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JOHN LLOYD CRUZ

HAPPY TO GET HERE

John Lloyd Cruz, the usually quiet and reclusive actor, sits down with GMANetwork.com and shares the reasons he is giving showbiz another shot.

Text by: Aedrianne Acar
Photos by: Crown Artist Management and GMA Network

For many, the day November 9, 2021 was just a typical Tuesday.

But for John Lloyd Cruz, the movie actor who once left the spotlight to have a taste of the normal life, November 9 carried a lot of significance.

It was the day that ushered in a new phase of his life. It was the day he inked his contract with broadcast giant GMA Network—an event that not many thought possible.

STELLAR CAREER

Who is John Lloyd Cruz?

Maybe, the appropriate question is, who doesn’t know the brilliant John Lloyd Cruz?

Born on June 24, 1983, John Lloyd Espidol Cruz is the son of Aida Espidol and Luisito Llora Cruz.

John Lloyd began his career in ABS-CBN, when he bagged a spot in the network’s talent management arm, Star Magic.

He was launched as part of Batch Five. Some of his batch mates included Tanya Garcia, Bernard Palanca, Baron Geisler, and Shaina Magdayao, personalities who made a name for themselves, too.

John Lloyd’s decision to join the entertainment world was fueled by his desire to help out his family.

In a past TV feature, John Lloyd admitted, “Gusto ko lang talagang makatulong financially sa parents ko. ’Yung daddy ko marble industry ang pinagkukuhaan ng pangtustos sa amin, kaya lang ’yong transition from marble to tiles, naapektuhan talaga kami, and I wanted to help out.”

The wheels of stardom began turning when John Lloyd became part of the teen-oriented series Tabing Ilog, which ran from 1993-2003. Part of the cast were Paolo Contis, Jodi Sta. Maria, Kaye Abad, and Patrick Garcia.

Since then, John Lloyd’s showbiz career enjoyed a steady rise. His leading man stature eventually became bigger when he was paired with Bea Alonzo. As a love team, they enjoyed success—both critical and commercial—on TV and movies. John Lloyd also found incredible success with other talented ladies, like Sarah Geronimo, Angel Locsin, and Jennylyn Mercado. Brands tapped him to become their ambassadors, too.

Mobirise

He carved his own path in the entertainment industry, proving that he could stand on his own as a bankable dramatic actor.

John Lloyd Cruz is one of the highly-respected actors of his generation bagging one award after another from several prestigious award-giving bodies: Gawad Urian, FAMAS, Star Awards you name it.

In 2016, he was also recognized as one of the three recipients of the Star Asia Award at the 15th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF).

This year in the 44th Gawad Urian Awards, John Lloyd Cruz was given the Natatanging Aktor at Aktres ng Dekada, an honor which only a handful earned, among them, Superstar Nora Aunor, Alessandra de Rossi and Angeli Bayani.

Still, John Lloyd Cruz was not done yet in 2021. He surprised many industry experts, entertainment writers, and fans, by making one of the biggest career moves of his life—signing a contract with GMA Network.

PARTNERING WITH GMA-7


"WE FOUND A HOME"

The excitement was palpable in the air on the morning of November 9, when media giant GMA Network gave John Lloyd Cruz a red-carpet welcome at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

This new development in John Lloyd’s career made a big statement. Nobody thought that this actor, considered a prized talent of ABS-CBN, would be beating a path to GMA’s doors.

Leading the Kapuso channel’s contingent during the contract signing were GMA Network Films Inc. President and Programming Consultant to the Chairman and CEO Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, Senior Vice President for GMA Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, First Vice President for Program Management Jose Mari Abacan, First Vice President for Drama Productions Redgie A. Magno, First Vice President and Head of International Operations Joseph T. Francia, Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi Santiago-Lara, Senior Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, and GMAAC Assistant Vice President and Head for Talent Imaging and Marketing Unit Simoun S. Ferrer.

GMA Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon described John Lloyd as “one of the most sought-after actors of his generation,” while Executive Vice President and CFO Felipe S. Yalong thanked the award-winning actor for his trust in GMA-7 saying, “We’re very grateful that John Lloyd is making his much-awaited comeback through GMA.”

GMANetwork.com had a quick chat with John Lloyd Cruz after the contract signing. Admittedly, he was excited, but at the same time, he felt as through he was in a dream. He could barely wrap his mind around what was happening.

In a calm voice, he expressed his thoughts about the partnership that he forged with the leading broadcast network in the country.

“Very exciting. A very exciting partnership, but more than that masayang-masaya lang, dahil nakahanap na ng tahanan ’yung aming programa ni Direk Bobot Ortiz, medyo matagal-matagal din in limbo, parang wala kaming mapuntahan hindi namin alam kung saan kami mapapanood. But finally, we found a home. So, we're very excited.”

