Style & substance

Bianca Gonzalez is the latest addition to the lovely list of Pink Soda ladies (with the likes of Kaye Abad and VJ Audrey Tan). Like her older brother, TV host JC Gonzalez, Bianca is blessed with a gift of gab. More importantly, she breaks the "model" stereotype because she combines style and substance. She’s down-to-earth and unassuming — a typical coed, from all discernible indications. (She is on her senior year at the Ateneo de Manila University, majoring in Communication Arts).

But in front of the camera, she’s a woman transformed. Seasoned fashion photographer Jun de Leon, who was responsible for Pink and Blue Soda’s summer pictorial in Puerto del Sol, Pangasinan, was impressed with Bianca’s on-camera metamorphosis from self-effecting student to self-assured mannequin. "Effortlessly beautiful," he described Bianca.

If Bianca is a pro in front of the camera, she is, at the tender age of 20, now considered a "veteran" of sorts in the modeling world. She has not only graced the covers and pages of a slew of fashion glossies, Bianca has also headlined high-profile multi-media advertising campaigns for products as diverse as shampoo (Pantene), softdrinks (Coca Cola), and pantyliners (Kotex). As expected, the first time her Pantene ads came out, she was subjected to a lot of not-so gentle ribbings from her classmates.

"I was not used to all the attention," she recounts. "It was a tri-media campaign. It came out not just on TV and on radio, but there were also print ads. So on the way to school, my carpool-mates kept teasing me because there were posters all over EDSA!"

That was her baptism of fire. Eventually, she got the hang of it. By the time her biggest break, the Globe Gentxt campaign, came along, she has learned to roll with the punches.

In her Globe Gentxt commercial she even played the role of "Textus Alaskadorus"-the mischievous hardcourt fan with the twinkling eyes. "My ad was the one set in a basketball court," she recalls. "but my hair was different then. I wore super short bangs. I was made up to look like a cartoon character. It was very anime!"

Needless to say, she had a "ball" shooting that ad. "It was fun," she looks back fondly. "Everyone was nice. Four of the five talents were from Ateneo. And the three of us were batchmates pa!. So we all got along so easily on the set."

That was over a year ago. Since then she focused on her studies and part-time work as brainstormer/budding scriptwriter for ABS-CBN 2. Although she would still audition once in a while, she somehow felt things were changing, that it was high time to move on.

"I’m only 20, but when I go to go-sees and VTRs, there are lots of girls who are only 15 vying for the same role, " she sighs. "I actually feel old! That’s why when I get new projects I feel thankful."

That was exactly how she felt when she was offered to be the next Pink Soda girl. "Especially since I haven’t been getting a lot of exposures lately," she explains. "It’s not like I’m an artista or veejay. My Globe ad came out over a year ago." Still Bianca’s effervescent beauty and gracious charms made her a natural choice as Pink Soda babe.

Fashion insiders say it was Bianca’s cover pictorial for a leading youth magazine that convinced the popular clothing company that she had all the traits of a Pink Soda lady. And like previous Pink Soda models, Bianca has a lot to offer, more than just her pretty face.

In fact, she is interested in working in front and behind the camera. She is one of the game jocks (along with fellow Backroom artist Chase Tinio) of GCX TV, a youth-interactive show where everyone can join interactive games, answer chat questions and many more. It starts airing today, 4 p.m. on ABC-5.

She is also a brainstormer for another network and dabbles as a stylist for fashion pictorials. "As of now, I haven’t decided on what I really I want to do. I’m still young anyway. I still have lots of time to think things over."

Indeed, time is on Bianca’s side. One dream she would like to fulfill, however, is to become one of the country’s female filmmakers. "I want to work on television, but what I really want is to direct," she volunteers. "In the future, I’d like to make independent short films because there is so much freedom."

Telling stories, after all, "is the main reason we make films," she pipes in. Bianca is a bona fide film buff. "I like watching any kind of film: mainstream, Hollywood, local, indie, foreign, experimental." Her favorite films are an eclectic, electric bunch: Romeo and Juliet, Se7en, Hercules, City of God, Star Wars, Mulholland Drive, 21 Grams, Madrasta. And Bianca is as colorful and contemporary, as bright and buoyant as her favorite films.

She’s a Pink Soda lady through and true.

(For more information on Bianca’s new youth interactive show, GCX TV, check out www-gamechannel.tv to get show schedules,down loads and info on how to register to be a part of the game channel community.)