Good things abound in Janine Gutierrez’s life right now. She doesn’t need to take a break to be mindful of them all
This is an excerpt from the MEGA December 2024-January 2025 Cover story
It’s hard to pin down Janine Gutierrez as an actress. Maybe because she entered showbiz at 21, already a grown-up with full agency in her life, compared to many of her contemporaries who started much earlier as child or teen actors. She avoided the typical career path carved for many young Filipino actors, tied to love teams and fandoms. Looking at her filmography, you’d assume she’s a character actor in mostly independent made-for-festival movies. On the small screen, she has played both supporting and main characters, and her breakthroughrole in Dirty Linen has pushed her to teleserye royalty status. In the local industry, it can be a bad thing when you’re hard to categorize in a box. But it’s also what makes the 35-year-old one of the most exciting talents of her generation: she has the gravitas of a shapeshifting thespian and the grace of a star who can navigate the various facets of mainstream fame.
In person, Janine radiates so much light and warmth that you instantly root for her. From spending days abroad attending international film festivals to shooting her TV series and appearing in magazine covers, she admits she has not had that much break the past couple of months. Yet, sitting across from her after she has wrapped up a 9-hour photoshoot, you would think she has just finished writing in a gratitude journal and is ready to start her day. She starts many of her sentences with “I’m so happy” and “I’m so grateful.”
This aura and the inherent tenderness on her face and expression make you easily sympathize with her plight in roles like her unnamed character in Babae at Baril (The Girl and The Gun) and Alexa/Mila in Dirty Linen. In Lavender Fields, she plays the kontrabida role for the first time opposite Jodi Sta. Maria and real-life beau Jericho Rosales. “It has got to be my hardest TV role. I had such a hard time initially; I was afraid I was wrong for the role. When we started shooting, the directors and the producers had to talk to me because my expressions did not register on screen. They kept saying my natural countenance was not appropriate for the character.”
Afraid she’d lose the role, Janine consulted with her acting coach, Ana Feleo, to discuss her character. My mistake was judging the character of Iris at the onset. “I was hesitant to internalize her because I knew how taxing it is for many people to portray the kontrabida. It all began to make sense when I imagined her as the hero of her story and saw things from her perspective. Of course, for her, she’s the one who was wronged; she’s the wife!” This is also what the audience saw on-screen. “There are people who are Team Iris and Team Lavender, which says a lot about how great the show’s writing is. The audience doesn’t instantly side with one person; the story and characters are more nuanced than good versus bad.”
Janine does not like to stick to one genre now that she’s a certified soap star. In between Dirty Linen and Lavender Fields, she filmed Lav Diaz’s Phantosmia, which is about a former soldier suffering from olfactory problems caused by trauma. In it, Janine played a young woman in a small town peddled by her stepmother to different men. She is no stranger to playing wronged women. Her Urian-winning role in Rae Red’s Babae at Baril saw her confront the exploitations typical working-class Filipino women face daily. “For that role, Direk Rae made me watch Angeli Bayani’s movies (another actress best known for working in many Lav Diaz films) and also got the help of fellow actress Ruby Ruiz. To understand Babae’s journey, I marked my script in different colors to visually guide the trajectory of the character’s emotions.”
Phantosmia screened at various international film festivals this year, from Tokyo to Venice, where she shared the red carpet with Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, and Julianne Moore. “I’m a huge fan of cinema, and to go to Venice and represent the Philippines was a dream come true.” While the independent films she starred in usually delved into dark and heavy themes, Janine says the experience on the set is a stark contrast. “It was probably one of the lightest sets, and Direk Lav is so easy-going. We were made up of a minimal crew like a family. We’d all ride in the same car and sleep in the same house. It felt more like a school project. Direk Lav just lets you play around with the space, and everything’s usually done in one take.”
Even before she became an actor, Janine was already “showbiz royalty” from both sides of her family. She is quick to acknowledge that, yes, entering the limelight was not a matter of if but when for children of industry insiders like herself. “Even before I knew I wanted to be in the industry, that was always an option. I acknowledge that privilege and use it as motivation to work harder and prove that I deserve to be here and worthy of the jobs I get.”
Read more about Janine Gutierrez’s other pursuits in MEGA’s December 2024-January 2024 issue , now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
All pieces by GUCCI. Photographed by SHAIRA LUNA. Creative direction by PATRICK TY and BRIE VENTURA. Styled by RYUJI SHIOMITSU. Makeup by THAZZIA FALEK. Hair by JAY AQUINO. Art Direction JONES PALTENG and TROY NONATO. Beauty Direction AGOO AZCUNA- BENGZON assisted by MARA GO. Production JONES PALTENG. Fashion Assistant ERICA TEROL. Editorial Assistant THESSMAR LECTURA. Styling Assistants NICHOLE ANNE PURA, PATRICIA NAOMI CRUZ, and MAXINE DELA CRUZ. Nails MYLENE SATONA of POSH NAILS. Photography Assistant EMELITO LANSANGAN. Hairstylist’s Assistant EJ FLORES. Special thanks to ANDEE QUE and AMANDA CORVERA of GUCCI, ANDREA LARA, LAU JUANILLO, and JINKY MARTIJA of HENRY HOTEL MIRANILA, NOEL NAVARRO. Shot at HENRY HOTEL MIRA NILA.
