There’s no attempt at deception from the start, from the time they were launched as a love team in ABS-CBN soaps to the time they graced the big screen, Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz truly make an exciting pair. It was fun to watch both of them teasing each other in front of the entertainment writers who attended the press conference hosted by Star Cinema for their latest movie, One More Chance.

Lipo daw?

          From the chubby teener to today’s leaner Bea, the beauteous actress had been asked so many times if she underwent liposuction. But Bea was quick to parry the inquisition.

          “I just hope that the people would be happy with the way I look now since it took me months of dieting to achieve the figure I now have,” the young actress explains. According to Bea, she’s been on a South Beach diet. In fact, after the presscon of her movie with John Lloyd, instead of taking the same meal served to the press, Bea brought her own food, which is still part of her South Beach diet.

          “How delicious is my food,” she jokes. “Actually, the one I am eating right now is tastier and more palatable compared to the ones I had the previous days. If you want to lose weight, then you’ve got to sacrifice. No pain, no gain.” She went back to her diet because she found herself gaining weight and she wanted to be in shape for the movie’s premiere.

Out in the open

          Bea has had her own unsavory encounters with “blind items” which she ignored with dignity. Now she’s open and very vocal about her romance with Mico Palanca, her first boyfriend ever. For those who do not know Mico, he is the younger brother of actor Bernard Palanca, grandson of Armando Goyena, and son of one of the gorgeous “Camay-made-us-famous” Revillas.

          When asked about her love life, Bea, who celebrated her 20th birthday last October, says that she feels it would work well for her to have a relationship with someone older than her, like her Mico, who’s 29. “I can’t imagine myself having a relationship with someone younger than me or as old as (I am). I was once courted by someone (my age) but our level of maturity didn’t match because I’ve gone through a lot,” she says.John Lloyd

          Maybe this is also the reason her partnership with John Lloyd has worked well. Since they were paired six years ago, Bea is fully aware of the actor’s moods. He could be playful at one time, and then serious the next. This is why she was surprised when Chit Ramos, manager of their co-star Maja Salvador, got offended when John Lloyd kidded the young actress Maja for getting her period on the day they shot their kissing scene.

          “Sanay na sanay ako kay John Lloyd kasi matagal ko na siyang kakilala and he’s fond of cracking jokes, like what he did during our first presscon for the movie,” says Bea.

          “I don’t get offended with his jokes because I know his intentions aren’t bad. So there’s no point for me to feel bad. Hello, I really know he’s just joking. He’s just playful and funny at times. If I were to choose between a John Lloyd who’s silent and has moods, no humor, and the John Lloyd who’s maloko and playful, I’d go for the playful John Lloyd because he’s fun to be with,” Bea says in defense of her onscreen partner.

          “I guess that’s one quality of him that makes our tandem click. We really love to make fun and crack jokes.”

          At the start of the shoot, I noticed that John Lloyd was somewhat aloof. He would stay away from people and keep to himself in between takes. He’s having his John Lloyd mood stance. He’s that serious when it comes to his role. He really internalizes.”

          Bea reflects on their tandem. “John Lloyd and I have gone through a lot and it’s beyond the normal friendship. It’s easy for us to work together since we don’t have boundaries and there are no hassles between us. We’ve managed to keep it clean, positive. This is also probably the reason why our fans love us because we are true and sincere with each other."