Andrea De Cruz is the Goddess of Love

(Click on pictures for larger image)

From Stories About Love to Making Love, Cupid sure has his eyes set on Andrea De Cruz.

<Eastciti.com, September 15> For actress Andrea De Cruz, singing "Sometimes love just ain't too much…"will come too easy. The former host of health programme Head To Toe is on a whirlwind tour of romance; having completed Eric Khoo's love anthology Stories About Love, she will soon be seen in upcoming TCS 5 dramedy Making Love. Not forgetting that she also co-hosted Class 95 FM's late-night pillow talk radio programme, Love Songs with Simon Lim.

The Love Connection
When asked about her stroke of love, the pretty artiste says with a air of bewilderment and bemusement, "I don't know, why is that, ah? It's either health or love. On radio, it was Love Songs, then Stories About Love and now Making Love." She rattled off as though reciting a love poem. My suggestion that she is seen as a love goddess was met with "That'll be great! Maybe, they see me as having this love aura… At least it'll help in the role."

The role that she is talking about is 26 year-old former divorce lawyer, Angela Fernandez, in the suspiciously titled new TCS 5 dramedy, Making Love (ohh… yeah…). Starring model-actress Celest Chong, Kevyn (Kevin Verghese) and American actor Jimmy T (Jag), the ½ hour dramedy has Andrea playing a hopeless romantic who bids farewell to her job because she is tired of seeing too many divorces, one of which is her parents'. Earnest to help individuals find their soulmates, she takes over a match-making agency in search of that elusive 4-letter word.

Debut this coming September 26 on TCS 5, Making Love and the role did not land on Andrea's platter initially. She was chosen after the initial casting fell through. So much for being seen as a presenter which, she feels, could have led to people bypassing her when it comes to casting calls. "I have always done work for Entertainment Productions, variety side. I never really thought that the doors to drama would be open to me. I think after being a presenter for some time, you're always typecast as a presenter. "OK, she's just a presenter." So, I'm very grateful to Say Yong (Ng Say Yong, Assistant Vice-President, Production 5) and Daniel Yun ( CEO of Raintree Productions) and most importantly Emida, the Executive Producer for Making Love. It's great to know that they actually believe that I can do it. It's one project that I really want it to do well and I will definitely give it my best shot."

Working with her co-actors, the suave Jimmy, effervescent Celest and the jovial Kevyn has been a breeze. The cast get along so well that they can't wait to see each other on the set. "Jimmy and I always out on location so we only see Celest and Kevin in the studios. And we miss them so much that we can't wait for the next time when we see them again in the studio. It's a nice feeling altogether," gushes Andrea.

She then gave me the lowdown on her co-stars. Look beyond Jimmy's aloof look and you will find a funny personality. Says Andrea, "He's so funny to a point that we say, 'You're such a goofball!' He's entertaining, but of course, he has his moments being so far away from his family (he hails from Los Angeles). There are times when he's lonely as well. And we all respect that. So, we all just try and encourage him. You just here for work, and before you know it, you'll be back with your family again. And he's a very experienced actor. It helps to have him around."

The one who never fails to crack everyone up is Kevyn. "He just cracks us up. When Kevyn is around, you'll be sure that recording will be really fun. He does everything in his power to make us laugh."

Written by male scriptwriter, Chiang Meng, the show has the women, namely Andrea and Celeste in the forefront and Andrea is extremely thrilled. "A lot of times, your male leads are always the one who dominate the show and your women are always the supporting cast in the show. But here, this lady is the lead. She's such a strong character, she's such a go-getter, she's such a fighter. I think it's about time more women being put in this light." You go girl. So, does she see herself as the epitome of the modern woman - kick-ass self-reliant? "Personally, I think I'm very independent. I'm able to do a lot of things myself. Maybe that is difficult for a guy to handle. There are times when I just like to do things myself because I know I am capable. Well, I gave up my job as a psychologist to do acting. Maybe if I have a more stable job, a 9-5 job, I'll be epitomised as the modern woman more," she says self-effacingly.

'I've Never Been Romanced!'
Her character Angela has a very romanticised notion of love. Is Andrea anything like her? "I'm not the hopeless romantic as she is. Unfortunately, I'm not like that. I'm constantly searching for that romance in my life, for the longest time (laughs). Every time people ask, 'Have you been romanced?' I'd say, 'No!' I don't think I remember a time that I have been romanced. But that's probably because I'm more of the practical person than a romantic."

To Andrea, love means honesty, truthfulness and respect. "I absolutely hate it when I'm lied to. The minute that I find out that I'm lied to, that I'm being deceived, I'm out the door. I wouldn't wait around and allow someone to explain themselves." She adds with an air of resignation, "I think love is very hard to come by, too. A lot of times you meet someone new, you think this is the one and it's all so exciting. But that's because it's just a novelty. It's something new. But when it does, it'll probably hit us and we'll probably know."

What is her ideal guy like? Without hesitation, she says, "Someone who is very supportive. For a lot of women in this industry, you need to find someone who really understands what the industry is like. Because of the time the hours you have to put in, with someone who is very understanding and supportive. Someone who will just say, Hey, I'm behind you all the way whether it's good or not as long as you believe in this project. And someone who's very respectful."

Then will being with someone from the industry help? "Sometimes that helps. But then… I think the person will understand the nature of your job better. But there'll be too many things that will be too common. You share the same friends, the same sort of work. After a while, it may not be too interesting anymore. What else have you got to talk about besides, Oh, ahh, what happen during filming today, or how my hair had a bad hair day. It can get a little bit mundane after a while."

She continues, "Looks are not very important to me. More importantly, the charm, how charismatic the person is, how real he is, as an individual really helps. Some of them do that a lot to impress you. They talk how worldly-wise they are, how streetwise they are. A lot of times, I see that as a mask. That special someone has to be someone so real and down to earth. That will help," she says laughingly.

| Next >>