At 26, John Lloyd Cruz is one of the country’s most successful actors. His resume is spilling over with lists of TV and movie projects, awards and citations and endorsements. Despite that, he is not resting on his laurels because he is hungry for more!

The actor recalled that when he started in showbiz or when he was around 13 years old, he was never aware that he had to have some goals in his career. But every year he changes, he has grown up and matured in the business especially when he has began receiving accolades for his acting craft.

“Now that I’m 26 years old, I can say that I have grown but still hunger for more wisdom and experience. I’m also very much contented with what I have right now but I still want to achieve a lot in my life. I’m happy for what I have reached in my career and I pray it never ends,” intimated John Lloyd during his birthday press conference at the 9501 restaurant which was facilitated over by Rikka Dylim.

Among his awards, to name a few, John Lloyd Cruz has won the Best Drama Actor for “Tabing Ilog” in 2001 from the PMPC Star Awards for TV. He also won the same award plus a Best Actor Award from the UST Youth Choice Awards for his role in “Maging Sino Ka Man.” In the realm of movies, he won the Film Actor Of The Year from the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Foundation and Best Actor from the PASADO Awards for his role in Star Cinema’s “Dubai.”

The Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Foundation also bestowed on him the Box-Office King award for two consecutive years. SM Cinemas also named him Box-Office King.

His awards and achievements can also be the reason the actor has become one of the most sought-after celebrity endorsers in the country. For the longest time, he has been the face on Urban Bags and is becoming popular with his tagline “Ingat” for his commercials for Biogesic. His other endorsements are Smart Money, Swatch, Greenwich, Choco Lava, Clear Shampoo, Aficionado, Natasha Apparel, Urban Bags, Sta. Lucia Realty, Charms and Crystals, Gan Dental Clinic, TFC Bigatin Loyalty Card, Faces and Curves, ABS-CBN Interactive, 2366 and Adidas. Soon he will be launched formally as the celebrity endorser of Cherry Mobile and Purefoods.

With regard to his TV career, he will be doing a soap opera soon with Angel Locsin but he is currently busy with “ASAP 09” where he performs as one of the Kanto Boys.

While in the movies, he is excited about his upcoming movie with Vilma Santos and Luis Manzano entitled “In My Life.” Then he is off to do a film with long-time movie tandem Bea Alonzo as well as Sarah Geronimo if their schedules next year allow them to.

Speaking of “In My Life,” he plays here the boyfriend of Luis Manzano and what’s being talked about is their kissing scene but which John Lloyd doesn’t want to hype.

“This was the first time I ever did that in my entire acting career. If I don’t want to hype it it’s because I don’t want to give the wrong impression to moviegoers… based on the studies conducted by Star Cinema, I have a very big male market. Meaning, there’s a lot of boyfriends and husbands who can identify with the roles I portray. One of our intentions in making a movie is that the wider and greater market reach we have, the better,” explained John Lloyd who also pointed out that it was an intimate scene where his lips and Luis’ only touched!

So what is he getting himself on his birthday?

The actor said that he is now into mountain bikes and hopes to ride his first mountain trail when he arrives from the States. He has his mountain bike assembled at the bike shop of Manu Sandejas, the husband of actress and singer Agot Isidro.

Though excited about his new mountain bike, the actor is also saddened by the fact that he would be celebrating his birthday for the first time without his family and close friends. He will be joining the Star Magic World Concert Tour at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California on the 27th and at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California on the 28th and he is slated to leave the country on June 22.

“I’m the type of person who doesn’t miss out on special occasions in our family especially birthdays. I don’t even know if I would be celebrating my birthday at all in the States. I’m just glad I have friends I can be with in LA… actually, I don’t want to make a big deal of my birthday this year. Parang lilipas lang and hindi ko iniintindi because I won’t have my family with me,” he lamented.

When asked if he and Ruffa Gutierrez (whom he shares the same birthday) would see each other in the US, he said that he doesn’t know. He did ask the actress what her activities would be in LA and he was told of her Roof-a-Child charity fashion show.

With regard to being caught-up in the issues of Ruffa and her mother and manager Annabelle Rama, one of his birthday wishes was for it to stop already. He was cleared by both Ruffa and Annabelle that he didn’t have anything to do with their misunderstanding yet he keeps getting bad publicities from it.

“I’m regretting that I’m explaining myself now. Ayaw ko lang magsalita na ilalagay ko yung sarili ko in great danger. I have the highest respect for Tita Annabelle, not only because kung ano siya sa industriya kundi bilang nanay ng kaibigan ko… if I kept my silence kasi wala naman akong dapat ipaliwanag. For example yung sinabing magpakalalaki at ipagsigawan na mahal ko si Ruffa… hindi naman kasi nag-exist yung ‘romantic love’ between me and Ruffa. So paano mo naman sasagutin yun. Ibig sabihin ayaw ko naman siyang mapahiya. I just want this to end with our respect for each other intact,” said John Lloyd.

Still single after his recent break-up with his long time girlfriend, he related that his taste for women never changed.

“I’m not the type who sets standards or qualifications of women that I like. Paulit-ulit kong sasabihin, when it happens to you, you don’t have a choice kahit ano pang itsura niyan,” he smiled.