Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz: When opposites attract
There is an idea that mixing two opposite things can either result in absolute magic or absolute disaster, and no one is more opposite than John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo.
Geronimo, on one hand, is that natural good girl. She can glam to the nines like a goddess, kill any range of vocal gymnastics while also acing complicated dance moves in teetering heels. But behind that Sasha Fierce-ness lies the essential Sarah: less a diva and more a reserved, sweet, and sincere young woman, clearly steeped in traditional Filipino values. She says “po” when responding to questions, and she appears to take her time in constructing truthful but thoughtful answers. She has a quiet positivity about her, not being preachy while exuding an essence of gratitude for her lot in life; a quality that comes through in her bright smile and timid gestures. It is this aspect of her that defines how the rest of her brand is structured, as it happens to be one that holds a family-friendly nature closest to heart.
Cruz, on the other hand, is about as unpredictable as they come. Although he’s not your traditional boy next door, he’s not fully James Dean on a motorbike waiting outside your front door past midnight either. He’s not out to break every heart, and there is an undercurrent of mischief that flashes in his eyes, accompanied by an unspeakable charm. And while Cruz is still excellent at that movie promo pole dance, there is something truly atypical about him in comparison to the careful nature that accompanies most celebrities: He says exactly what he thinks, he’s not afraid to be a little weird or a lot different, and while he doesn’t stir the pot for the sheer sake of it, he’s not fussed about getting under other people’s skin.
The two were brought together nine years ago to headline the Cathy Garcia-Molina film, A Very Special Love. Geronimo portrayed the extremely lovable Laida Magtalas, editorial assistant to Cruz’s Miggy Montenegro, a publishing heir with a massive chip on his shoulder. The film was lightning in a bottle, so much so that it expanded into a trilogy with its succeeding sequels You Changed My Life (2009) and It Takes a Man and a Woman (2013). Some key punch lines in the first film turned into pop culture staples, cementing the Geronimo-Cruz tandem in its unexpected phenomenon status.
Now in 2017, the two stand together again, this time playing new characters by the name of Raffy and Aprilyn in the Theodore Boborol-directed feature Finally Found Someone. “It’s a story about honesty, about embracing your age,” Cruz says with a laugh. “Medyo maraming binuksang tanong ‘to. I think guys my age can totally relate to this film, especially if you’re approaching your 30s or early 30s ka, and all you have is your job and your career.” He describes this time in one’s life as a transition period, and how there’s a pressure to reach a certain point in one’s career before thinking of other personal matters like love. “Pero hindi rin naman kailangang ganun, diba? Pwede namang iba,” says Cruz. Geronimo adds that the storyline — which deals with more adult subject matter like marriage and finding a work-life balance — was something she could definitely relate to now that she’s approaching her thirties, and has in fact affirmed her personal ideals. “Alam ko na naman to noon pa, pero alamin mo ‘yung gusto mo sa mapapangasawa mo, sa future partner mo. Tapos ‘yun, never settle for less, ‘yung ninanais talaga ng puso mo. Hindi ‘yung basta single lang siya, or basta makakasal ka lang.”
The Difference Four Years Make
Four years make for many changes, the greatest of which was embarking on a film journey that didn’t include Cathy Garcia-Molina, who anchored the success of their first three films together. Molina is notorious for her very particular nature, for having unique vision and a consequent focus on fleshing even the most minor details, in order to make this vision a reality. Ted Boborol, director of the Metro Manila Film Fest smash Vince and Kath and James, is more known to be collaborative, wanting to have a better understanding of what actors have to bring to the table, and how to harness that in a real desire to create something together. This was a terrifying prospect for Geronimo, who was used to Molina’s familiarity with her performances and would call her out if she wasn’t being particularly truthful. She remarked, however, that pushing herself out of her comfort zone and asking for another take if she felt that she had more to give allowed her to grow, as an actor, in ways she didn’t expect. Conversely, Cruz’s excitement with regard to a more open collaboration was extremely apparent. “Ito talaga ‘yung ginusto ko. I really wanted to work with a new director para sa amin, para we can create something new. I really enjoyed working with Direk Ted because he’s highly collaborative.” He adds that what he loved about this particular movie was being able to have a certain sense of ownership in creating the role of Raffy. “You get to practice, tatrabahuin ko to, gagawin ko to with my co-actor and my director, and ’yun ’yung pinaka essence ng trabaho namin.”
What is equally exciting is that both actors have come to terms with their own processes, what it is that brings them the most joy, and their own visions for their personal careers. Geronimo says that she is happiest when she is performing, and that while she truly enjoys being an actress, there is a certain quality about being on stage that brings her an unerring sense of bliss. “Siyempre mas natural po talaga sakin mag-perform, kumanta, and aaminin ko naman na happiest place ko ’yun pag nagpe-perform ako at kumakanta.” (She blushes, adorably, when Cruz and I exchange comments about how much she’s grown as a perfomer.)
Cruz remarks that he knows nothing of that duality in entertainment, he veers away from scripts that are too political, not only because he prefers more human-centric stories, but also because he feels that in volatile political circumstances, the medium of film is somehow abused. “I don’t believe na ’yung film nandiyan para magamit para masettle ’yung mga political issues. Feeling ko nae-exploit [‘yung film], and ’yung mga issues na political kailangan nire-resolve sa tamang venue at platform. ’Yung films hindi napprotektahan. Kung sa kwento lang, ang dami-daming kwento na hindi lang dapat i-kwento, pero napakasarap makita sa big screen.” He cites Sunday Beauty Queen as a prime example of excellent content and storytelling. He talks about the kinds of stories that he would like to see.
Cruz and Geronimo agree that characters don’t also necessarily fall away after one yells, “cut.” Cruz says that he doesn’t mind carrying characters home with him sometimes because it assures him that he is still human and that he isn’t so mechanical — that he can just switch it on and off. Geronimo recounts that when she was starting out with Cruz, her emotions had become so engaged after their first project together that for a time, she actually developed quite a big crush on him. (After which, it was Cruz’s turn to blush, gaze unable to meet anyone else’s for a couple of minutes.)
Not Everything Changes
Given Geronimo and Cruz’s personal changes and journeys, there’s one thing audiences can definitely count on: the palpable chemistry the two ignite, and the way their coupling embraces a certain privacy when it comes to portraying relationships. The Magtalas-Montenegro trilogy the two became famous for was largely wholesome and stayed several miles away from anything even remotely sexual. “We wanted to prove na we could achieve that level of kilig na wala masyadong [sexual] intimacy,” says Cruz about their previous films. “It’s the most challenging. Kasi sa totoo lang, kapag inisip mo… kailangan bang laging may [sexual] intimacy sa isang material? And with this one, I’m hoping that we can still prove it na hindi kailangang maging focal point ‘yung mga ganung bagay in coming up with material for a specific audience, like what we have.” Both actors, however, concede that their fourth film as a tandem is the most intimate work they’ve done together.
As for Finally Found Someone, fans are clamoring for more Ashlloyd (as they’re colloquially referred to) within a day of the film’s release. But Geronimo is already set to star in the Filipino adaptation of the 2014 Korean film Miss Granny, and Cruz is taking his time with projects as he coasts towards the end of his contract with ABS-CBN in 2018. It surprises no one that they travel at different speeds, but it also makes it clear that while Cruz and Geronimo know how to make onscreen magic, you can only hold so much lightning in your hand before you have to let it go. During some other time and in some other place, perhaps there will be more, but for now, a comfy seat in the cinema will have to do.
