"The mystery is gone when the love team becomes real," explains John Lloyd Cruz, himself the other half of a love team that has topbilled eight projects – four movies and four soaps (the latest of which is ABS-CBN’s Maging Sino Ka Man, which premiered last Friday).
Bea Alonzo, his perennial leading lady, says John Lloyd couldn’t have been more right. In fact, she calls the absence of real-life romance between them the "secret ingredient" behind their success as a loveteam.
"That’s why our partnership has lasted this long," she says.
No, he never tried to court her, nor even gave so much as a hint that he wanted to get lovey dovey with her beyond the camera.
That’s just fine with Bea, thank you. This way, they won’t feel awkward in their sweet moments on screen.
So comfortable is Bea with John Lloyd she didn’t balk when she had to show a little more skin and do an intimate scene with him in a nipa hut.
As Jackie, who has everything money can buy but is still looking for that missing piece in her life, Bea finds solace in Eli (John Lloyd), the tough, poor but principled Tondo guy she falls in love with.
"This is my most mature role so far. I wouldn’t have done what I did if my leading man was some other guy. That’s because I trust John Lloyd completely," Bea reveals.
So at home are they with each other, Bea knew John Lloyd was going steady with model-designer Liz Uy even before he made a clean breast of it in public.
But while John Lloyd is mum about his non-showbiz girlfriend, and refuses to compare her with his ex-girlfriends like Ciara Sotto, Bea is the opposite when it comes to Miko Palanca, said to be an ardent suitor.
Looks like Bernard Palanca’s kid brother has taken a hold in Bea’s heart. They’re just friends, Bea insists, although she finds in Miko all the qualities she is looking for in a guy.
Problem is, she can’t make heads or tails about the sincerity of his intentions, since Miko hasn’t talked with her for a month now.
"I don’t know if he’s involved with other girls or not," explains Bea.
That’s why she’d rather remain noncommittal when people quiz Bea about the real score between her and Miko. They’re friends, period.
And no, she didn’t lose weight because Miko once suggested that she do so. Bea reasons out that she simply wants to gain more confidence by shedding a few pounds herself. He has absolutely nothing to do with her decision.
John Lloyd has become more conscious of his body, too. He has been frequenting the gym, not so much to make girls stare at his muscles with awe, but for his health.
"I want health consciousness to be part of my lifestyle," he explains. "I know I was not genetically groomed to have a fabulous body in the first place."
Fabulous body or not, those regular trips to the gym have borne fruit. The faces of fans light up when he enters the ASAP stage with his fellow Cover Boys members (among them Sam Milby, his Maging Sino Ka Man co-star) and wows them with his flat abs and trim body.
When this happens, all of John Lloyd’s inhibitions about his body vanish into thin air. His fans are happy, and John Lloyd is on Cloud 9.
But he insists The Cover Boys can never replace The Hunks, the all-male group made up of Piolo Pascual, Carlos Agassi, Bernard Palanca, Jericho Rosales and Diether Ocampo. The Hunks, explains John Lloyd, have carved their own niche in the biz, and will forever have a place in their fans’ hearts.
As for him and Bea, John Lloyd is crossing his fingers their loveteam will stand the test of time the way Vilma and Christopher’s has.
"I will be happy if we can approximate even a bit of what the Vi-Boyet loveteam has achieved," nods Bea.
So far, John Lloyd and Bea have no reason to think otherwise. The projects keep on coming. And they can lead their own lives once the cameras stop rolling and the lights fade away.
Yes, a little mystery goes a long way.