Former couple Gerald Anderson and Bea Alonzo reunite — but only in reel life — on August 11 in their film How To Be Yours. In it, they play a couple with mismatched career plans, an issue which threatens to scupper their love story. Here, the pair and their director, Dan Villegas, give their thoughts on how to manage the problem.
Anderson: For me, you should learn time management. You should plan it like you plan your work in a day. If you can still have “babe time” for your partner, make sure it will push through. Then you should also have time for your hobbies. Like for me, every Sunday I play basketball. At least I know that if there are changes in my schedule I still have time for myself for my hobbies. As if it’s easy to do but it’s not — it’s a technique. It’s a habit that you should learn and do every day. If you already learn the technique, there are so many things you can do in a day.
Alonzo: I don’t know if I’m the right person to give advice because I’ve always felt that it’s hard to balance love and career. It’s great to say that there is choice to balance everything — all of the above. But it is so hard to do. Maybe Gerald is the kind of person who can manage well his time. I can’t do that seamlessly and avoid misunderstandings or conflict. Maybe for me, it’s more on the realisation that you need to set your priorities. What do you really want in life? Before, I couldn’t believe that there is choice A, love over career. Dan and I debated on that while doing the movie — whether people can only prioritise love. How about their individuality? What about the things you want for yourself? You cannot just sit around and wait for someone to love you or love them back. Then there are really people like that — and I’m amazed to see them — who are so selfless. Me, I’m kind of a selfish person. There are so many things I want to do in life that I can’t be just choice A. So, maybe eventually I’ll get tired with choice B [career over love], so I will become choice A, but that is when I’m willing to settle down. I can’t really serve two masters at the same time.
Villegas: Like what they’ve said, it’s about time management and priorities. I’m just lucky that both sides of my life work well. For my work, my team is supportive and we have team work. When I have shortcomings they understand me and vice versa. For my babe time, I pick choice A. I’m also lucky because my girlfriend is a brilliant director [Antoinette Jadaone] who understands my work. It’s so hard to explain to people the demands of the job [and] your sleepless nights, if they work in a different industry — there are really sacrifices.
What can viewers can take from the movie?
Villegas: At the end of the day life is difficult. It’s better if you have someone. At the end of the day, if you want to make it work, you’ll make it work.
Alonzo: No matter how hard you work, no matter how cruel the world would be, it feels so great that when you go home there is someone who will tell you that it’s fine and that you’re still perfect. You don’t need to pretend.
Anderson: If someone is there to take good care of you, love you, it makes everything so much sweeter and so much better. But in God’s perfect time that will come. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If it’s your destiny, then it’s your destiny.