His return was to some extent monumental, because four years ago, John Lloyd Cruz retreated from the glitz and glamour of showbiz and tried to stay away from the public eye.

In the years he was not active, John Lloyd focused his attention on his great blessing, Elias Modesto, his son with his former partner Ellen Adarna. In Cebu, he took pleasure in his being a “non-celebrity,” who didn’t have qualms taking jeepney rides in his shorts and flipflops, or lining up for a barangay certificate with other residents.

After years of staying under the radar, one might think that stepping back into limelight might unnerve him, or at the very least, make him uncomfortable.

But John Lloyd Cruz handled everything at the contract signing event with surprising ease. Talking with the internal media members of GMA-7, he answered each question with confidence and poise, showing his funny wit and candor here and there, making everyone burst into smiles. It was as if he didn’t leave showbiz at all.

If anything, slowing down in the past four years made John Lloyd Cruz a lot better. It gave him a chance to see the industry—and life in general—from a different perspective.

He shared, “Generally speaking, it gave me a different perspective on how to approach or execute an idea, so ’yung mga panahon na ’yun gave you a lot of time to actually absorb ’yung mga ibang approach on execution. “So, malaki din ’yung naitulong niya in terms of reconnecting with mga taong involved dun sa program namin, especially with the people behind the scripts, behind the material. So, in that regard malaki ’yung tulong niya.

THE BIG COMEBACK


“I would like that the material, the narrative to lead the way for me.”

We were given the chance to have another sit-down interview with John Lloyd Cruz later in the day. This time around, our second interview took place at the GMA Network compound in Quezon City.

The excitement in the room where the reporters were waiting was noticeable. For some who have been covering the Entertainment beat for a long time, the idea “John Lloyd in GMA” would seem far-fetched.

But John Lloyd’s big Kapuso move was no dream. A few minutes later, the man of the hour himself walked into the room. John Lloyd was officially on GMA Network grounds, about to embark on projects with some of the biggest and brightest stars of the network.

With his mind set to deliver quality content like the ones he did before, John Lloyd will be doing a sitcom with his good friend and mentor, Wacky Solutions, Inc. Director and Line Producer Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz.

He talked fondly about this project, Happy ToGetHer, expressing that this sitcom is driven by Direk Bobot’s mission to touch everyone’s hearts and make Kapuso viewers laugh each week with their brand of feel-good comedy.

Alam mo very personal ’yung inspiration kung bakit nabuo at kung bakit nandito sa GMA Network. Kung bakit napunta dito ’yung grupo namin, kung bakit nandito kami lahat, dito siya maipapalabas,” he said. “Personal, because, the people behind Happy ToGetHer matagal ko na kasama, ’yung grupo ni Direk Bobot, matagal ko na kilala, matagal ko na kasama. And hindi naman lingid sa kaalaman natin kung ano ’yung mga nag-transpire a few years ago. And matagal [na] totoo ’yung struggle kung paano at kung saan pupunta ’yung efforts ng grupo. So basically, ’yun ’yung pinanggagalingan kung paano nabuo itong programang ito. ’Yun ’yung mga dahilan kung bakit nahanap namin ’yung tahanan ng programa ito, dito sa GMA.”

The team behind Happy ToGetHer is a cherished group of people for John Lloyd. He even emphasized that these were the same people who stuck together especially during those times the circumstances were not in their favor.

John Lloyd noted, “Mas naging matibay ’yung bond nung grupo na talagang nag-stick together and totoo sa amin na kahit saan kami mapunta, we’ll stick together. And kaya hanggang ngayon, iba man ’yung programa, but, basically these are the same people. These are the same talented, creative minds na matagal na kasama ni Direk Bobot at ako napasama lang and napasama sa recent years.

“That was the inspiration, ’yung effort to stay together at kahit saan mapunta at kahit saan mapadpad, ’yung importance ng bond na mapreserved, I think ’yun ang dahilan kung bakit meron programa and kung bakit nandito siya sa GMA.”

Harnessing his creative talent


Alamin mo ’yung pinapasok mo. Have fun, ’di ba, while you are doing it?”

HappyToGetHer, which premieres on December 26, gives John Lloyd Cruz a double opportunity: to be the face of the project and to work behind the camera.

Asked how he prepared for the job of being part of the creative team, John Lloyd pointed out that he could not take all the credit that’s why he wanted the people to know that he is working closely with a talented pool of creative minds to make this sitcom a reality.

