What a difference a year makes. When MOD first met beautiful, talented actress Bea Alonzo, she was 15 going on 16, and on the verge of becoming like her loveteam John Lloyd Cruz, one of the hottest young stars on television. Now, after the hit teleserye Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay bid farewell and Alonzo welcomed a new teleserye titled It Might Be You, and after starring in two feature films, the most recent of which is Now That I Have You, Bea – who is turning 17 this October 17 – has become more confident in posing for the camera, she’s more relaxed, she has even learned to live with wearing those dreadful high heels, and, darn it, she is getting prettier and taller everyday.
Nice Girl
It would be so easy to hate this girl were it not for a fact that from the time we met her and she was still an up-and-coming TV star to now that she is a bona fide star Bea has remained quite a nice girl.
This “niceness” that seems to leap from the screen and the pictures – which was what probably made her popular in the first place – is what makes Bea the perfect product endorser. Her numerous print and TV ads for Karimadon, Johnson & Johnson, Charmee, Porsche Jeans and Shirts, Kara Nina and Outland Footwear have led some to call her the reigning commercial princess.
Bea, who was really, at 15, just a baby when she played a lawyer in her breakout project Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay, is turning into a lady very soonn. Asked about the debut celebration that her home studio will most probably throw for her next year, the 5’8” yountg star tells Moviestar that she would be grateful if ABS-CBN actually did that her but if she were to spend her own money, she is not that interested in having a grand birthday bash. “What I really want for my 18th birthday is to tour Europe or the United States instead of having a grand party,” she says.
Meanwhile, the half-Filipino, half-British beauty is busy with two regular shows at Channel 2: the teleserye It Might Be You, which airs on weekdays and the noontime variety show ASAP, which airs every Sunday. When we first interviewed her, Bea was bent on dieting and losing about seven pounds. Now, we tell her she is sexier and she blurts out a cheerful “Whoa!”
“Thank you,” she grins. “I think it’s partly because I am growing up, partly because I exercise regularly, or I try to stick to my diet. Although I can’t give up on the chocolates.”
Bea the Bookworm
Another current passion for this teenager is reading books. “It started when someone lent me Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. After that I read the next book by Alboom, which is Five People You Meet In Heaven. Ayan, nahilig talaga ako sa books. I’m also very interested in Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. I also bought The Alchemist and Gracia Burnham’s book. I was really curious about them, especially the books based on true stories. I was also thinking that this could also help me with the craft; learning, for example, how Burnham felt when she was kidnapped.”
The craft, of course, is acting. Something she has been quite food even when she was 15 and a newcomer at this whole thespian thing. Reading books, she says, is also a way for her to imagine or get an idea of how a character would react in certain situation. “I also discuss the character with the director – pero depende din kung close mo yung director. But for me, the big thing is observing people and being sensitive to the emotions of the people around you. I’m not really into watching performances in the movies or in television kasi ako, kapag nakikita ko ang emotions ng ibang artista, nagagaya ko. I don’t like that because I don’t like copying a performance. So I observe other people, real people and how they react in real situations.”
Speaking of real situations, last year, when John Lloyd-Bea loveteam first became the hottest thing on television, the two weren’t really friends, weren’t even speaking much to each other on the set and behind the cameras. “That time, we weren’t really friends at all because we really just met. Plus, he was avoiding on-set romance rumors because he had a girlfriend then. Ako naman, ayaw akong masabihan ako ng flirt or whatever so I’d rather not talk or be friends. But now, we discovered na pwede naman pala, there’s nothing wrong with being friendly with each other. Now, I can say we’re close friends and we enjoy each other’s company. John Lloyd has always been the “alaskador.” The difference is that now, since we’ve become friends, alam ko na kung ano talaga ang iniisip niya at nasasakyan ko na ang mga jokes niya. And I could also crack jokes at him since we’re now at ease with each other.”
Also reaching another level are her career and her studies. She is set to co-star in a major movie with two major actresses and she is also set to march on to college. “I don’t see myself working forever in show business. I’m studying again after stopping for two years. I’m now in the third year high school through Angelicum’s home study program. I want to enter college, hopefully next school yeat, since pwede naman ganun, if I can finish third year and fourth year in one year.”
The young actress says that she looks forward to a family vacation abroad this year, although they still have to schedule that around her show biz commitments. “If I will be part of a show abroad this Christmas, I might bring the whole family with me so the trip can double as vacation for me,” she smiles. “If the show doesn’t push through, then we’ll all – the whole family – pack our bags and it’s Thailand, here we come!”
Article by: Eden C. Carlos
Source: MOD Magazine October 15 2004
Submitted by: Emilie
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