Fun fact: Lovi Poe has been gracing Metro's cover every year since 2018, with the exception of 2020 when the pandemic started. There's always a reason to feature her on the magazine cover, whether print or digital, because she's unstoppable at achieving one milestone after another.

In 2018, she debuted on her solo Metro cover as the fashion magazine declared her one of the 'Most Stylish' celebrities or personalities in the local scene. In 2019, she joined a number of her fellow actresses in a special cover feature to celebrate Metro's 30th anniversary. In 2021, Lovi moved to ABS-CBN and another cover marked that new chapter in her career. In 2022, she worked on her first project with the Kapamilya network and was paired for the first time with Piolo Pascual in the series Flower of Evil; for this, the two have a Metro cover to look back on, too. Last year, though, it was not a career milestone that she celebrated with Metro but her role then as a bride-to-be; this was shortly followed by a Metro Weddings cover, capturing her in her happiest as she tied the knot with Monty Blencowe in England.

On Lovi: Dress by Aecia

Busy loving life

We've seen Lovi at her busiest through these covers. But now, even when we've approached the busiest months of the year, Lovi一decked in bold, sexy, and sparkly outfits that bring in the holiday glam vibes一returns on the cover of Metro with a new perspective.

'I have to teach myself how to slow down,' she admits. 'It's a difficult thing for me to do: to slow down. But, it's great. Since I was a teenager, that was never a part of my dictionary, I would like to say. But then now, it's like I'm learning to be a bit more relaxed about things.'

Part of being 'relaxed' in this new season of her life is being selective of the things to pursue because she wants to spend more time with her husband and her loved ones. With her year highlighting love, loss, and learning, Lovi says that life and its impermanence has made her realize some things.

Lovi opens up, 'You do things that make you feel good. I think you just have to do things that make you happy and make you feel good and just don't think about the opinion of others because you want to live your life the way that makes you happy. That's what I've learned, you know, sometimes, especially in our industry, we tend to impress others or try to impress a lot of people. At the end of the day, they really won't do anything for you. I think that's one thing that I've learned: to work on myself in the most inward manner.'

Toughening up for a tough year

With the year about to end, Lovi pauses to contemplate what life has been like for her. 'It's actually been tough for me and Monty because, this year, he lost his best friend and I lost Tito Leo [Dominguez]. We're kind of like in that stage but, you know, we have each other and we have friends who uplift us and all,' Lovi shares with a heavy yet grateful heart. 'But, you know, that's life.'

Last May, Leo Dominguez of LVD Management Corp. passed away. Leo is the manager of Lovi, Ogie Alcasid, Janine Gutierrez, and Paulo Avelino. Lovi met Leo when she was just trying to enter the same industry that catapulted her father, Fernando Poe Jr., to legendary status.

Lovi honors him, saying, '[Tito Leo] wasn't just a manager. He was like my father figure and my second mother. Basically, everything started with him. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today. I was 15 when I met him, and he would pick me up from school to go to set and would pick me up from the house to do my voice lessons. I was nothing. I was only brave, that's all I had. I was brave enough to go for my dreams and meet a manager. That's all I did. But then he was the one who built me from the ground.'

When asked to share some of her fondest memories with him, she says, 'Just everything. It's funny when you lose someone, it's always about the little things, right? All of a sudden, you realize that the ordinary days are certainly not ordinary anymore.'

Though her manager is not beside her anymore, she can still feel him guiding her path. 'Yes, I lost him, but it still feels like he's trying to move things around for me.'

On Lovi: Ensemble by AJ Javier

During her Metro.Style interview, the cover star also reminisced about her other mentor in the industry, the late Lily Monteverde (or Mother Lily), the matriarch of Regal Entertainment, who passed away last August. Guilty Pleasure is one of the last films Mother Lily approved before she passed away, and Lovi will forever cherish this privilege. 'It's just sad because this is one of the last projects that she greenlit, and I'm just glad I get to do it,' she says about the movie.

Lovi went on to pay tribute to one of the pillars of the local entertainment industry and shared how thankful she is to have met Mother Lily. She tells us, “Mother Lily played a huge role in who I am today. She was one of the instruments that made me who I am today because I started with her when no one would even gamble on me. She gave me my first project and my first movie, and then after that, it just kept going. So I'll forever be grateful to her… Mother Lily is amazing. I'm sure not only to me, [but] to a lot of us… I keep saying this, but she opened doors for a lot of people.”

On Lovi: Ensemble by AJ Javier

Guilty of being passionate about work

And because there were people like Leo Dominguez and Lily Monteverde who believed in her and trusted in what she was capable of as an artist, Lovi gave back to them by working hard on every project she received.