“I don’t want to take credit for that, because [laughs], it’s not entirely true, but I was there [during] the conceptualization, brainstorming for the concept. And I was there for the casting, pero, talagang nagpakahirap dito are the writers headed by Sherwin, ’yung head writer namin- writer ni Direk Bobot ever since. Siya talaga naghirap, kumbaga nagsumikap para talaga mabuo ’yung programa, para mabuo ’yung kuwento namin. Exciting lang, to be given an opportunity to be part of it. Kasi ’yung mga ideas mo and suggestions mo are very much welcome. And this makes this experience even more interesting. Sobra silang appreciative, they really welcome kung ano ’yung gusto mo ipasok or kung ano man input meron ka, it makes the work even more interesting.”

Taking lessons from Direk Bobot Mortiz

John Lloyd was first to admit that Happy ToGetHer became possible because of his mentor Direk Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz.

People would recognize Direk Bobot as John Lloyd’s previous director from his last sitcom Home Sweetie Home, but for the older generation, Direk Bobot is not just a creative genius but also was one of the top leading men in showbiz of yesteryears, having been paired with the Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos-Recto.

John Lloyd described his personal relationship with Direk Bobot as something that goes beyond as a colleague, since the latter already knows him inside and out.

Mas lumalim sa tingin ko. Tingin ko mas kumapal ’yung kuwento namin ni Direk Bobot, bilang director at bilang artista niya. Kasi sa pinagdaanan namin, mula noong show namin from the other network hanggang sa nagtuloy pa rin ’yun. Hanggang sa nagkaroon kami ng opportunity and magkaroon ng reunion. Hanggang sa puntong ‘to na nahanapan namin ng bagong tahanan ’yung grupo namin. Parang ang cliché lang na laging pasasalamat, pero higit doon and I think sa puntong ito, kahit wala na kami sabihin sa isa’t isa nagkakaintindihan na kami doon sa kung ano ‘yung responsibilidad na nakapatong sa amin.

The Box Office King also took the chance to thank Direk Edgar for being a guiding light to him.

“And napakalaking tulong noon tinuturo niya sa akin, hindi lang niya alam or indirectly man. Hindi man not in a literal sense parang ang dami ko natutunan, especially in the past. Itong nakaraang taon, dahil sa mga pinagdaanan nitong mismong programa na ito.

People might be wondering, why choose to do a sitcom for his comeback, when he could do a soap or a movie, which is much larger in scale and in stature.

John Lloyd said that sitcoms remain relevant to this day, especially when we haven’t seen the light at the end of this long tunnel, since the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives in March 2020.

“Comedy shows mirror ’yung sentemyeto ng mga tao, but, sa humorous na paraan. Sa panahon ngayon sa tingin ko, mas lalo siya kailangan, dahil hindi dapat nawawala ’yung pag-uusap, ’yung discourse sa mga napakahahalagang issues at sentemyento. Pero sa isang paraan na hindi lalo mada-down ’yung mga tao sa isang paraan na may tsansa na gumaan ’yung kanilang pinagdaanan. More than ever kailangan natin comedy. Kailangan natin ’yun.”

Mobirise

With everything that he has accomplished in his more than two decades in the industry, is there something that still excites him as he makes his comeback this 2021?

To this, John Lloyd Cruz had an immediate reply: “Yes!” for as long as the material presented to him has “a good narrative.”

He explained, “I would like that the material, the narrative to lead the way for me. I’ve always appreciated a good narrative, a good story. I would like those factors to lead the way for me. I’ll follow the narrative, I’ll follow the material, I’ll follow the script. So, kung saan man ako dalhin nun, doon ako pupunta.”

At the tail-end of our interview with him, we were curious to learn what’s his advice to aspiring talents, who wish to start a career in showbiz.

Despite the many accolades he has earned in the past, John Lloyd was hesitant to give an advice, saying, “Hindi ako mahilig magbigay ng advice e.”

And then with a smile, he said in jest, “Hindi rin kasi ako mahilig makinig e. Hindi rin kasi ako mahilig makinig sa mga payo.”

Contemplating his answer, John Lloyd reminded aspiring artists to know exactly what they are getting themselves into, before diving right in.

Basta try your best, be yourself. Alamin mo ’yung pinapasok mo. Have fun, ’di ba, while you are doing it, have fun. And never take things too seriously.”

Drawing from his well of experience, the multi-awarded actor pointed out that “respect” is key to unlocking the right doors of opportunities.

“Follow your instincts and ’yung respect it goes a long way. Respect for what you do, respect the people behind you. ’Yung respect for the craft. I think most importantly makisama, mawala man kung ano meron tayo ngayon. At the end of the day, ’yung pakikisama, umalis ka man, bumalik ka man doon mo siya mararamdaman.”