Janine Gutierrez: It’s hard work, not pedigree, that matters

JANINE Gutierrez

Coming from a family of celebrities certainly helped Janine Gutierrez enter show biz —that cannot be denied, she said. “It was an advantage.” But, at the same time, the actress pointed out, her pedigree is not something she could ride on forever.

“It still boils down to hard work,” she told reporters at a recent press conference for GMA 7’s coming drama series, “Once Again” (weeknights, starting Monday night). “That is why I make sure to give my best whenever I get entrusted with a good project.”

And although she tried to deny it earlier in her career, Janine admitted that there is indeed pressure to show that she is as competent in her craft as her mother, Lotlot de Leon. “My mom has been winning awards lately. Of course, I’m proud of her, but I feel like I have to step up,” she said.

“But I’m lucky because my loved ones are supportive of me,” added the 26-year-old actress, who has always dreamed of topbilling a primetime soap. “This is another pressure, I guess,” she quipped. “I want to be well-prepared for this, as it is my first time to do heavy drama.”

In “Once Again,” Janine and her leading man Aljur Abrenica, as Reign and Edgar, respectively, fall for each other despite their contrasting statures in life.

Fighting against people who want to tear them apart, the couple ends up dying in separate, tragic incidents. But 20 years later, they are reincarnated as entirely different people, then  fall in love anew.

Yes, there would be kissing scenes, Janine said, but the fact that Aljur is a gentleman helps. “It’s a love story, so intimate scenes are to be expected,” she related, adding that she and Aljur are now closer than they once were when they previously starred in “Dangwa.”

“We did not get to talk that much back then. But now, I’m surprised to learn that we have a lot of things in common; that there are a lot of things we can talk about,” Janine said.

While she was not too eager to talk about her relationship with Elmo Magalona, Janine said her boyfriend has no qualms about her being paired with Aljur.

“We are professionals,” she stressed. “And we’re just reaching for our goals.”

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