There's no doubt that everyone is super eager to meet our newest Kapamilya star, Janine Guitierrez. Beshie ng Bayan DJ Jhai Ho sure didn’t hide his excitement when he got the chance to have this one-on-one #HotspotFBLiveExclusive with the beautiful star. Whether it’s sharing more about herself or an inside scoop on her upcoming projects, Janine was more than happy to spill all the details we’re dying to know more about.
It’s only been a few months since Janine officially signed to be a part of the ABS-CBN family, but Kapamilyas everywhere have been welcoming her as if she’s been with us for years. The It’s Showtime family and madlang people enjoyed her appearance as a guest on the show while ASAP Natin ‘To viewers were thrilled to find out that she is officially an ASAP member since the variety show’s 26th anniversary episode. Although she has only done two performances to date, she has received overflowing love from netizens. When Jhai Ho congratulated her about this, Janine was blushingly grateful for the appreciation of all the fans. She even shared that it felt like a dream come true because it was unexpected for her to be offered a back-to-back major performance.
Coming from a family of showbiz royalties, Janine doesn’t disappoint as she’s definitely a multi-talented star. Aside from hosting, singing, and dancing, Janine is also pursuing a talent she was born to do — acting. Of course, DJ Jhai Ho won’t let us miss out on what’s up and asked more about her soon-to-be-released movie, “Dito At Doon.”
According to Janine, “Dito At Doon” is a movie a lot of us will be able to relate to. Set during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, “Dito At Doon” explores the possibility of love while on lockdown. She teases us with questions that boggle us all during these uncertain times such as “Is it really possible to create a genuine connection on social media?” or “If you click with someone online, will you also click when you meet them face-to-face?”
Janine let us in some more about her character in the movie, Len. Len is a very opinionated and vocal millennial so everything she wants to talk about, she would post about it on social media. As we all know, you can interact with anyone on publicly shared posts online so that’s how she met the movie’s leading man, Caloy — who is portrayed by JC Santos. Now, don’t be surprised if the plot sounds too familiar because, as Jhai Ho and Janine discussed, this is something that’s actually happening in real life.
Talking more about how everyone is being vocal online, Jhai Ho asks Janine how she copes with the pressure to protect her and her family’s image while still being able to speak her mind freely on social media. Janine opened up that when she was younger, she was very cautious with public interviews or posting online but as she matured, she realized that it was difficult to live your life fully if you were always censoring yourself. She shared her realization, “Mas importante na maging honest ako sa nararamdaman ko kasi hindi mo rin alam kung sino ‘yung makaka-relate sa mga nilalaman ng puso mo, ‘di ba? If you can make someone feel less alone or parang maka-relate sa’yo or kung may natutunan sila sa kung ano mang nararamdaman mo, doon nalang ako.”
And Janine does prove to have nothing to hide. Without hesitation, she talked about how she always admired co-star JC’s talents and the movies he’s been in so she feels lucky to finally be able to work with him. If Janine were to describe JC as a leading man in one word, she said that there are a lot of words that come to mind but if she really had to choose, it would be generous — generous with sharing his talent, time, and stories.
DJ Jhai Ho wouldn’t let the opportunity pass now to talk about other actors that Janine dreams to have as a leading man in future projects. Her first choice was the versatile and charming Paulo Avelino. Although they already worked in a movie before, Janine would love to star with him in a teleserye because that would be a whole different experience from working on a movie. She continued to mention other actors that she looks forward to working with soon like Jericho Rosales, Gerald Anderson, and Zanjoe Marudo.
To end the interview on a fun note but still let us get to know more about the new Kapamilya star, Jhai Ho had the perfect challenge prepared for Janine: answering assumptions about her. Netizens sent in their preconceived ideas about Janine and she would tell us if they’re real or not.
Some of the entries were things we already witnessed for ourselves — that Janine is kind and lovely to be with and that she is a girl that knows what she wants. DJ Jhai Ho remarks that it may be his first time talking with Janine, but he already totally agrees with those statements. Plus, Janine recognizes that she is in a place in her life where she can confidently identify her goals because that’s a big factor in achieving them.
There are also some assumptions that missed the mark but Janine understands why people may think so. They assumed that she is “masungit at mataray” and “mahinhin at high-maintenance”. She and Jhai Ho talked about how celebrities may sometimes not always have great days. After all, we only see a part of their lives since the cameras are not always on them. Besides, just from this Hotspot interview, we can see how Janine almost always has a smile on her face. As for being “mahinhin” or timid, she says she may be like that sometimes but it would still depend on the person she is with. Being high-maintenance, on the other hand, doesn’t sound like her. “Mas madali para sa akin ‘yung role na palaging nakapambahay lang or… wala masysado make-up kasi siyempre mas malapit ‘yon sa kung paano talaga ako sa totoong buhay,” she shares when she recalls how she works in teleseryes.
One assumption that was certainly on the spot is that Janine has the “talent and beauty like Pilita (Corrales)”. Janine humbly interjects, “Idol ko talaga ‘yang si Mamita pero ‘pag dating sa talent niya, iba talaga ‘yung level… Talagang iconic at timeless si Mamita.” Although, there is no doubt that their talent and beauty do run in the blood. Janine may be young and has a long and bright road for her career in showbiz, but she will truly reach the level of Asia's Queen of Songs, her grandmother, Pilita Corrales.
The assumptions that really got us engaged were those about her career. One netizen said how Janine would be perfect for bida-kontrabida roles. This got the star really excited because she’s getting into exploring complex roles like that. Another netizen made a juicy assumption that she would be an iconic Valentina. Jhai Ho and Janine may have been trying to hide that little casting tip but the secret may be out of the bag now. Though nothing’s set in stone yet, Janine was still flattered that many are vying for her to portray Darna’s number 1 archnemesis.
There is lots left to know more about Janine, but we’ll just have to await that in future interviews. However, it won’t be long because she has more and more projects lined up for her this 2021. We don’t know all the details yet, but you should certainly look out for a teleserye and Star Cinema movie starring her soon.
For the meantime, watch out for the cinema premiere of her and JC Santos’ movie, “Dito at Doon” on March 17. The movie is produced by TBA Studios and directed by the man behind “I'm Drunk I Love You,” JP Habac.