The way she (we think) admiringly looks at him while she listens intently to Lloydy talk about the woes of the world. The way he would squeeze her hand to stop her from asking about his past loves. If they have become this close now - and we've watched this couple for three years - we can't wait 'til next year.
This is John Lloyd and Bea as you've never seen them before.
