BEA ALONZO
The Beauty of Courage
As she enters a new chapter of her showbiz career as a Kapuso, Bea Alonzo reflects on life, her successful career, the joy of savoring life's moments as they come, and shares why she’s chosen to look forward from this moment on.
Text by Bong Godinez
Photos by Mark Nicdao
Additional photos by Jayme Vista
“I am ready. I know that I have so much more to offer. I’m excited, I’m ready to take on the world again. But this time ibang path naman, ibang mundo at ready ako na makibagay."
Bea Alonzo puts it best when she described the events of July 1 as “surreal.”
For someone who is used to showbiz’s bright lights, the award-winning actress felt suddenly awestruck by the enormity of the moment.
Bea, for the first time in her 20-year career, found herself in unfamiliar but pleasant territory.
The actress was turning a new chapter both in her life and career, signing with GMA Network after being one of the faces of ABS-CBN for two decades.
Bea’s transfer was made official in a contract signing event at Edsa Shangri-La in Mandaluyong City.
As Bea settled, the initial nervousness was replaced by excitement and gratitude. Tensed feelings were replaced by eager anticipation of what’s in store for her.
“It feels great. It feels a bit surreal, of course. But it feels great, I feel like I’m embarking on a new adventure,” Bea told GMANetwork.com in an exclusive interview.
“Para siyang new chapter, so parang everything’s new. I’m so excited for the new projects to be made with me and the other Kapuso stars. I’m beyond excited to meet them, excited ako na libutin ang bago kong tahanan, to meet new friends, and work in a new environment this time.”
In a way, that pretty much sums up Bea’s life story – courageous, curious, and always eager to take on new challenges.
Family dynamics
Born on October 17, 1987, Phylbert Angelli Ranollo, popularly known as Bea Alonzo, is the daughter of British national Philip Fagestrom and Filipina Mary Anne Ranollo.
“Kasi noong pinanganak kita, uso ang panlalaking pangalan, pinagdugtong-dugtong ko lang… At that time, favorite ko si Gelli de Belen, kaya Angelli,” Mary Anne said in one of Bea’s vlogs, explaining the origin of her daughter’s name.
Philip and Mary Anne separated when Bea was four years old. The actress never met her father again – and she’s long learned to keep it that way.
In the July 4 episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Bea gave a succinct recollection of that part of her life.
“It was a very painful past,” she said in the TV interview. “Nabuo naman ang pagkatao ko nang wala akong ama. Growing up, hindi ko na-feel na meron pagkukulang kasi my mom is both my dad.”
Finding love again, Mary Anne would eventually marry Dondon Carlos. Their union was blessed with a son, James.
“At first parang hindi ko pa siya tinatanggap pero alam mo itong stepdad ko po, parang naging biggest blessings sa pamilya namin kasi siya 'yung parang naging glue. Siya 'yung dahilan kung bakit kami ganito ka-close,” Bea said about her stepdad.
“Sometimes gusto mo parang ’yun bang traditional family, ’di ba? But sometimes, there are also blended families and sometimes, it just works. You just have to be happy about it.”
Dreaming big
Bea’s entry to show business was not purely brought out by luck. While fate played a huge role in getting Bea to where she is now, it can also be said that the amiable actress sought the limelight with relentless determination.
She recalled watching television and dreaming of becoming an actress as a young kid growing up in Taguig.
“As early as nagka-isip ako [gusto ko na mag-artista]. Kasi dati talaga as in ginagaya ko ‘yong mga nakikita ko sa TV, sumasayaw ako, umiiyak ako, uma-acting ako, ginagaya ko sila. So, siguro mga around five years old,” Bea told GMANetwork.com.
“Alam mo ‘yong ‘pag tinatanong ka ‘pag bata ka, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I would always say [that] I want to be an actress.”
Bea’s dream started to take shape when she joined the Mutya ng Pasig pageant in 2001 after winning Binibining Santolan.
Designer Oskar Peralta was one of the invited judges. Incidentally, Oskar is a good friend of Archie Ilagan, who eventually became Bea’s first manager.
Oskar recalled being taken by Bea’s charm, particularly by her pretty, expressive eyes. He knew right there and then that the young pageant bet was star material.
With a manager behind her, Bea mustered enough courage to audition in ABS-CBN upon the invitation of its talent center management.
Fortunately, Bea passed the audition and was packaged as one of the network’s new crop of talents.
Bea was launched as part of Star Circle Batch 10 alongside Dennis Trillo, Nadine Samonte, TJ Trinidad, Andi Manzano, and Alfred Vargas.
But Bea at the time was still an upstart and her situation behind the camera did not turn around overnight. As the saying goes, success and fortune are earned, not served. Bea would live this adage firsthand as she pursued her childhood dream.
“Galing kasi ako sa mahirap na pamilya. Mahirap maging mahirap kapag nag-uumpisa ka mag-artista,” Bea confided. “Wala kaming kotse so nakikisabay lang ako sa staff, sa crew. Nung time na ‘yon hindi pa uso ang mga stylist so nanghihiram lang ako sa mga kapitbahay namin ng damit. Kasi ’pag normal na tao ka naman konti lang naman ang mga damit mo.”
She continued, “Of course, ’yong struggle to prove something, to leave a mark in the industry. Those were my early struggles. But I have to say that it was all worth it because I was chasing my dream.”
Part of Bea’s sacrifices for the sake of her showbiz career was to quit school, which over time has become a source of insecurity for the actress, even to this day despite her success and many accomplishments.
“I was working early, I started when I was 13 so I couldn’t serve two masters at the same time. I had to choose one and I chose my career,” explained Bea. “But meron naman akong initiative to read books, to watch documentaries, sometimes to even join workshops like the one by [esteemed screenwriter] Sir Ricky Lee. “Sumali ako sa scriptwriting workshop niya and parang feeling ko mas na-i-enrich ’yong kaalaman mo when you join those kind of workshops.”
