MANILA, Philippines — “Hindi naman! May sarili s’yang identity!” Zanjoe Marudo quickly dismissed a comment from the press that his ex-girlfriend, Bea Alonzo, looks like his new on-screen partner, Bela Padilla.
Zanjoe’s character in the ABS-CBN prime time soap, “My Dear Heart,” is destined to fall in love with his best friend, played by Bela. For now, Bela says she and Zanjoe are just “barkada.” But will their fate be like the roles they play in the show? Will they also cross the line from “friend zone” to “bae (not Bea) zone”?
“Zanjoe, he’s always ready when he arrives at the set,” Bela gushed about what she loves most about her new reel-life love interest. “We’re comfortable in the set from the start,” she confessed.
Besides Bela, another co-star in the series, Ria Atayde, is also linked to Zanjoe as Ria reportedly has a crush on the actor, which Ria denied.
Zanjoe, meanwhile, is not only ready to love again. In fact, he is ready to become a father when the right time comes.
“I love kids because I have nephews and nieces. I’m close to my dad. When I’m with my dad, I’m like a kid,” he shared.
He said, he has learned a lot about fatherhood as he has been playing father roles since 2012. He is also not afraid of being typecast as a father since all the shows where he played as such are reportedly blockbusters.
“As long as they want to give me this role, willing ako maging tatay sa lahat ng batang artista,” he declared.
His secret to winning his child actors’ hearts? “Siguro, mababait lang talaga mga batang nakakatrabaho ko.”
The biggest fatherhood lesson he got from his characters is that you make sacrifices for your children.
“Dapat talaga galing sa puso ang lahat at iiwan mo lahat para sa anak. Ibigay mo time mo. Kung para sa kanya ka dapat, titigil ka sa lahat ng ginagawa mo para sa kanya,” he said.