What to expect from John Lloyd now that he’s Kapuso

John Lloyd Cruz is officially reviving his television career via GMA Network.

After months of speculations and negotiations, the 38-year-old actor has signed a partnership deal for his first Kapuso show to premiere in January 2022.

“Maraming salamat sa pagbibigay ng tahanan sa aming munting pamilya at programa. Napakalaking bagay ‘ho na nakahanap kami ng tahanan sa GMA. Sa lahat ng mga nagpaabot ng pagbati… sana talaga lahat tayo ay mabigyan ng pagkakataon na magkatrabaho,” John Lloyd said during a contract-signing on Tuesday.

The event was attended virtually and in-person by network executives, including GMA Network Films, Inc. president and programming consultant to the chairman and CEO Annette Gozon-Valdes, senior vice president for GMA Entertainment Group Lilybeth Rasonable, first vice president for Program Management Jose Mari Abacan, among others. Also present were Wacky Solutions, Inc. director and line producer Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz, as well as Rambo Nunez Ortega and Mikki Gonzalez, CEO and COO, respectively, at John Lloyd’s management team Crown Artist Management, Inc.

In an exclusive interview with The STAR, Gozon-Valdes shared more details about GMA’s partnership agreement with the actor.

“Finally, he’s going to have a show with GMA. We’re really looking forward to that. Everyone in GMA is very excited for this project,” Gozon-Valdes said, referring to the sitcom the actor will topbill and produce.

Asked if John Lloyd inked a “guaranteed contract” with the network, she said, “No, not yet. This is a line production. So, sila ni direk Bobot, they’re going to produce the show, and it’s going to be aired on GMA.”

Set to be a Sunday primetime offering, it will begin airing in January, as part of the opening salvo for the 2022 programming lineup. John Lloyd seems to be channeling a real-life role as he will play a single father in the sitcom titled Happy To Get Her, also a play on the words “happy together.”

As for other cast members, Gozon-Valdes said, “Actually, walang leading lady yung show but he’s going to have regular guests… The concept is not just an ordinary sitcom, it’s very heartwarming and it has a lot of values that will be imparted to the audience.”

The announcement of John Lloyd’s first project on GMA came months after fueling comeback rumors with his guesting in a TV special by GMA blocktimer and Wowowin host Willie Revillame in June. It was the first TV appearance for the former prized talent at ABS-CBN since taking an indefinite leave of absence from showbiz in 2017.

As previously reported, the GMA show was originally planned for a September or October airing. Asked what caused the delay, Gozon-Valdes said, “We were negotiating with them, but there were a lot of declarations na ECQ and meron mga parang nag-quarantine so nagkaroon ng konting delays in the finalization. But we were working on it continuously and finally, eto na. And ang maganda, since it’s already Alert Level 2 (status in the country), nagkaroon pa ng event for the signing. I think, ano rin yan, God’s timing.”

She also noted that it took a while to develop the concept. “Then, when the concept was presented, nag-negotiations on what type of contract it would be. Finally, it was decided that it will be a line production. Yun din yung preference nila. There were a lot of steps to finalize the negotiations. (But) tuloy-tuloy... It never bogged down during that time.”

Negotiations with John Lloyd weren’t difficult because the latter was “always very open” from the onset of their discussions. Gozon-Valdes said, “He’s always been very appreciative that he’s welcome to GMA and from the start naman, when we started speaking, he wanted to take things slow. He wanted to do it, little steps at a time. That’s why the first project is a line production. He wants to get a feel of how it is to be in GMA, how it is to be a Kapuso and he wants to grow the relationship from there.”

GMA will soon pitch to him drama and movie concepts as follow-up projects. “Pinag-usapan na namin yan, but we’re still looking for the right concept for him,” she said.

Gozon-Valdes added that the actor expressed interest to “work with artists he’s never worked with before and I think  madali na yun because ang dami naman naming artists that he has never worked with.

“But, I think, at his level, he’s also looking for new concepts. Siguro kasi since he’s been in the industry for so long, medyo challenge to find some things he’s not done before. So, baka yun yung gusto namin mabigay sa kanya, a project that will fulfill himself also as an artist, aside from the fact the viewers will enjoy it, but of course, pag-andun yung puso ng isang artist, gumaganda yung palabas.”

Meanwhile, reacting to how news about John Lloyd as the newest Kapuso trended on Twitter, Gozon-Valdes said, “I think ang daming naka-miss kay John Lloyd. He’s an icon in Philippine showbiz, and after a four, almost five-year hiatus, he’s ready to be back. We hope tuloy-tuloy na ‘to and mapapanood na talaga siya ng fans niya and even new audiences now. He’ll have a wider audience.”

Apart from GMA bosses led by chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon, some of the biggest Kapuso stars also recorded welcome messages for John Lloyd. Long-time onscreen partner and now fellow Kapuso Bea Alonzo also joined the “welcoming party”: “I cannot wait for everyone to see and experience the greatness of John Lloyd Cruz as I did through the years. Know that I will forever be your biggest fan.”