Career now, love later

I first met Nikki Gil, not in a presscon or during the taping of a TV show. My first encounter with her was in the unlikeliest of places and circumstances.

It was shortly before the Christmas holidays last year. The class parent representative of my son’s high school section called to say they needed a celebrity to perk up the Christmas party of the school’s non-academic personnel. Duty-bound as I always feel in times like these, I called talent manager Carlo Orosa and begged for help.

Now Carlo may not be a parent. But he understood the plight of a mother like me who couldn’t say no to a fellow mother’s request. He brought up Nikki’s name and I said yes right away.

A few days later, I met her. She looked exactly the way she did in that popular Coca-Cola commercial that made people sit up and notice her.

In her maong pants and pastel-colored peasant blouse, Nikki looked ready to join any of the families having lunch at the open-air venue. The students aimed their cellphone cameras at her and clicked away.

The staff offered her lunch and she politely said no. She was scheduled to go back to Alabang (where she lives) and perform for the church there. I walked away from that brief but memorable meeting with one thing in mind: the girl is oh-so-nice.

When I met her again months later, the circumstances have changed completely. But my impression of her hasn’t.

This time, ABS-CBN Talent Center was hosting a lunch presscon for her. Nikki signed a one year contract with ABS-CBN’s Star Magic.

This time too, Nikki was mending a broken heart after her split-up with Gabriel, Gary Valenciano’s second son. That’s why she was easy fodder for the movie press who wanted to know the what, when, where and how of the failed relationship.

It was a baptism of fire for the heretofore self-effacing Nikki. And you could see she was having a tough time. She’d look at her mom Julie every now and then in a silent cry for help.

But Nikki had no choice. The questions came left, right, front and center.

The breakup, she reveals, was a mutual decision. Gabby is 17; she, 18. And Nikki thinks they both have a lot of growing up to do first.

He was her first boyfriend and they still bump into each other, adds Nikki. But this time, they greet each other as friends, nothing more, nothing less.

She’s trying to move on by going out on dates. But sorry, guys, studies and career take center stage at the moment.

Aside from the happy memories, Nikki hopes falling in love has given her enough angst to be convincing in whatever heavy acting roles ABS-CBN will give her.

"It was trial and error last year," Nikki explains how she decided to give showbiz a serious try. "I analyzed the situation and concluded that I can combine studies (as an incoming junior Literature student at the Ateneo) and showbiz."

But first, some rules. Nikki doesn’t want kissing scenes and sexy roles.

"I don’t have the guts for them," she admits.

Not even if her idol happens to be Lea Salonga, who dabbled in kissing scenes as Kim in Miss Saigon?

Nikki doubts it.

Not even if critics warn her being wholesome doesn’t sell in showbiz?

"It’s a risk," replies Nikki. "I don’t want to fall into the goody-goody, too holy, too saccharine trap. But I would never do anything against my principles."

That’s why Nikki had no objections when she learned what her first foray on TV will be. It’s for the fantaserye Rounin, where Nikki plays Leal, one of five warriors with special powers to save the world.

Nikki’s character has the power of electricity, and – just as important –the capacity to fall in love. Thus, while Nikki executes her newly-acquired arnis movements to fight the enemy, her heart is also beating for leading man Geoff Eigenmann.

It’s a different story off-screen, however. And Nikki swears no one has taken over where Gabriel has left off.

At least, next time she sings about love and heartbreak, Nikki will do it with more fire, more oomph.

Who knows, she may yet emerge the big winner. And this time, she will be thankful for the tears and the pain.