Jessy Mendiola's winsome combination

CEBU, Philippines - No doubt, Jessy Mendiola is one of her home network’s favored ones these days.

Fresh from starring on the male-led flick The Reunion, she’s gearing up next for two exciting dramas, one for an afternoon slot while the other for a primetime schedule. Talk about in-demand!

Notice too her TV commercials for big-name brands, one of which puts her on the same breath as with classic beauties Eula Valdez and Iza Calzado. That’s worth mentioning, because in today’s more cutthroat showbiz industry, racking up endorsements is one indication that a star’s cachet is on the rise.

“I’m assigned supporting roles at one time, then lead roles the next. I just feel blessed, so well-taken care of and secure, having been given many projects by ABS-CBN,” said the soft-spoken Jessy when we caught up with her recently at the grand launch of 7-Eleven at Escario Central, where she was one of the celebrity guests.

The 19-year-old United Arab Emirates-born actress related that her upcoming evening soap opera will showcase a side of her not seen before.

“I’ll be playing the sister of Sam Milby and the sister-in-law of Judy Ann Santos. If in Budoy, my character was not well-off, this time around, I play a spoiled rich kid, sort of the princess in the family.”

This is Juday’s awaited television comeback, with Jessy and her leading man Joseph Marco playing second lead.

But in her other project titled Precious Hearts Romances: Isla, Jessy and her screen tandem Matteo Guidicelli get the main spotlight. It’s here that she gets to display her sultriness, what with a plot that has her character and that of Matteo’s stranded on an uninhabited island after a shipwreck. Cebuanas Dionne Monsanto and Jessica Connelly include part of the cast.

It is her ability to look both innocent and sultry on-cam that scores her an edge from other young female stars, Jessy expressed. “I guess I could be sweet and sensual at the same time.”

This was also the same thing that an ABS-CBN network executive once observed with Jessy - that she could be both young and mature; that appeal-wise, she was the lethal combination of Cristine Reyes and Kristine Hermosa, thanks in great part to her British, Lebanese and Filipino genes.

Meanwhile, Jessy talked of how much she enjoyed her part in The Reunion, her first film since she was launched by Star Magic in 2007.

“Everyone has been commenting na nakakatuwa because my character here is boyish. I was the only girl in a group of male friends, and I had hidden feelings for one of them. I had no make-up, my hair was in a bun and I usually had on loose pants and a shirt. It was fun to look normal that way and show that side of me, because everytime I come out on TV, I’m always dolled up,” she said, adding that seeing her name on a movie poster for the first time felt surreal.

With Jessy’s new-found obsession though, it would be a shame for her to hide under loose-fitting pants and shirts in real life.

“Recently, I got into swimming, that’s why I lost a lot of weight. Before, I didn’t know how to swim so I got my own swimming coach. So these days, whenever I’m not working, I’m on fitness buff mode. You can say I’ve been addicted to exercise.”

Now that’s a good kind of addiction, the results of which will definitely come in handy in those sizzling Isla scenes.