Why Ellen Adarna doesn’t want to work with John Lloyd Cruz

MANILA, Philippines — Actress Ellen Adarna is happy to be back in show business after years of hiatus.

“Masaya. ‘Yung set namin na ‘John en Ellen,’ very warm. It doesn’t feel like work at all,” she said of her comeback project, a sitcom that premiered on TV5 yesterday.

“Gusto ko sana si Angelina Jolie, nga lang ang problema hindi s’ya available,” Ellen’s co-star, John Estrada, joked about his original pick for a leading lady.

“I’m a follower of Maria Elena Adarna sa IG (Instagram) and I’m proud to say that I’m one of her fans ever since.”

According to John, Ellen has a certain “magic” and a natural humor that makes her the best choice for a co-star.

“Despite the controversies, she’s a very good soul. She’s bubbly, honest, alam n’yo kung meron man kayong ‘bad image’ of Ellen Adarna, pakitapon n’yo na po ‘yan dahil hindi po s’ya ‘yan,” he enthused.

What made Ellen say “yes” to do the show, she said, is because her son with ex-partner John Lloyd Cruz, Elias, will be in Manila for at least a month to accompany his dad.

“My son is with him (John Lloyd) for a month, so I might as well work,” she said in a virtual press conference for the show last week.

“It’s good timing because when I was offered to be in the show, my son is scheduled to be in Manila… Tapos sasama ako kasi matagal s’ya dito, for one month. Wala naman akong gagawin for one month, so ‘yun, let me just do this.”

Although she preferred the show’s lock-in setup, she said she will just accept projects depending on the time they would require.

“I won’t come back (to working in showbiz) full-time. It will really depend on my time for my son.”

Taping for “John en Ellen” only took her five days for the entire season, so she appreciates if her future projects would be like this and not take a lot of time away from her kid.

“Drama, or kahit ano pa, it requires a lot of energy. And like I said, my son is my priority.”

Elias, she said, does not understand yet her and John Lloyd’s work as actors.

“There was one time I tried to show him his dad on TV. Parang ‘di pa n’ya na-ge-gets. Wala pa talaga s’yang clear idea.”

When asked for her message for John Lloyd, she said: “If I have a message (for) him, I would text him myself.”

When asked by Philstar.com during the press con if she is willing to work with John Lloyd, she replied: “Isa lang ‘yung ex ko ha, sa showbiz.”

“Parang hindi,” she noted.

“Kasi serious naman ‘yun. Ako gusto ko comedy.”

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