One of the things that make Lovi radiate with happiness is when she's engrossed in something she's really passionate about, like starring in and producing films and telling stories. In 2022, she launched her own production company, C'est Lovi Productions, with her husband Monty who's in charge of the company's financial aspect.

The movie, Guilty Pleasure, is the company's maiden project in the Philippines, in collaboration with Regal Entertainment. It was Monty who motivated Lovi to start C'est Lovi Productions. Following her screenwriting stint in the 2023 Netflix film Seasons, Lovi realized that doing more of this behind-the-scenes work inspires her creative energy.

'I remember I came up with the movie concept [for Seasons] then Ms. Roselle [Monteverde] put together a team to write and direct the story that I wanted. And then suddenly it's on Netflix and it did so well. That's when I realized I should be doing this more,' Lovi muses.

And so Guilty Pleasure came into the picture. Although her husband may be more knowledgeable about film production, Lovi says that Monty 'really left it all to me.' Hands-on down to the simplest details, this producer didn't let anything go amiss—from keeping the right pace during shooting to writing songs for film to hopping in front of the camera for her scenes, Lovi dedicated so much to this exciting project.

A self-confessed courtroom drama fan, Lovi is beyond thrilled to finally don the hat of an attorney for her upcoming film Guilty Pleasure in which she co-stars alongside JM de Guzman and Jameson Blake. Although the role was admittedly not on her bucket list, the actress was 'blown away' after reading the script for the first time. It was an immediate 'yes,' she said.

Garbed in the best creations by local Filipino designers, she plays the titular Attorney Alexis Miranda in this Connie Macatuno-helmed project. Lovi says that her character struggles between her 'responsibility and her duty as a lawyer' versus her 'integrity as a person.'

'I never wanted to play an attorney, because you're gonna have to do a lot of research and memorize all these lines… you really have to make your character believable. So I was really afraid of that,' the leading lady tells Metro.Style. 'But here I am, facing my fears and just going for it.'

On Lovi: Dress by Aecia

Juggling her roles

Lovi isn’t just the leading lady of this Regal Entertainment production—she also co-produced the film under C'est Lovi Productions. Lovi believes in the material and narrative of Guilty Pleasure. 'When I first read the script, I just knew that it was a story that needed to be talked about,' the actress points out. 'We always have the intention of filming a movie that would entertain people, but this one would spark a conversation. Storytelling is such a big tool for people, for us to raise awareness on topics that need to be discussed.'

Put together a powerhouse cast and it makes for an undeniably great big-screen project. When asked about her leading men, Lovi has nothing but compliments. 'I've always wanted to work with JM. I love his work and he has so much depth when it comes to acting—and I was right.' Meanwhile, Lovi expresses how impressed she is with Jameson, describing him as a 'breath of fresh air.' 'The three of us have this certain chemistry that works so well,' she happily adds.

While the Guilty Pleasure leading lady is basking in the thrill and joy of working on this project, she credits much of the work to the people who took on the 'supporting roles' in making things happen. First and foremost, of course, is her Monty, whom she's been happily married to for a year now!

On Lovi: Dress by AJ Javier

'I'm in such a good place now,' Lovi fondly says about the love of her life. Their journey together included a lot of flying back and forth between Los Angeles and Manila, working together as partners for the film company, and helping each other become their best versions—which the actress considers the most valuable. 'He really makes me grow. Like all of a sudden, I have a different perspective,' she shares.

She also credits her husband for encouraging her to chase what she loves. As business partners, the couple divided their tasks according to each other's strengths—Lovi does the creative side of things, while Monty takes care of financial matters.

Guilty Pleasure will be available in the cinemas starting October 16, but Lovi is already prepping for brand-new things ahead! Her Hollywood independent film Bad Man is set to be released soon, and the actress is slated to do another movie and a TV show next year.

But before things get busy for her again, she wants to do good on her promise to herself, which is to slow down. And so, for the upcoming holiday season, she looks forward to spending time with her husband whether in Manila, LA, or London. 'I'm always quiet. I always do things quietly,' she answers when asked about her holiday plans. 'So that's why I'm trying to think of throwing a party this time because I want to celebrate life. Just have that kind of joy around me.'

Photography by Seven Barretto

Metro Head: Christina N. Lopez

Editor-in-Chief: Geolette Esguerra

Fashion associate: Carla Buyo

Makeup by Gery Penaso

Hairstyling by MJ Rone

Styling by Adrianne Concepcion

Videography by PIF Creatives

Text by Grace Libero-Cruz and Mariel Abanes

Shoot assistant: Elise Garalde

Special thanks to Regal Entertainment and Jabroni's Pizza