Spotlight: Bea Alonzo’s 20 years in showbiz

After over two decades with ABS-CBN, actress Bea Alonzo transferred to GMA Network. GMA made the announcement on Thursday, July 1. 

Amid the debate between fans over the move, there’s no denying that Bea is among the most versatile actresses of her generation. 

Early years

Born October 17, 1987, Bea’s real name is Phylbert Angelli Ranollo Fagestrom. Her British father is Philip Fagestrom and her Filipina mother is Mary Anne Ranollo. 

Her parents separated when she was young. Her mom later remarried Dondon Carlos. Bea has a younger stepbrother named James. 

In one of her vlogs, the actress’ mother revealed that Bea’s real name Angelli was a combination of her name, Anne, and the name of her favorite actress, Gelli de Belen. 

“Kasi noong pinanganak kita, uso ang panlalaking pangalan, pinagdugtong-dugtong ko lang… At that time, favorite ko si Gelli de Belen, kaya Angelli,” Anne said. 

(When I gave birth to you, boys’ names were in vogue. I just combined our names… And at that time, my favorite actress was Gelli de Belen, that’s why you became Angeli.) 

Road to being an ‘artista’

In a vlog titled “Bea answers the web’s most searched questions,” the actress said that she was discovered after joining “Mutya ng Pasig” in 2001. Bea was Binibining Santolan back then.

One of the judges in the pageant was designer Oskar Peralta, who happened to be the best friend of Archie Ilagan, who’d later become the manager of Bea. 

Her manager made her audition before the ABS-CBN talent center (now known as Star Magic). “Nakasabay ko si (We bumped into) Ms. Mariole Alberto. She asked me if I wanted to audition, and the rest was history,” Bea said. Alberto headed Star Magic until the end of 2020.

At 14, Bea was launched as a member of Star Circle Batch 10, alongside Nadine Samonte, Dennis Trillo, Alfred Vargas, Andi Manzano, and TJ Trinidad. 

“The biggest turning point in my life when I was in my teenage years was becoming an artist (actress). That changed my life, even my lifestyle and the lifestyle of my family,” Bea said in her vlog. 

In 2002, Bea started appearing on ASAP as a performer and host. Her first major acting project was in K2BU, a television teen-age series together with Shaina Magdayao and Pia Wurtzbach. 

Bea-John Lloyd tandem

Her big break came in 2002 when she played Katrina Argos in ABS-CBN’s Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. It was Bea’s first project with John Lloyd Cruz. 

From then, the Bea-John Lloyd tandem became among the top pairings in the industry. They worked in five more teleseryes – It Might Be You (2003), Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin (2005), Maging Sino Ka Man (2006), I Love Betty La Fea (2008) and A Beautiful Affair (2012). 

Aside from television series, their love team also starred in several movies – My First Romance (2003), Now That I Have You (2004), Close to You (2006), All About Love (2006), Miss You Like Crazy (2010), and The Mistress (2012). 

But Bea said that it was the movie One More Chance in 2007 that turned their love team into household names. In her vlog, Bea said that One More Chance was a turning point in her life. 

“Before One More Chance, I didn’t want to become an artista anymore. I wanted to quit. Feeling ko, baka ito na ba ‘yun? Parang hindi na ako masaya. (Is this it? I don’t think I’m happy anymore). And then One More Chance came and it actually made my career, I learned so much,” she said. 

Bea and John Lloyd’s Basha and Popoy were so unforgettable that a sequel titled A Second Chance was made in 2015. 

During John Lloyd’s five-year showbiz hiatus, the two also kept contact. In  February 2020, they reunited for a That Thing Called Tadhana live reading. 

Reel-and-real leading men

John Lloyd played a significant role in Bea’s 20-year showbiz journey, but the actress also had several notable projects with other leading men. 

Bea was also paired with Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, Derek Ramsey, Sam Milby, Paolo Avelino, Aga Muhlach, and Ian Veneracion. 

The 33-year-old actress also had projects with her now ex-boyfriends. In 2020, she starred with then-boyfriend Zanjoe Marudo in the movie Sa’Yo Lamang. And in 2016, she worked with then-boyfriend Gerald Anderson in the film How To Be Yours. 

Bea and Gerald split in 2019, with the actress saying Gerald “just started not talking to me.” In 2021, Bea opened up about her previous relationship, saying that on top of cheating on her and ghosting her, he also gaslighted her.

In a vlog, the actress said that her last relationship taught her  to be “resilient.’” “I am stronger than I think, I am resilient. I can survive anything in life and that I am worthy,” she said. 

In April 2021, Bea said she was dating Dominic Roque. 

An established actress

Bea also received numerous recognitions over the years.

For A Second Chance, she was awarded Best Actress by three award-giving bodies – 47th GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards, 32nd PMPC Star Awards for Movies and 19th Gawad Pasado. 

She also received Best Actress awards for her television series Maging Sino Ka Man, I Love Betty La Fea, and Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon.

Recently, Bea has focused on movies. In 2019, she headlined the horror flick Eerie with Charo Santos-Concio, and Unbreakable with Angelica Panganiban. In 2020, Bea made a special appearance in Four Sisters Before the Wedding, the prequel to the cult classic Four Sisters and a Wedding. 

What’s next for Bea?

In November 2020, it was announced that Bea left Star Magic, the talent agency that handled her career for 19 years.  

In a vlog published in October 2020, the actress was asked what she learned from being a Kapamilya. “Everything I know about the business I know because I’m a Kapamilya… More than that, I learned how to love a colleague, how to care about one another. I have learned the value of life and the gift of friendship,” she said. 

She added, “I started when I was 13 years old. Imagine, hindi ko pa nabubuo ‘yung pagkatao ko (I was still figuring out who I am), they helped me hone the person who I am today.” 

On July 1, 2021, Bea was announced as GMA-7 Network’s latest star. GMA is expected to announce Bea’s upcoming projects in a media conference the same day. 

Before her move to GMA was official, it was already reported that Bea is set to star in a movie with John Lloyd. She is also set to star in the Philippine adaptation of the 2004 Korean movie A Moment to Remember with GMA star Alden Richards. – Rappler.com