Geoff Eigenmann goes solo

Geoff Eigenmann is undeniably one of the best-looking young actors today. Though born to showbiz luminaries for parents, Gina Alajar and Michael De Mesa, Geoff was also launched into the Philippine entertainment industry with the help of a love team. He was paired with either Heart Evangelista or Anne Curtis, and at one point, became the cause of the two young ladies' heated square off-at least on television.

However, this young heartthrob is heading another direction in his second big screen project, "First Day High"-and that is alone.

What? No loveteam partner for Geoff? How many times have we heard of a young actor's career going pfft the moment he breaks away from a love team?

"I'm not bothered at all," Geoff told the Cebu entertainment media during a recent presscon for "First Day High" at Jonie's Restaurant in SM City Cebu. "I hope the movie can show that I can hold my own even without being in a loveteam." The movie by Star Cinema, now showing in Cebu theaters, features Geoff alongside two brand-new love teams currently nursed by Star Magic-Kim Chiu-Gerald Anderson and Maja Salvador-Jason Abalos.

According to director Mario Cornejo (of the award-winning "Bigtime"), the youth-oriented flick was a fun movie to make, as they created an "extremely stylized, clean, no poverty" alternate world and reality where the colors are sparkling and bright, but still brought to light issues that are very real and conflicts that are very true.

Just like Geoff's. He plays the mysterious Gael whose erratic attendance at campus has courted rumors of ridiculous proportions-from being a prison escapee to an adult movie star. But as the real story would have it, Gael's an artist at heart, who's estranged with his father, played by (who else?) Michael De Mesa, and living on his own that he has to take on several part-time jobs to support himself.

It should be interesting to see how the real father-and-son had tackled their reel father-and-son roles. Does his father give him acting pointers? "He has been giving me advice ever since, but this time he has let me be, so I guess I've been doing things right," he said.

The character, he also said, has not been hard to relate to, as "everyone of us has a rebel streak." He also enjoyed trading his clean-shaven looks for a rugged, all-black get-up in the film.

If no onscreen love team partner for Geoff, what about off screen? "Wala. My lovelife is zero," he said. The co-stars begged to differ. "Do you want a clue?" Maja Salvador offered. "Just two words: Nikki Gil."

He did not further comment on who the VJ-actress-host exactly is in this young man's life right now, but let's just say the smile was more than a giveaway. - Nathalie M Tomada