Andi Eigenmann: Her own person

MANILA, Philippines - There are Eigenmanns and there are Eigenmanns in showbiz — from Eddie Mesa to wife Rosemarie Gil and down the line. As if these are not enough, another Eigenmann has joined the bandwagon.

Andrea “Andi” Eigenmann, daughter of Mark Gil and Jaclyn Jose has her mom’s mestiza features and her parents’ genes as actors. The 19-year-old may be mighty proud of her showbiz lineage, but insists she’s her own person, thank you.

“I talked it over with my mom,” she relates at the presscon of ABS-CBN’s Agua Bendita, which handpicked her to play the title role. “We expected that I’ll be compared with her. But I’m a different person. I want a chance to show people what I have.”

 The words come tentatively at first since Andi is still new in the game. But once she starts warming up, ABS-CBN’s fresh young talent can go on and on.

Jaclyn, who raised Andi on her own after she and Mark broke up, has done a good job. Her eldest child is confident but not snooty; humble but no pushover.

Yes, she knows people think she looks like Angel Locsin, especially in the trailer. Others say Andi is a dead ringer for Lovi Poe. The showbiz newcomer is flattered. But Andi does not let the comparisons blow her away. There’s a downside to it, she says.

“I might be branded as the look-alike of so and so. And that will be a disadvantage,” she muses.

Andi would rather stand out because she of the now-straightened hair and the slimmer figure has her own distinct look and character. Add the will to succeed into the picture.

Andi took the cue from Tyra Banks’ dietitian and lost a whopping 30 pounds in only two months to look good in the bathing suit she wears in the series. She even altered the plan a bit to suit her needs.

“I tend to eat a lot during dinner time,” Andi admits. “So I take fiber for breakfast, light sandwich and salad for lunch and carbohydrates and protein for dinner. This way, I don’t fill up my tummy when I want a heavier meal.”

Will those curves in the right places lead to the sexy route — the kind where mom took when she was more or less Andi’s age?

“I haven’t thought about how daring I will go,” she answers. “Right now, my mind is just focused on Agua Bendita.”

You can’t blame the girl for feeling the pressure. Detractors are watching her every move to see if she deserves the break on primetime TV.

 “I think I’m ready for the break, even if I didn’t expect it,” she smiles.

So she’s moving heaven and earth to prove she deserves what ABS-CBN handed to her on a silver platter.

“I will show them that they didn’t make a mistake in choosing me. I will live up to their trust,” she vows.

For starters. Andi made sure she didn’t see a single scene of Shaina Magdayao’s version of Agua Bendita. After all, the role works best with a fresh approach, a new take. Andi also took acting workshops under director Laurice Guillen.

It wasn’t easy one. Playing a dual role never is.

“The characters have opposite personalities. One of them even stays under water.” But she’s not complaining.

“I did what I can do,” Andi goes on.

She will also do what she can do in case she fulfills her dream of working under director Chito Roño, who saw the gem in the then untested Jaclyn Jose and cast her in the critically-acclaimed film Private Show.

Mother and daughter are so close Andi knows how Jaclyn struggled as a raw talent and slowly earned success. That’s why Andi flies to her mom’s defense when people say Jaclyn is overprotective.

“No, she’s not,” Andi protests. “My mom is just giving me the right amount of attention.”

For instance, Jaclyn changed her mind about Andi using the surname Jose in showbiz. Doing so, Andi relates, will only bring comparisons, the last thing Jaclyn would like for her daughter.

“You see, my mom is allowing me to have my own personality,” Andi states. She concedes though that having Jaclyn around will lighten her load since “my mom knows the ins and outs of showbiz.”

Then there’s her dad, of course. He may not be physically around most of the time, but Andi assures us Mark makes his presence felt in her life. Andi swears her parents’ separation when she was only that high has not scarred her simply because she was then too young to grasp things.

The result is a young woman minus the angst and brimming with confidence and spunk. Still, the proof of the proverbial pie is in the eating.

Andi’s acid test doesn’t come till tonight when Agua Bendita takes a bow. Only then will we find out if she is indeed, a chip off the old block. Meantime, let’s give her a chance. Every newcomer deserves it.