Kapuso actor Rodjun Cruz on November 4 believed that his upcoming series Little Princess with Jo Berry is an answered prayer given that he just recently celebrated his birthday.
“Feeling ko nga eh… naniniwala ako na itong Little Princess answered prayer ‘to eh kasi gusto ko talagang magkaroon din ng show. Binigay sa akin ni Lord kasi nag-birthday ako recently,” he said during his online media interview after his contract renewal with GMA Network.
According to the actor, the show is different from his past projects since he will be portraying a funny and serious character at the same time.
“Kasi iba rin ang role ko dito as Jackson. So itong side ko na ‘to makikita niyo na medyo positive and nagko-comedy ako dito sa role ko na ito.
“Iba ang role ko dito sa Little Princess na dapat nilang abangan,” he pointed.
When GMA Network asked him to do the project, Cruz admitted he was super happy to land a titular role in the show and be paired with Onanay star Jo Berry.
“Sabi ko nga, sobrang happy ko, hindi ma-contain ang happiness ko, very grateful ako. Kasi pinag-pray ko ‘yan kay Lord eh.
“So nung tinawag nila sa akin ‘yon, sabi ko, ‘Wow! Grabe ka Lord answered prayer na naman ‘to.’
“Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako sa GMA sa tyansa na ito at binibigay ko talaga ang 100% ko para sulit talaga ang tiwala na binigay nila sa akin at hindi sila magsisisi. So very excited ako sa Little Princess. Thank you sa chance na ‘to. Finally leading lady ko si Jo Berry.”
The actor also recalled how he established a relationship with his co-star.
Apparently, the two have worked together in an episode of Wish Ko Lang and had the chance to bond.
“So doon palang, naging close na kami. Kasama n’ya nga ang nanay n’ya noon, at nagka-bonding na kami. Medyo bitin samahan namin kasi isang taping lang ‘yon. Pero ang maganda, parang naging malapit kami agad sa bawat isa, naging close kami.”
Cruz also shared that he and Berry manifested the project when they were on the set of Wish Ko Lang.
Nagtatawanan nga kami ni Jo Berry kasi binibiro ko s’ya. Sabi ko, ‘Alam mo Jo ikaw talaga yung… prinsesa ka talaga ng GMA.’
Sabi ko nga, ‘Sana hindi lang tayo dito magkasama. Sana, hopefully, malay mo baka mag-partner pa tayo, maging loveteam pa tayo.’
“Binibiro ko lang s’ya noon. Kaya kinilabutan din kami kasi ‘hala yung sinabi mo nagkatotoo!’ Tapos after two years eto na nga ang Little Princess tapos mahaba pa kaming magkakasama.”
Having the actress as his leading lady, Cruz described her as kind.
“Iba, napakabait ni Jo. Napakabait tsaka magaling talaga si Jo Berry so natutuwa ako na alam kong ‘pag pinalabas ito mas madami pa siyang ma-inspire na tao.”
The two also shared a tragic experience where Cruz in 2019 lost his mother due to pancreatic cancer, and Berry recently lost three of her family members.
According to Cruz, the experience that they both share led them to become closer.
“Siguro mas naging close din kami ni Jo kasi may mga pinagdaanan kami sa family namin. So nago-open up naman sa akin si Jo.
“And nandoon din ako para suportahan s’ya, para damayan din s’ya, kaming Little Princess family nandoon for her. Kasi hindi biro ang pinagdaanan ni Jo and nakakabilib kung gaano ka-strong si Jo,” he shared.
The actor also lauded the actress for her bravery and professionalism after what had happened.
“Hindi biro yun na s’yempre nagte-taping s’ya sa ganoon na pinagdaanan niya and lagi siyang naka-smile. ‘Pag sa amin binibigay niya talaga yung lahat, yung best niya sa trabaho n’ya.”
Cruz also revealed that he encourages the actress to keep moving forward and be an inspiration to many people.
“Pero kapag mga break kami, nag-uusap kami ni Jo. Mas pinapalakas ko nga yung loob niya. Sabi ko nga, ‘yung lolo mo, yung papa mo, yung kapatid mo, sobrang proud sa’yo iyan. Yun yung mga angels natin in heaven na papanuodin ka pa rin n’yan. Yung ginagawa mo na ‘to, napapanuod nila sa heaven.’
“Sabi ko, ‘Itong work natin para sa kanila ‘to. Kasi papanuodin nila tayo at madami pa tayong ma-inspire na mga tao.'”
Apart from Cruz and Berry, Little Princess stars Juancho Triviño and Angelika Dela Cruz. The show is slated for 2021 and will be in GMA Network’s afternoon lineup.
