At 30, Gerald Anderson now ready for marriage

Gerald Anderson

Can you not have both in your life?” asked actor Gerald Anderson when reporters made him choose between a thriving career and a blossoming love life, a dilemma of one of the characters in his latest romantic drama film “Between Maybes.”

The Jason Paul Laxamana movie, shot on location in Saga, Japan, also features Julia Barretto. It premiered in cinemas on May 15.

“Is it true that you can’t have it all? I think it really depends on the situation,” said Gerald at a recent press conference organized by producer Black Sheep.
“Right now, work is still my priority. I still need to save up. I still have a lot to do and accomplish,” he said. “But I can say that, now that I’m 30, I’m more emotionally ready to settle down as compared to when I was just 17 or 25.”

Gerald has been dating fellow actor Bea Alonzo since 2017.

In the film, Hazel (Julia) is an actress experiencing troubles in her career and not having control of her life. Feeling lost and wanting to escape, she books a random flight and eventually ends up in the secluded prefecture of Saga. There she finds an unexpected confidante in Louie (Gerald), who isolated himself after experiencing heartbreak from his family.

“Yes, there were also times in my life when I got into situations that were too overwhelming—it’s like everything was happening all at once and I had no control over their outcomes. I guess everyone has experienced this at some point in his or her life. It’s really best to find escape first, to recharge, to rethink your battle plan and then go back to face everything,” Gerald advised.

Anderson (left) and Julia Barretto in “Between Maybes”

From what happened to him, Gerald said he has learned “to simply accept that there are really things you can’t control. You have to let go of them. Have faith. Don’t give up because there will come a point when things will be OK. You just have to stay strong.”

When things get too overwhelming at work, Gerald, a triathlete, would find escape in “exercising and staying active. I play basketball, work out or run. It’s the best therapy for me. Even before I built The Third Floor (his newly opened gym), I would work out at home.”

He would also “escape” from social media, which he was convinced was the reason for the “increase in anxiety rate of a lot of people. The No. 1 thing to do is to deactivate. When you’re on a trip, you should go out and explore, experience culture, eat their food, talk to strangers and learn the language. When you come back, you’ll have a different perspective, for sure.”

Gerald, however, admitted that he has yet to experience traveling alone. “Now that I turned 30, I’m more open to trying new things. I hope to do it so I’d be able to grow. My character Louie and I are a lot different, so portraying him was a challenge at the beginning. He wanted to be alone because of a traumatic experience in his life,” he explained, adding that it’s a good thing the film was shot in Saga.

“It’s my first time to film in a place that’s so isolated. I think it only has five residents. Louie lives in a fishing village. I tried to explore the place. There were restaurants but there was no one eating, just me and my PA (personal assistant),” he said. “I’m thankful that our location provided no distractions. I was able to get into my character easily because of the environment.”

Gerald said working with Julia for the first time had been “very refreshing. The dynamics are different. It’s a challenge because you have to have chemistry with your leading lady. I’ve always been up to challenges like that. I’m thankful to ABS-CBN because my bosses always consider casting me. I was surprised at the offer (to work with Julia), but I was more excited so I said ‘yes.’”