Lucky coincidences in Janine Gutierrez’s perpetually evolving career

Janine Gutierrez (left) with Arjay Babon in Lav Diaz’s “Phantosmia” —PHOTO COURTESY OF HAZEL ORENCIO

Janine Gutierrez knows how serendipity can work in people’s favor sometimes. It certainly did wonders for her when a last-minute casting upheaval unexpectedly disrupted the production of Lav Diaz’s latest four-hour epic, “Phantosmia,” and led to a fortuitous “shift” in its story and casting. The previous lead actor reportedly bowed out of the shoot just before filming began.

While she would rather stay mum about the aforesaid actor’s identity, the lovely Urian-winning actress (“Babae at Baril”) told us in a one-on-one chat last Thursday that she probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to play Reyna, her character in “Phantosmia,” if the unnamed actor didn’t pull out of it.

“You mean you had to do a new story, a different script…?” we pressed on.

“They scrapped the whole thing,” Janine disclosed. “They changed everything at the last minute—and that’s the only reason why I got cast in the movie. Hindi naman talaga ako part ng original cast, eh (I wasn’t really part of the original cast). Grabe talaga … it was just a series of lucky coincidences (laughs)!

“Life really has a way of leading you to where you’re supposed to be. Because I’m not even supposed to be part of this. Kasi direk Lav said it was Christmas, and he didn’t want to disappoint his whole team, so he just made some changes…”

Unexpected changes

We then talked to Janine about the other unexpected changes that allowed her to transmogrify from a shy but principled character actress in GMA 7’s telenovelas to the ballsy actress who dazzles in risqué lead roles on ABS-CBN—from Mila and Alexa in “Dirty Linen” to the classy but nasty Iris Buenavidez in “Lavender Fields.”

Another thing that was made apparently clear by this interview is Janine’s gracious and grateful nature.

“I was still with GMA when I did ‘Babae at Baril,’” she reminded us. “That was when I got my Urian and Famas trophies in 2019. I transferred to ABS-CBN in 2021.

“But yes, the role in ‘Babae at Baril’ was super pivotal for me. At the time in my life kasi, I was very much opinionated—although I still a bit am (laughs)—about politics and things like that on Twitter. I was very, very vocal to the point that I was already being told that it wasn’t good for my career.

Polarizing tweets

“And so, people would tell me, ‘No, you shouldn’t do that … because you’re an actress.’ But then, when the producers of ‘Babae at Baril’ met me about the project, they said they thought of me because of their perception of me based on those polarizing tweets.

“So I was like, ‘Oh my God, now I can be myself! I can do the projects and roles I want to do and I thought, ‘Puwede pala ‘yun?’ Since then, every film I’ve done was really to get me to do the things I’ve been wanting to do.

“Everything has been intentional—even the TV series I’ve been doing. I’m so lucky I get to do shows that are aligned to the things I believe in, like ‘Dirty Linen.’ I realized that when you’re true pala to yourself and you’re honest about your choices, that’s when everything will fall into place.”

Our Q&A with Janine:

How did it feel to do a Lav Diaz film?

Oh gosh, it’s so different. You don’t even know the story or your role before you start filming (laughs)! Ate Hazel Orencio, longtime actress and assistant director of direk Lav, was with me in the cast of “Dirty Linen.” So I kept telling her, “I hope I get to work with you guys someday—like, I really want to work with direk Lav. And I’ll do anything … kahit ano, game ako!”

Then, a month after we wrapped up “Dirty Linen,” Ate Hazel reached out to me. So I asked permission from Tito Leo [Dominguez, her manager], who was still alive at the time, and he said, “Go ahead—that’s Lav Diaz after all.” I was so happy even if I didn’t know what role I was going to play (laughs).

“Phantosmia,” which received a five-minute standing ovation when it premiered out of competition in Venice, is direk Lav’s eighth time in Venice. He’s already won the coveted Golden Lion award (for 2016’s ‘Ang Babaeng Humayo’). Anywhere you go with him, people would stop and ask for selfies.