Rising to the top
Bea’s first major television break was the youth-oriented show K2BU. Joining Bea in the show were Shaina Magdayao, Angelene Aguilar, Dennis Trillo, and Pia Wurtzbach.
In 2002, Bea was cast in the drama series Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay which was top-billed by veteran actress Lorna Tolentino.
The soap offered the public the first glimpse of Bea’s onscreen partnership with actor John Lloyd Cruz.
The chemistry between the two stars paved the way for more love team projects on TV including It Might Be You (2003), Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin (2005), and Maging Sino Ka Man (2006). Bea and John Lloyd also graced the big screen via the romantic films My First Romance (2003), Now That I Have You (2004), All About Love (2006), and Close to You (2006).
It was through the film One More Chance that the Bea-John Lloyd love team reached new heights both in popularity and pop culture relevance.
The film was a box-office success and it immortalized their love team as among the most memorable in Philippine cinema.
To this day, One More Chance is considered by many fans as the ultimate Bea-John Lloyd movie, with their roles Popoy and Basha forever attached to their names.
It was also the project that made Bea feel that she finally has made it as an actress.
“It has become a cult favorite and we were able to make another movie because of it,” Bea fondly recalled.
One More Chance’s success paved the way for more film projects for the popular love team including Miss You Like Crazy (2010), The Mistress (2012), and A Second Chance (2015, the sequel to One More Chance).
Interestingly, Bea and John Lloyd never got along off-cam during the first few years of their love team due to several factors including perhaps age and differences in temperament.
That eventually changed over time and the two have become close friends behind the camera. They have remained in touch even during John Lloyd’s sabbatical from show business to focus on his personal life.
“We never had to resort to gimmicks, we never had to pretend to be a couple para tangkilikin ng tao,” Bea once reflected on their love team. “Nung time na binubuo ’yong love team namin, ’yon ’yung panahon na uso na kapag love team kayo, dapat kayong dalawa sa totoong buhay. Kami lang ’yong hindi.”
But there’s also more to Bea’s resume than just her successful and now iconic love team with John Lloyd.
Over the years, Bea has appeared in several films that showcased her versatility as an actress. From biopics to young and mature romance flicks to comedy and horror – Bea’s range as an artist has earned her admiration from both the viewing public and critics.
Bea’s awards include Film Actress of the Year and Box Office Queen from the Box Office Entertainment Awards, Movie Actress of the Year given by the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC), and Best Actress from the Luna Awards.
The pandemic and being away from the set made Bea appreciate more the value of what she does as an actress and entertainer.
“Ang dami ko pang pangarap, ang dami ko pang gustong gawin. Kaya this is very special to me, ‘yong nangyayari ngayon,” said Bea. “Definitely, I want to make more movies and teleseryes. Alam mo ngayong pandemic, parang bigla tayong nagkaroon ng time to truly reflect what our purpose is and na-realized ko talaga na I am an actress, that’s my purpose. I touch lives, my characters resonate with people and that’s what I like to keep doing.”
Moving forward
Speaking of the pandemic, the recent events gave Bea more than enough time to focus on vlogging for her YouTube channel, which now has 1.79 million subscribers.
“Dati nahihiya akong magsalita at kausapin ang kamera kasi sanay ako na kunwari walang kamera,” Bea said. “When you're acting parang umaarte ka na walang nanunood sa iyo. Pero these past few months parang na-train ako to talk into the camera, like talking to a friend.”
Vlogging made Bea accessible to her fans and it allowed the actress to share her life away from the spotlight. She thoroughly enjoyed the vlogging process and it led her to discover more about herself and unlock hidden skills as well. But vlogging is different from acting and Bea was soon confronted with the future direction of her career.
In July 2020, ABS-CBN lost its franchise, putting many of its stars and plans in limbo.
The first indication of Bea exploring her options happened in November when it was announced that the actress tapped veteran manager Shirley Kuan to handle her career. Before Shirley, Bea had been in the care of her former home network’s management arm for two decades.
In March this year, Bea agreed to do a movie with Kapuso star Alden Richards to be produced by Viva Films, GMA Pictures, and APT Entertainment. The two will top-bill the Philippine adaptation of the Japanese TV drama titled Pure Soul, which inspired the 2004 South Korean film A Moment to Remember.
Then came GMA’s offer for Bea to join the network to do projects and appear in its shows. The timing, said Bea, “felt right” and she seriously considered the offer, with Shirley taking care of the negotiations on her behalf.
“I am ready. I know that I have so much more to offer. I’m excited, I’m ready to take on the world again. But this time ibang path naman, ibang mundo at ready ako na makibagay. Right now, ’yong mindset ko is I’m ready to learn and grow.”
She’s also ready for the onslaught of negative and unfair criticisms brought about by her latest move. Her years of being in show business have taught her to deal with people’s opinions of her, whether positive or negative, with grace.
“I just pick my battles. I also try to protect my mental health and by knowing who I truly am. Most of the time the issues na hindi naman dapat i-sweat don’t affect me anymore.”
Looking back, is there anything that she would love to change in her life and career if she has the chance?
“Wala,” she replied good-naturedly. “I don’t believe in regrets because you get here because of those mistakes. You learn from them, you become a better person because of those mistakes.”
She poignantly added, “Siguro if there is one thing I regret is hindi ko na-savor ’yong mga moments na dapat sinavor ko. ’Yong time na ’yon parang nai-envelope ka dun sa lahat ng noises.
“That is why right now, before coming here, I promise myself that I will savor this moment. Because I will never be able to relive this moment again. It will only happen once,”
Welcome to your new home, Kapuso Bea Alonzo!
