No plans to join beauty contest… so far!

MANILA, Philippines - Janine Gutierrez is all eyes on showbiz, even if she has the classic mestiza looks, the towering height and the brains of a potential beauty queen. Her showbiz genes — both from paternal and maternal sides — supersede the opportunity of sashaying on stage in swimsuit and evening gown and strutting in heels.       

“I have no plans of joining (a beauty contest),” says Janine, daughter of Ramon Christopher and Lotlot de Leon. “Actually now, I think it would be nice to join. But I would want to focus on acting. Maybe, I could join in the future. But I have no concrete plans yet.”

As a child, Janine never thought of following in the footsteps of aunt Ruffa Gutierrez, who became second princess at the 1993 Miss World. Besides, she will play Lynette Quintana in the upcoming GMA afternoon prime series Villa Quintana. This is Janine’s biggest TV project. By the way, Villa Quintana is the revival of the 1995 Viva Television production which starred Donna Cruz and Keempee de Leon. Elmo Magalona  as Isagani Samonte is Janine’s love interest.     

“Mama would always tell me to love my work and to make the most of my opportunity,” says Janine when asked about acting tips from her parents. “Papa is very supportive. If I have a taping, he will visit me on the set. He always reminds me to do my best and value every project that is given to me.”

Villa Quintana is a manna from showbiz heaven that Janine “prayed that a project would come my way.” And she couldn’t contain her happiness when the good news reached her. “I feel lucky that this project was given to me. It’s very unexpected. I focused on hosting while waiting for (another acting project).”

Janine officially entered showbiz last year. She says she is a fan of Donna Cruz, who originated the Lynette role. It’s a dream come true for her to breathe life into her idol’s iconic TV character.

“I met her (before) because she used to be the love team of uncle Ian (de Leon),” recalls Janine. “I had a picture taken with her.”

As a wont among actors, Janine and Elmo attended workshops with direk Gina Alajar to understand where Lynette and Isagani are coming from. They began to build the personality of their respective characters including strengths, weaknesses and motives. The workshops had also allowed Janine to know more about Elmo.        

“I would watch him in Party Pilipinas before,” she says. “He is very good in rapping and in singing. With the workshops, I’ve discovered more things about him like he is serious with acting and he aspires to excel as an actor.”

Seeing them acting together in Villa Quintana as young lovers is different from their previous show Together Forever, where they played siblings. It is also a welcome change to watch Elmo having a new partner. His perennial onscreen partner Julie Anne San Jose topbills Kahit Nasaan Ka Man with Kristoffer Martin.

“Some of his fans follow me on Twitter,” says Janine of the reaction of JuliElmo fans. “They tweet me, telling that they will support the show. They are very supportive and I’m thankful for it.”

With Villa Quintana, Janine will be visible weekdays, and Sundays as host of Sunday All Stars. Paolo Contis and Maricar de Mesa, Sunshine Dizon and Raymart Santiago are heads of the Quintana and Santiago families, respectively.

Villa Quintana is Janine’s biggest project to date, and she is ready to take the challenge. She will bank on the learnings she has gained from acting coach  Beverly Vergel and direk Gina. Janine has learned the ropes of TV acting and what method will bring the right emotion for a particular scene. After all, Janine has the Gutierrez and De Leon acting genes to deliver what is expected of her. It’s not surprising why Janine is all eyes on showbiz.

(Villa Quintana will premiere on Nov. 4 on GMA Afternoon Prime.)