After Bea Alonzo revealed the real reason of her break-up with ex-boyfriend Mico Palanca, she further opened up about how she struggled to become one of the most admired young actresses in the biz today. The man behind the country’s successful reality shows, Director Laurenti Dyogi, happens to be her greatest mentor. “Para sa akin po siya yung nag-umpisa ng pagiging Bea ko. Kasi that was my first ever soap na sinalihan, yung Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. Dapat yung role ko lang dun maliit. Siya yung nagturo sa akin. Actually siya yung gumawa sa love team namin ni John Lloyd (Cruz),” she began on the third part of her tell-all interview on Showbiz News Ngayon.
Working again with him on her new movie And I Love You So is much easier as she draws inspiration from the way he challenged her to improve her dramatic performance in the past. “Si Direk kasi kapag narinig ko na yung boses niya, kahit na anong emosyon, kahit sa pag-iiyak, it’s a must na [maka-deliver ako]. Parang automatic na sa katawan ko kasi I remember him saying before [nung] hindi ako maka-iyak, hindi ako makapag-emote [habang] ka-eksena ko si Lorna Tolentino—kasi intimidated ako kay Tita LT. Sinabi niya sa akin, ‘Alam mo kung hindi ka marunong dito, kung hindi mo magagawa ang eksena na ito, mag-quit ka na.’ Tapos parang ako, ‘Ah wait, kaya ko ito’ng gawin.’ And it ended well,” she happily recalled.
Other respected personalities that Bea looks up to includes Direk Erik Reyes who helped her grow into a mature actress in Maging Sino Ka Man and Direk Cathy Garcia-Molina who inspired her to be more passionate towards her craft. Of course her Star Magic family also played a big part on her colorful life in the industry. “Bukod kay Direk Lauren, si Mr. M. yung tumayong ama sa akin sa business because wala akong ama buong buhay ko. Siguro yung mga father figures, silang dalawa yung tatay ko and si Tita Mariole is my nanay naman here.”
But John Lloyd Cruz happens to be her constant source of motivation to give her best in every scene she does. “Siya actually yung nagturo sa akin na magkaroon ng fighting spirit. Feeling ko hindi niya alam, kasi ito yung tumatakbo sa isip ko habang ka-trabaho ko siya lagi. Lagi akong nagsusunog ng kilay kasi napakagaling niyang aktor. Maiiwan ka niya sa ere kapag hindi ka nag-work eh,” she added.
In terms of the stiff competition in the industry, the star of I Love Betty La Fea was also honest enough to admit that she sometimes feels jealous of her toughest rivals like Anne Curtis and Angel Locsin. “I only compete with myself. [But] of course hindi ko makakaila na there are times na mararamdaman mo na ‘Ay bakit ganon? Bakit sila ganito? Bakit ako ganito?’ Alam mo kapag nararamdaman ko yun, alam mo ginagawa ko, sinusulat ko sa papel lahat ng nararamdaman ko tapos pinagpre-pray ko na lang na ‘Lord, ayoko’ng maging tao na [may] inggit [sa puso],” she sincerely told Boy Abunda.
When asked if the fact that she has never won a Best Actress Award yet makes her frustrated, Bea insisted that hearing praises from her avid fans is more than enough for her. “Para sa akin bonus lang yun eh. Siguro yung pinakamalaking award na pwedeng makuha mo ay yung makarinig ka sa ibang tao lalo na sa mga fans mo na, 'Uy alam mo ba na-touch ako dun, naka-relate ako [role na pinortray mo].” There’s also no reason for her to resent Angel and Anne for the recognition that they recently received since she is good friends with them after all. “Halos lahat nasa ASAP [yung mga kasabayan ko’ng artista]. And sa ASAP we’re all friends, almost everyone are good friends. And with Angel, she just entered ASAP and I wasn’t there. But since si Luis (Manzano) is connected with her and we're friends with Luis, so parang ganun [na rin kami],” she maintained.
Catch more of Bea’s revelations on matters of the heart and her biggest shopping splurge tonight on Showbiz News Ngayon.
- by Rachelle Siazon