Love temporarily takes a backseat for Bea

“WOMEN who prioritize their family’s needs over their own will be able to relate to my character here (‘She’s the One’).”

Bea Alonzo said she was so busy she had not spent quality time with boyfriend actor Zanjoe Marudo in over two months now.

“Both of us aren’t the type who would call often or send each other text messages. It’s really our trust in each other that makes us survive, that makes our relationship work,” said Alonzo during the recent press conference for her latest Star Cinema movie “She’s the One.”

But Alonzo said she was “happy with what is happening to my life—I feel so blessed. I harbor no ill feelings towards anybody. I feel positive and it shows in my work and my relationship with other people.”

Unique friendship

Alonzo is again seen on the big screen via the romantic-comedy “She’s the One,” opposite Dingdong Dantes. She happily reported a unique friendship had developed between her and her leading man.

“We’ve gotten close enough to feel comfortable with each other. We joke around the set as if we’re not working for the very first time. We clicked immediately. Amazingly, I didn’t feel ill-at-ease with Dingdong at all,” she said.

Alonzo said she heard only good words about Dantes from Marudo. The men worked together in the dramatic film “One More Try.”

Alonzo said, “I’ve already heard stories from Zanjoe of how good an actor Dingdong is long before I knew I’d work with him, too. Zanjoe said Dong was easy to be with. I was able to prove that while working on this project. Dong never gave me or the production team any problems. He had been very understanding and supportive.”

She added, “Our DOP (director of photography) worked very meticulously—he even checked (if) my eye bags were visible on screen. Dong showed his support by putting up with this. He even stayed on the set even if he was no longer needed.”

BEA ALONZO got to meet Dingdong Dantes’ girlfriend.

You and Dingdong are both in relationships. What effect do you think this will have on your onscreen partnership?

I personally think the audience is smart enough to know what’s real and reel. Dingdong and I are way past that stage where we need to make viewers believe something is going on between us just to sell our film. For us, what you see is what you get.

Did you also get to know his girlfriend Marian Rivera?

I’ve learned that Marian is a really sweet and thoughtful person. She sent me a card and a box of macaroons. We never really got to hang out much—just the one night when filming finished early and we all went to a videoke place. Marian didn’t stay long because she had an early call time the following day.

I don’t have a lot of friends, but while doing this movie a special barkada was formed. Whatever happens to this movie—whether or not it does well at the box-office—I will treasure the friends I made when working on this project. I consider them a blessing. (The movie also features Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano, Maricar Reyes and Guji Lorenzana).

Enrique admitted to feeling extremely nervous doing a kissing scene with you. How did you help him?

I just told him it was OK and it was part of the job. I made sure we worked in an atmosphere that was very professional. I explained to him that when I first read the script, I already knew that the kissing scene was essential to the story. Since our characters were in a romantic relationship, I knew it was going to happen.

What was the challenge for you working on this film?

In the beginning, I was worried. I asked our director (Mae Czarina Cruz), “How will I be able to develop chemistry with these actors when I don’t know them personally and have never worked with them before?”

Direk Mae told me about an interesting conversation she had with Ma’am Charo (Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN president). She explained that being in love was a feeling, much like being sad or happy. You are a good actor if you can make viewers believe you’re in love with your coactor even when you’re not.

What can viewers expect from you in this film?

Women who prioritize their family’s needs over their own will be able to relate to my character here. The story attempts to answer questions like, “What happens if you put your personal interest first for a change? What happens when you finally get into something that, in the past, you never thought will actually work?”

How are you able to  shift effectively from drama to comedy?

I give all the credit to Star Cinema—I consider myself merely its instrument. If we didn’t have a good script, talented director and DOP, as well as a dedicated staff, this would not have been possible. I merely gave them my full trust and dedicated myself to the project. All the great ideas came from Star Cinema.

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