Being Bea

Both of them are spoken for, Dingdong Dantes for Marian Rivera and Bea Alonzo for Zanjoe Marudo.

But in Star Cinema’s She’s The One (opening nationwide on Wednesday, Oct. 16), which is part of the company’s 20th-anniversary celebration, they can set the screen on (romantic) fire as they flesh out the story of close friends forced by circumstances to a higher level of affection.

Directed by Mae Czarina Cruz from a story by Charlene Sawit-Esguerra, Anton Santamaria, Roumella Nina and Vanessa Valdez (Star Cinema’s creative director), She’s The One is Dingdong’s third movie for Star Cinema, after Segunda Mano (with Kris Aquino) and One More Try (with Angelica Panganiban and Angel Locsin), both of which won him Best Actor. She’s The One is his first team-up with Bea who has established herself as a versatile actress who is credible in characters older than she is in real life.

The movie also stars Enrique Gil who gets his baptism of fire as a mature actor in his kissing scenes with Bea.

Today’s Conversation lets Bea play The Alphabet Game in which in a snap of a moment she is required to think of something (person, place or thing) that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet, revealing more of herself in the process.   

A – Aging. Am I afraid of aging? No, I’m not. I want to celebrate as I age. I’m aware of the reality na hindi mo mababalikan kung nasa anong age ka, so dapat i-celebrate mo every time you reach a certain age.

B – Bea. I love my name. I Googled it; it means “blessing” in Latin.

C – Comfort (Food). Serve me any Filipino food — Kare-kare, etc. — at happy na ako.

D – Dingdong Dantes. It’s my first time to work with Dingdong. D as in dynamic, hehehe! It was a fun experience working with him. Maasikaso siya, a gentleman, at guapo. He’s the whole package. Dreams. I can’t stop dreaming; I still have a lot of things to achieve.

E – Eternal (Life). Do I believe in eternal life, in life after death? Yes, I do.

F – Friends. How can I tell if my friends are loyal and true? It takes some time. I consider my brothers and sisters as my true and loyal friends. In showbiz, konti lang.

G – Ghosts. How do I deal with ghosts? Wow, it’s scary! I’m still grappling with it; hindi ko pa kabisado ang mundo nila. Gossip? Dapat hindi pinapansin. The worst and most hurting gossip about me? Well, tungkol sa family namin, kapag bina-bash ang mom ko. I just ignore gossip because it won’t stop anyway. Gossipmongers just move from one gossip to another, most of the time without basis. God. When I talk to Him, I always thank Him for all the blessings. Up to now, hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala sa lahat ng blessings na ibinigay Niya sa akin.

H – Health. I try to work out and eat healthy. I try to detox every now and then by going on a certain diet. Sabi nga nila, health is wealth.

I – Instinct. Can I tell by instinct if a person is good or not upon meeting him or her for the first time? Sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. But I believe na walang masamang tao even if sometimes they turn out to be the opposite of what you think of them.

J – John Lloyd Cruz. My very first leading man. I’m so proud of him; I’m happy na ang layo-layo na ng narating niya and that I’m part of his success. Matagal din kaming nagka-trabaho and I always look forward to working with him. Joy. What, rather who, is the source of joy in my life? My family. And, of course, Zanjoe. He brings joy to my life.

K – Kitchen. It’s my favorite part of the house because I love to cook. My specialty is Shrimp Pesto.

L – Love. You can’t live without love. Love brings color to one’s world. It energizes you. I love being in love. Yes, I’m in love! Lesson. The best lesson that I’ve learned in life? There are so many, one of them is to treasure the blessings God has given you.

M – Money. Hmmm, it makes life easier, it feeds you and it nourishes you pero dapat hindi dinu-Diyos ang pera. Dapat you shouldn‘t work mainly for money; your money should work for you.

N – No. I’m a yes person; I find it hard to say no. Minsan, nakaka-yes ako even if what I want is to say no. And that’s what I hate about myself.

O – Old (Habits). I have some old habits that never die, like binging. I can’t help it.

P – Popularity. Popularity is fleeting, especially in showbiz. Here today, gone tomorrow. Ngayon, hot ka; bukas, hindi na. The thing to do is to enjoy it while it lasts. Make sure that you derive happiness from sources other than just popularity.

Q – Questions. Like everybody else, marami rin akong questions sa isip ko, foremost of them is “Why me?” Like, why is it me getting all these blessings? How and why did I deserve them? Sometimes, I also ask myself, “What did I do wrong, what did I do right?” I guess the answer is, “Because that’s your mission in life.”

R – Roles. I have done all kinds of roles. What’s the one role that comes closest to being like the real me? Actually, I put a part of me into every character that I portray. I think my role as Bobbie in Four Sisters and A Wedding. I play the eldest sister, a successful career woman in New York who comes home for the wedding of our brother (Enchong Dee).

S – Secrets. I used to be secretive but I have loosened up a bit. Hindi na masyado, maybe because I’m more comfortable with and about myself, I’m more confident na wala akong ginagawang masama. So far, wala naman akong secrets na itinatago o dapat itago.

T – Trust. I don’t easily trust people, especially not with my personal life. For me to trust a person, he or she has to prove to me that he or she can really be trusted.

U – Understanding. That’s one trait that I look for in a person. I already found it in Zanjoe who is very understanding.

V – Vanity. Am I vain? Hmmmm, I am depending on the situation, depende sa role ko. If I have to dress up for a role, maybe as a rich woman, vain dapat ang dating ko. But if I’m playing a middle-class woman, dapat hindi masyadong vain. But in real life, I’m not that vain at all, medyo lang, tama lang.

W – Worst (thing that ever happened to me). So far, none…knock on wood! Nothing that I couldn’t handle. Every time may problema, I try to look at the bright side, kaya hindi ako nade-depressed. Sana hindi mawala ang attitude ko na ‘yan.

X – X factor. What is my X factor, the trait that I am proud of? Willingness to learn. Am I correct?

Y – Yesterday. When I look back, what comes to my mind is the girl willing to work hard and to strive to get to where she wanted to be. I’m proud of that girl. That girl is me.

z – Zanjoe. Maayos naman kaming dalawa. Magtri-three years na kami. I think that’s a long relationship and it’s getting better. Sana siya na nga. What keeps us together? Respect and understanding. We trust each other. We know each other’s families. Marriage? No, we haven’t talked about it yet. We are just enjoying the moment.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected].) PHOTOS by VER PAULINO