The X-factor in Gino's life

MANILA, Philippines - It takes one big break to start a flourishing career in showbiz. One of the more memorable TVCs in recent memory is that of McDonald’s featuring as theme song the classic Eraserheads song Ang Huling El Bimbo. The clip was not the last dance for its main male cast Gino dela Peña. It was just the beginning for him.

Having honed his skills from GMA Artist Center’s effective acting workshops, Gino recalled scoring the part of the “boy-next-door in glasses“ after beating more than 30 other aspirants. In his words he felt his kawawa look earned him the spot.

Gino’s showbiz career took off after that career-pushing TVC. Projects poured in, including being hired to serve as a face for PLDT’s MyDSL wherein he shares the spotlight with Ryan Agoncillo, Rhian Ramos, Isabel Oli, Stephanie Henares, Stef Prescott and Victor Aliwalas, all co-GMAAC talents. Biggest yet is his current hosting job for Q-11’s X-Life, the new lifestyle magazine show which premiered last June 2. The program, which he co-hosts with Stephanie and JC Tiuseco and airs Wednesdays, 10 p.m. on Q-11, deals with healthy and active lifestyle.

Gino can’t contain his excitement over the latest big thing in his career. He shared, “I’ve been wanting to be in a show like this since I was a teenager, having been a fan of TV shows such as Sports Unlimited and Gameplan. It always got my attention that hosts from those shows can work and at the same time enjoy their passion for sports.”

X-Life gives Gino and the gang various physical challenges that are not usual, but are pretty exciting. He admits most segments are new for him, making the challenge of preparing with the facts and formulating his opinions about the peculiar adventures all the more worth experiencing.

“I feel that X-Life has been one of my biggest breaks since. It’s a different thing experiencing stuff you haven’t done before!” said the host-actor who treasures his work on GMA 7’s Kaya Kong Abutin Ang Langit.

One of the promising talents from GMA Artist Center, Gino has guested in some Kapuso soaps lately and the seems to be grooming him for even bigger exposures. He hopes to portray unpredictable roles like his idol Johnny Depp.

The “X“ in his current show may imply various meanings. Interestingly one that stands out for Gino is X being Christ. For the triumphs that propelled him to a promising showbiz career, this handsome dude has no room to be worldly.

He is into church work, proving that spiritual life matters much to him as it provides the balance needed by his passion for physical activities like running and regular workouts.

“I can proudly say that my involvement in church is the one thing that is keeping my feet on the ground,” he emphasized. “To begin with, every blessing I got from show business was from Him. Believe when a Father gives you a gift, he will also give you the grace and love to take care of that gift He gave you. Responsibilty and discipline are what I give importance to. It’s a way for me to show God that I am grateful for what He has done.”

He added, “I want to be an actor and host who would stand for what he believes in and acknowledge that every talent is borrowed from God. I wanna live life in a way that I would be the best in what I do.”

That’s the ‘X’ life for Gino.