Bea Alonzo’s answered prayers

BEA ALONZO says her show’s concept was “truthful and realistic.”

“I’m on the right track,” actress Bea Alonzo said of her flourishing show biz career and smooth love life.

Alonzo got good reviews for her performance in the ABS-CBN drama series “Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon,” which ended last Friday. Her relationship with Kapamilya actor Zanjoe Marudo is the envy of many women her age.

“I’ve prayed hard for all of these. I’m happy that I’m finally experiencing them now,” she told the Inquirer. “I prayed for a person who would love me and truly care for me. It’s been a happy three years with Z so far.”

The actress said jealousy was never an issue between her and Marudo. “He’s not the jealous type. He’s also very professional when it comes to to work,” she said. “Love scenes may look sensual when you watch them onscreen, but they are really difficult to do. You’re surrounded by a lot of people and you have a technical team close to you, whispering to you what you’re supposed to do. It’s always a weird experience.”

Alonzo said she was aware of viewers’ positive reaction to her decision to go daring in “Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon,” particularly with regard to her sexy scenes with costar Paulo Avelino.

“I’m glad they were accepting. When the show was just starting, I felt the pressure. I felt that the success of the project was dependent on how well I would be able to perform the roles assigned to me,” she said. “But I said to myself, if this wouldn’t work out, I’ll keep trying. Life doesn’t end when a project fails.”

The story of “Sana Bukas Pa” revolved around two different women both played by Alonzo—the feisty lawyer Emmanuelle and the kind-hearted heiress of a chocolate company, Rose, who is accused of murdering her own father.

Alonzo said she agreed to work on the show because she thought the concept was “truthful and realistic.” “Each character struggled with his or her own issues. My character (Emmanuelle) may be kind but she was doing something bad. Maricar Reyes’ Sasha went through something difficult that forces her to do bad things. They are all gray characters, much like people in real life. We’re no saints. I admit to doing bad things sometimes, like getting angry—something which none of you would want to see.”

Fighter

Alonzo added, “Emmanuelle is more interesting [than Rose] because she fights back when she gets hurt. I enjoyed my scenes as Emmanuelle. It was my first time to portray someone like her. My characters in past projects were all very pure and had no major changes in their personalities.”

The actress said she learned a lot on the set, as well: “I see parts of myself in the characters I portray. I think that’s important … that’s the only way for a character to be truthful.”

To make her romantic scenes with Avelino convincing, Alonzo said they had to undergo a “sensuality workshop” under actor-director Laurice Guillen.

“The stimuli always had to come from Paulo, since his character was trying to seduce me. I just reacted to them the way a normal person would,” Alonzo explained. “We both felt uncomfortable in the beginning. With the help of Direk Jerome (Pobocan), we were able to pull it off.”

Asked what kind of chocolate she thought would best describe Avelino, who played a chocolatier in the series, Alonzo replied: “He’s a dark chocolate. He can be sweet and bitter at the same time. This makes him more interesting compared to the plain, sweet type. Those guys can be very boring.”

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