When John Lloyd Cruz stepped into the room, my instant reaction was that it won’t be an easy interview. Pointing at his wristwatch, he was signalling his assistant about the time. His co-star in the new movie “Finally Found Someone“, Sarah Geronimo, sat quietly next to him. She later glanced at the crew with uneasiness.
I heard stories about John Lloyd’s straightforwardness. That if he doesn’t like a question, he would throw it back to you with honest comments. There’s nothing wrong with that, I said before. It’s a warning for bloggers to ask relevant and significant questions. That maybe, with his body of work, he’s entitled to snap. But with several blogcons I have attended for JLC in the past, I still have to witness this though.
. For a few years of covering for Star Cinema, it was the first time that we were invited for such intimate media setup. We were thrilled, of course, upon receiving the invitation. But at the moment. parang ‘hwag na lang pala.
There was already tension during the first moments of the interview. Sarah had to ask me if I was alright. Maybe, it was her way of telling John Lloyd to take it easy. Or she really felt that I was already half annoyed and half scared. Then I blamed it to the airconditioning. He has to stop Kate from asking the next question. “Di tayo magpro-proceed if hindi natin magawan ng paraan ang aircon.” Things got really ugly. At least for someone who was just invited there for a “scheduled interview” to promote their movie.
No, John Lloyd, no. It isn’t the AC. “Anong problema mo?,” I was dying to ask. I was really surprised with the amount of self-control I had that time. I am aggressively reactive. Step on my toes and I may slap you. (Exaggeration). However, my goal that time was just to make the interview successful. It was the first time for Star Cinema to do something that intimate. We were the first set of bloggers invited. It has to be good.
I fought my way through. LOL. It was like going to a battle and excellent questions were your bullets. But he was consistent in cutting us off. Telling us that our questions were already asked earlier, that the questions were “artificial”, that we don’t know what’s really going on behind the camera. So I called it game over. Trying hard to maintain a still polite and positive tone, I told the crew that we got enough material.
Then the golden moment came. We were told. It was just a prank.
I remembered a segment on Vice Ganda’s late Sunday night show. I threw my phone on the table and almost walked out. It was too late to realize that Sarah was also a victim. I could’ve had a better view of her reactions during the revelation. But it will be shown on Sunday on Gandang Gabi Vice. Let’s watch it together.
The takeway is that John Lloyd Cruz is really an excellent actor. I know you don’t need an Oscar winner to pull off a prank. However, as stubborn as I was, who kept on still asking questions despite the tensed situation, JLC was really good. Looking at him eye to eye while he’s busy making us feel horrendous was nearly traumatizing.
Then there was Sarah, a very gentle persona. She may wow you with a different character when she performs on stage but she’s a humble being overall. Bearing equal billing with John Lloyd, she had the right to tell him to stop or leave the interview. But she didn’t. She maintained her composure. She laughed with him eventhough she didn’t know why he was laughing in the first place. In that moment, you can’t help but admire her kindness.
So, I hope you guys will have a good laugh. You have to. Else that 20 minutes of emotional torture will be nothing. It will be aired on Gandang Gabi Vice on Sunday, July 23rd.