Max Eigenmann misses late father, aunt ‘every day, all the time’
Max Eigenmann with her departed loved ones, father Mark Gil (left) and aunt Cherie Gil. Images: Instagram/@maxeigenmann
Max Eigenmann recently opened up about her late father, Mark Gil, and her “tita” Cherie Gil, and expressed how grief “will always linger.”
Speaking to veteran talk show host Boy Abunda, the actress shared how she misses her dad and aunt—both renowned actors—”every day, all the time.”
“Both of them [I miss] every day, all the time… I was very, very close to both of them, as in very, very close [to] my dad, tita Cherie, so… Grief naman will always linger. I don’t think it ever goes away,” shared Eigenmann, who earlier in the year paid tribute to her departed loved ones in separate social media posts.
In June, in celebration of Father’s Day, Eigenmann took to Instagram to give her “Pappy” a shout-out. Accompanied by a throwback photo from her childhood, she wrote, “Happy Father’s Day to the best Pappy in the world! [emojis]” The actor, known for his critically acclaimed performances in films such as “Batch ’81” and “Magnifico,” died in 2014 at the age of 52, two years after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Eigenmann and her father both appeared in the Kapamilya series “Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo.”
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A few days later, Eigenmann penned a short heartwarming message for her aunt Cherie on her birthday—she would have turned 60 this year. The late actress battled “a rare form of endometrial cancer” until her death in August last year.
“Happy happy birthday to the woman who taught me how to be fierce yet gentle, strong yet kind, and bad ass yet loving [emoji] Cheers up there, Tita Cherie! Missing you a little extra today [emojis],” she said.
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In the same interview, the 35-year-old actress also shared her feelings on being part of a celebrated clan in the entertainment industry, a family lauded for their acting prowess.
“It’s neither easy nor hard [to be an Eigenmann in the entertainment industry] because my family has always made me feel—we’ve always made sure to make each other feel that we are our own person in terms of our careers,” said Eigenmann, adding that when their family gathers, they don’t discuss work.
While the “Verdict” actress claimed that she isn’t pressured by anyone from her family to live up to the standard and expectations attached to the family name, she admitted to having a harder time coping with pressure “from everybody else” when she was just a newbie in show business.
“I think that I dealt with that kind of pressure a little more difficult no’ng mas bata ako (when I was younger)… no’ng nag-uumpisa ako [sa show biz], kasi parang naramdaman ko na meron talagang malalaking shoes to fill, ‘di ba (when I was starting out in show biz, because I felt like there really were big shoes to fill, right)?” she said, and reiterated how she was “allowed” to craft her own path.
“Pero (But) nobody in my family made me feel that I had to do that [fill someone’s shoes]. They allowed me to become my own person. And ngayon na tumanda na ‘ko, narealize ko na ‘yung pressure na ‘yun (And now that I’ve gotten older, I realized that pressure) … it doesn’t affect me as much anymore,” shared Eigenmann, whose performances have recently been garnering recognition—even from abroad.
Her performance in the TM Malones feature “Kargo” earned her the best actress trophy at this year’s ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards. Also, her portrayal of undocumented immigrant Joy in “Raging Grace” received special jury recognition for performance in the latest edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
Set to appear in the Kapuso series “The Missing Husband,” Eigenmann is a mom to two boys—Sandro and Massi, who are aged 17 and 12, respectively. /ra
