Tried and tested John Lloyd

Not a few people have noticed that John Lloyd Cruz has all the traits of a dramatic leading man. He not only has striking good looks, he is gifted with acting depth and maturity beyond his years. He has also proven to be one of the more versatile young actors in showtown – as seen on his top-rating TV drama show, It Might Be You. He also shone in his two recent shows: Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay and Tabing Ilog, which wrapped up its triumphant runs.

On Tabing Ilog, he played Rovic, a down-to-earth, unassuming young man from the countryside. On Kay Tagal, he portrayed Yuri, a hotshot, a bit vengeful attorney from the big city. John Lloyd is the first to emphasize that his two screen personas are worlds apart.

"They are very different from each other," he pipes up. "But deep inside, they have so many things in common. When Yuri was young, he was also as simple as Rovic was. At heart, they are both very kind, very responsible and their worlds revolve around family."

In a lot of ways, John Lloyd could very well have been describing himself. He is also a sensible, reliable, and family-oriented kind of guy. A typical boy-next-door. That was why when Blue Soda, the topnotch clothing company, began its search for its newest image model, in addition to hunky Rafael Rosel IV, it didn’t have to think twice about John Lloyd.

"Actually, we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have gotten John Lloyd," Blue Soda vice-president Chin Chin Bona-La Rosa acknowledges. "We know just how busy and how in demand he is right now."

Truth be told: John Lloyd and boob-tube partner Bea Alonzo are the current toast of showbiz. In fact, their launching movie, My First Romance, grossed a whopping P8 million on its first day. On top of that, It Might Be You is a consistent top-rater on ABS-CBN 2.

Although the guy is climbing steadily to the summit of showbiz success, his feet remain planted in terra firma. True to form, he is not the type to get easily swept away by the fame game. He remains unimpressed by celebrity, in fact.

Case in point: He was largely unbelieving when informed about the opening-day earnings of First Romance. He was just as incredulous when he first heard about his traffic-stopping billboard for Blue Soda in Guadalupe.

"That is my biggest billboard ever," he gasps. "And it’s standing on a very good spot. When the billboard was first set up, I asked my handler to rate it on a scale of nine to 10. She gave it a nine. I felt so conscious about it. Very excited. So when I finally saw it with my own eyes, I was like floored! Wow! It really stood out among the different billboards on EDSA. It felt great. I wanted to throw a party under the billboard!"

John Lloyd, the cool party boy and much sought-after image model doesn’t consider himself a fashionista, however. Asked if he has a fashion philosophy, he shrugs. "Do I have one?" he quips. "I’m not what you would call highly fashionable."

If there is one word that captures succinctly his sense of style, it’s "basic," he asserts. "More than anything else, I go for comfort," he affirms. "In the past, I tried one of those new fads. I wore it just because it was the latest trend. But still, I went home to change because I didn’t feel at ease in it."

He always returned to the true, tried and tested. Like Blue Soda. "I can be very choosy when it comes to clothes," he points out. "Normally, I go for dark colors. Black or dark blue."

His favorite Blue Soda outfit in the closet, in fact, is a dark blue shirt emblazoned with the number 18. "It looks simple, but once you wear it, it looks great, falls great on your body," he attests.

Even his fashion icons are embodiments of elegant simplicity. "I like the way Brad Pitt and (soccer player) David Beckham dress up." In sum, he’s a very casual, laid-back dresser. "When I don’t have work or if I am just going out malling, I’ll just put on a shirt and a pair of denim shorts," he confirms.

But he can also go formal and pulls out all the stops in three-piece suits, like Yuri the lawyer. For KC Concepcion’s grand debut at the Fort, where John Lloyd escorted then girlfriend Ciara Sotto, he wore a dashing coat-and-tie ensemble. For Jericho Rosales’s retro birthday bash at the Temple, on the other hand, John Lloyd donned an unpretentious polo shirt and matching pants.

"It really depends on my moods," he shares. "It also takes a long time for me to get ready. I’m very relaxed as a dresser, but I also spend a long time putting it together." In the end, this Blue Soda guy advises other young people to stick to the basics, fashion-wise, but also to not be afraid to try all sorts of styles and designs.

"I am open to everything, actually," John Lloyd elaborates. "I want to try everything. I want to try all styles. For as long as they’re comfortable, of course, and suit my personality."

Spoken like a true Blue Soda boy.