Mister and mistress

MANILA, Philippines - Whether they’re finding love on Manila’s abysmal MRT or fighting over certain fattening parts of fried chicken, John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo never cease to capture the hearts of Filipino moviegoers in a sea of artista searches and reality competitions. It’s been 10 years since the pairing started (five of which was spent quoting One More Chance to friends), but people are still clamoring over this cute mestiza and charming boy-next-door.

In their latest screen outing, The Mistress, Lloydie and Bea are definitely pushing their limits as a tandem. Initially pitched for Star Cinema’s independent film outfit, Olivia Lamasan braved the odds to push this film into the mainstream as her latest affair. With Bea playing the title role opposite Ronaldo Valdez (who previously played her father in I Heart Betty la Fea) and John Lloyd as a relentless lover, it’s evident that everyone’s favorite love team is now coursing through different waters.

SUPREME sat down for an exclusive interview with John Lloyd and Bea about their riskier roles, the magic of their 10th year as a pair, and why people would want them for another 10 years (or 11, 12, 13, 14, forever and ever).

SUPREME: What do you think are some of the things that make you guys work together really well?

BEA ALONZO: Siguro yung sincerity, lagi nyang sinasabi sa interviews yun.

JOHN LLOYD CRUZ: Sincerity dun sa real partnership na labas dun sa showbusiness. Yung kung paano yung John Lloyd and Bea as real people, as two people working together and then pumapangalawa yung kung paano kami as a working tandem. Malaki yung sinasabi nya sa professional life namin together as a team kasi its number one, sincerity, yung values na meron kami as people working together. Nadadala namin professionaly, so in the process, since day one, there was never any intention to…

BA: …disillusion people na we’re together, para lang mag-promote ng isang pelikula. And also malaking bagay din yung professionalism, kahit na hindi kami okay. May ibang days na nagkaka-asaran kami pero hindi namin yun dinadala sa trabaho.

In The Mistress, your fans will see you take on riskier roles.

JLC: Ako, I’m just happy for Bea because it came at the right time, at the right point in her career, and also in her life, to take on something this complex, something this big and daring. Napakabold nung move para kay Bea. Lahat ng effort, ang ganda nung timing, Hindi masasayang. Kasi kung sabihin mong, andun yung effort to deliver something new and different, talking about transition. Yung another step to maturity, sa image nya. Pero kung…

BA: …kung walang magandang project. Plus, I’m doing this with him. Parang napakagandang blessing na kasama ko siya kasi…

JLC: Sweet..ng kape ko

BA: Alam mo, lagi mo akong dini-distract kapag sumasagot ako ng tanong.

JLC: Sige hindi na ako sasagot. Joke!

BA: Anyway, sige ano ho yon. Go on. Wala nang magandang point yung sinabi ko.

Did it help seeing each other in different on-screen love teams?

BA: Oo, nakatulong sya kasi mas marami kaming baon sa isa’t isa. Lagi ko ngang sinasabi sa kanya maganda yung nakakatrabaho nya yung ibang leading ladies nya, ako rin merong projects na wala sya, kasi marami kaming natututunan sa projects na yon. Nung una hindi namin naiintindihan na ‘Bakit ganon, si John Lloyd pine-pair nila kay Sarah?’ Pero ngayon naiintindihan na namin kung bakit and parang nag-work sya to our advantage kasi mas nag-grow kami as individual actors.

When was the moment you decided you’re done with cutesy roles?

JLC: Actually after One More Chance, no?

BA: Milestone yun eh. I hope itong proyekto na to mag-serve as another milestone para sa mas mature pa na mga gagawin o mai-o-offer namin.

JLC: After nito, porn na ang gagawin namin. Another milestone yun.

BA: Porn ka dyan! I hope yung next project namin yung what happens after happily ever after. Yung mag-asawa na kayo. Yung mas serious. Yun ang pangarap ko para sa team-up namin.

JLC: At least may pangarap ka para sa atin!

BA: Uy, grabe ka Lloydie. Di mo lang alam!

Olivia Lamasan was one of the people who saw your potential as a love team. How is it finally working with her in a film after ten years?

BA: Very special, sobra. Saka yung pagtitiwala na binibigay ko sa kanya sobra-sobra kasi ang dami kong ginagwa dito sa pelikula na to na never ko pang ginawa sa iba or hindi ko man lang naisip na magagwa ko eventually dahil malaking tulong na sya yung director, kahit anong ipagawa nya sa akin, alam kong hindi lalabas na masama. Binibigay ko talaga yung kamay ko sa kanya para gabayan na lang niya ako.

What have you learned from each other after working together for ten years?

JLC: After ten years parang ma-realize mo sya yung taong to malaking part na sya ng pagkatao mo, ng buhay mo. Ten years yun eh. I’ve been in the business for 15 years. Sampung taon kasama ko sya. And that’s something in terms of when you talk about my identity as an actor. What I’ve accomplished through the years, malaking part nun si Bea. So kung paano mo vina-value yung presence nya for the past 10 years for me has a very deep meaning. Malaking part sya ng kung sino ako, what I’ve achieved and what I aspire still in life.

BA: Ako naman, malaking bagay yung maririning mo sya na nagsasabi ng mga ganyan kasi parang, I think hindi ka makakakita ng tao that after everything that he has achieved, i-acknowledge ka nya na feeling ko naman, maliit na parte lang ako nun compared to everything that he has achieved. And I’m just so happy that he acknowledges that, na ako naman parang, sa sampung taon na yon, remarkable talaga sa pagkatao ko at kasama sya doon. I just feel so blessed na sya yung kasama ko sa sampung taon na yon.