‘Awesome ensemble’ behind Janine’s latest TV series

Janine Guiterrez as Alexa

This is a team effort all the way,” declared Janine Gutierrez, lead star of ABS-CBN’s latest series “Dirty Linen,” adding that she refuses to think that the show’s success relies solely on how effective she portrays her role and would rather attribute this to the fact that she is part of an “awesome ensemble.”

“I refuse to think that I carry the entire weight of the show on my shoulders. The idea will most likely kill me,” Janine said when asked to react to director Onat Diaz’s comment that her character, Alexa Salvacion, “is the driver of the story.”

“One of the things that is special about this show is its awesome ensemble. The stories of these characters are all interesting enough for you to take time to follow them. Each of them has dirty linen in the closet but at the same time, each has goodness to share.”

Janine said she prefers to think that it was Dolly de Leon’s character, Olivia Salvacion, that acted as catalyst for a series of unfortunate events. Dolly plays Alexa’s mother whose death Alexa is determined to avenge.

Keeping with the theme

“For me, she is the reason the story moves in the direction that it is taking. Personally, I rely on the help of my coactors, directors, writers and staff in order to fulfill the task given to me,” Janine insisted.

“In keeping with the theme, I always have to keep that anger deep inside. I’m lucky that I was able to watch the pilot episode, where Alexa’s mother got killed. Whenever I am asked to express that anger within me, I go back to that scene again and again,” Janine pointed out.

The actress also said she was thankful that Zanjoe Marudo was her leading man in this project. Zanjoe is Aidan Fiero, whose father, Carlos, is blamed by Alexa for Olivia’s death.

“Dirty Linen” is Janine and Zanjoe’s first project together. She said they never took any effort to work on their onscreen chemistry. “The story starts with us not knowing each other, so it helped that we hadn’t had the chance to bond before taping. We tried to get acquainted with each other while we were already on the set. At least, we were able to reflect in real life what our characters are going through in the story,” she explained.

Prior to assuming the role of Alexa, Janine made sure to do her homework. “I started by reading the script again and again. The story of ‘Dirty Linen’ is so multilayered that it gets confusing sometimes. I first needed to find out what is truly in my character’s core. This is not easy because there are a lot of things going on with her and they’re happening all at the same time,” she began.

‘Well-written’ script

“I don’t just play Alexa, who is seeking justice. Sometimes, I am also Alexa disguised as the Fieros’ servant Mila, who appears sweet and innocent,” said Janine. “What really helped were the guidelines set by Direk Onat and Direk Andoy (Ranay, codirector). We all worked on identifying nuances that are Alexa’s and those that are Mila’s.”

Janine said it also helped that she was able to watch Erika Clemente play the young Alexa. “She did so well in the scenes where she was with Ms Dolly. As much as possible, I tried to copy her. This also helped me differentiate Alexa from Mila,” she said. “Another thing that you will see Alexa do throughout the series is crack her knuckles. That tells you how wonderfully written the script is. This gesture will serve as the thread that weaves the story.”

Toward the end of the interview, Janine said she got to do a lot of things in the series, including her own stunts in some action scenes, but what was “really tricky” for her was playing Alexa disguised as Mila. “I have to make sure I show Alexa’s sinister look when the attention of other characters are not focused on Mila. You really have to watch in order to understand what I’m talking about,” she declared.

“Dirty Linen,” produced by Dreamscape Entertainment, will premiere on Jan. 23, 9:30 p.m., on all ABS-CBN platforms.