What was your takeaway from your experience in Venice?

While I was there, my realization was, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life—to have a movie in a film festival and also have a TV series back home.” I will never turn my back on TV because teleseryes are special to Filipino viewers. It’s part of our culture and it’s free.

At the same time, I’ve always dreamed of essaying unconventional roles and stories that are hardly tackled in the mainstream. It’s a special feeling when you see foreigners sitting through a four-hour film and reading subtitles of lines delivered in Filipino.

You feel doubly special because in Venice, you’ll have a film starring Nicole Kidman premiering alongside yours today, then a film with Angelina Jolie opening the following day. Nakaka-proud!

Reyna certainly sounds like a femme fatale. But how do her issues resonate with you?

I can’t share so much without spoiling the story, but I can at least share that she’s oppressed. She also went through a lot of trauma.

Just like the Filipino people then?

(Laughs) Actually, it’s really a metaphor for oppression. Grabe talaga ang pinagdaanan n’ya! With the way direk Lav shoots, since he does it in chronological order, you kind of get bits of the full story every day.

Janine Gutierrez —JANINE GUTIERREZ/ INSTAGRAM

You’re as much an actor as you’re part of the audience because you don’t really know how the succeeding scenes will play out. So, as I portray the character, I’m just like teasing things as well. But when you do the scenes, you feel things suddenly clicking.

In your view, what is “Phantosmia” about and what does it say?

This only clicked for me in Venice, kasi it’s been months na rin since we shot the film. On the plane to Venice, I was trying to recall what the filmmaking process was, because I was like, “Oh my gosh, they might ask me at the press con. So at the Biennale, I read the books describing direk Lav’s oeuvre … all the films are there.

I think the main theme is redemption against oppression. And I guess the biggest takeaway for me is that hope is the biggest rebellion against oppression. This came to me while I was in the shower (laughs)! Like, “Oh, wow, ‘yun pala ‘yon.” Sometimes, all you can do is hope if you can’t physically do anything to get out of a dire situation. Even the mere act of hoping is something.

You’re very effective as a classy contravida in “Lavender Fields.” What do you do to bring out Iris’ anger and meanness convincingly?

I really had to get to the core of why Iris is like that. I always understand a character more when I start from her childhood … na parang, “Why is she like this?” Kasi our personalities really begin when we’re children. We’re shaped by all the events that happen to us as we’re growing up.

So, with Iris, naintindihan ko talaga siya (I really understand her), especially when I began accepting that she’s sarcastic and narcissistic. She’s one of those people who think they’re always right.

Also, I do have that side of me as an ate (older sister). Sometimes, whatever my siblings say, I go, “Ay hindi, ako ang tama (laughs)!” I just have to magnify those little nasty parts of me na parang, whatever the core of Iris is, it still has to come from a place of truth within me.

Everybody’s talking about the romantic sparks between you and Jericho Rosales these days. Since Echo, who’s nothing short of memorable in films like “Alagwa,” is one of the best actors around, what have you learned from him as an actor?

What I really appreciate about him is, we all know how good he is, but he doesn’t stop learning. He’s very meticulous about the script. He’s open, vulnerable and always collaborative. He really talks about the scene with you, making you feel like it’s a team effort. Hindi ka niya iiwanan sa ere.

What’s it like working with Jodi Sta. Maria in “Lavender Fields”?

You learn just by watching her transform, from the Jodi off-cam to the character you see when she’s onscreen.

Any dream roles?

There’s this film that premiered in Cannes a few years ago. It’s called “The Worst Person in the World” by Joaquin Trier. Its lead star [Renate Reinsve] won best actress there in 2021. It’s just a simple, realistic story about a woman going through her life and her relationships.

I feel like sometimes it’s harder to portray a character who’s similar to your personality. It’s more realistic versus someone like Iris, who’s a bit extreme. So I really like that movie. I want to be able to do heartfelt productions that feel very real and gut-wrenchingly relatable. That’s something I want to do moving forward. Hopefully, I can produce something similar and choose my director and writer to realize it. INQ