JC SANTOS ended 2017 with his first mainstream movie, "Meant to Be", which did very well at the box office. And now, he starts 2018 with his second mainstream flick, "Mr. and Mrs. Cruz" for Viva Films, where he's paired for the first time with Ryza Cenon of "Ika-6 na Utos" fame.
"Ang ganda nga ng naging ending ng past year at gayundin ng start ng new year for me," he says. "Last year, I also had my first big hit, '100 Dula Para Kay Stella', with Bela Padilla. Sana, yung ganda ng takbo ng career ko in 2017, magtuloy-tuloy ngayong 2018. After 'Mr. and Mrs. Cruz', I'm doing my reunion movie with Bela Padilla. Tapos, there's another new movie lined up for me with Director Andoy Ranay."
He enjoyed working with Ryza Cenon in "Mr. and Mrs. Cruz" and with their director, Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, who hit it big last year with the biggest grossing indie film in local cinema, "Kita Kita", that raked in more than P300 million at the tills. He wants to emphasize that Ryza and he do not play husband and wife in "Mr. and Mrs. Cruz". "Sa story, ako, I'm Raffy Cruz at Cruz talaga ang family name ko. Siya naman, si Gela, married to a guy na Cruz ang apelyido, but iniwan siya. Ako rin, brokenhearted, at pareho kaming nag-meet sa Palawan where we both went to forget our problems. Doon nagsimula ang sarili naming relationship.
The movie is about love and commitment, set amidst the beauty of the secret beaches in Puerto Princesa and El Nido. In one scene we shot in an exclusive beach, inabot kami ng malakas na ulan. To get there, dapat gumapang ka sa isang malakuwebang butas. While shooting, it started to rain. Hindi namin alam, nag-high tide na pala at puede kaming malunod. Nang makalabas kami nung butas, ang lakas na ng alon, so stranded kami sa boat namin for two hours at nagdasal na lang kami nang nagdasal. Buwis buhay talaga."
So how is it working with Ryza and Direk Sigrid? "Ryza is very disciplined. She knows how to act for the camera. Magkaiba kami ng networks so I'm glad to be given the chance to work with her in this movie. Si Direk Sigrid naman, nasubaybayan ko ang career niya kasi pareho kaming galing sa teatro. She's a good actress at dream ko noong makatrabaho siya. Nangyari ngayon, pero as my director pala. Before we shot the movie, we had a series of rehearsals muna, kasama na yung blocking. I learned about the process and yung discipline niya. Malaki kasi akong umarte because of the theatre so she really toned me down."There's no chance for Ryza and him to be linked to each other since it's common knowledge that Ryza is into a relationship with actor Cholo Barretto while he's on with a theatre actress named Teetin Villanueva with whom he's been going steady for five years now. But JC revealed that his being so busy these days has affected their relationship. "Yes, we have a problem. May kinalaman sa career ko ngayon. But I hope you understand, I want to keep it private."
Obviously, JC has to pay a price for the big success of his acting career now.
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