Dangwa: A welcome change for Janine

MANILA, Philippines - Janine Gutierrez’s onscreen versatility will be tested as she is paired with Mark Herras and Aljur Abrenica in the GMA News production Dangwa, which premieres today at 11 a.m. She is stepping out of her and Elmo Magalona’s team-up. It is a career detour that the GMA Artist Center star embraces.

“I was surprised,” said Janine of the latest TV assignment. “It is my first time to be paired with other (Kapuso) male stars. We had fun taping and the two have been in showbiz for a long time and started their careers ahead of me. It’s good that I’ll be learning from them. Our first shooting day was challenging because we had to mountain climb for the OBB. We went to Mt. Pinatubo. It was hot up there and there was no electricity.” This sojourn is a sneak peek into other interesting locations the show will visit with Dangwa in Manila as its base.

Aside from working with the StarStruck winners, Janine is tickled pink for topbilling the GMA News production’s first foray into the kilig genre.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” said Janine. “This is the latest baby of GMA News. Based on my experience doing guest appearances on GMA News shows such as Wagas and Karelasyon, the outputs always come out good. Their productions are well-crafted like the directing and the editing parts. This time around, they have a kilig program which will be airing every day. It’s a first from them.”

Dangwa, Janine’s follow-up to the primetime serye More than Words, explores the universal theme of love and its different facets.

“It’s about love and being good,” she shared. “It’s about love for boyfriend or girlfriend, love for family or even love for yourself. Rosa, my character, will share sayings with other characters on the show and with televiewers. She has this habit of appearing from nowhere and speaking about personal learnings that surprise the guest characters. Nang gugulat lang siya ng mga lessons in life.”

According to Janine, Rosa and her love interests Baste and Lorenzo, portrayed by Mark and Aljur, respectively, will be present all throughout the show and as each story progresses. Their stories interweave with the stories of the guest stars. Rosa, the flower vendor; Baste, the flower delivery boy; and Lorenzo, the furniture designer remain the dominant voices and “constant” on the show. Every week presents and promises new story to look forward to. And the approach is episodic. Televiewers can follow it religiously or watch it on a specific week, if they are busy, without getting lost in the narrative. “The fans will be given the opportunity to watch their idols in a different story apart from the teleserye they are doing,” she added.

Dangwa, as the latest offering from GMA 7, might run for more than a season since there are plotlines that can be explored and more artists can grace the mid-morning, feel-good show. So far, Janine, Mark and Aljur have just finished four episodes. The pilot episode will see Barbie Forteza being teamed up with Ruru Madrid.

Asked about the initial reaction of her fans doing Dangwa without Elmo, her perennial loveteam mate, Janine replied, “Siyempre hinahanap-hanap (nila). Since More than Words, they have been tweeting and waiting for our next project. They are very supportive. I’m thankful for them. Kahit gumagawa kami ng project na di kami magkasama, they fully support us.”

Janine also shrugged off rumors regarding the possibility of Elmo transferring to another network since his contract with GMA will expire next year. “I haven’t heard of it,” she said. And the decision is between Elmo and his mom, the young actor’s manager.

To Janine, being paired with other stars is a natural course in showbiz. “I think lahat naman ng love team pinagdadaanan na mapahinga, to have a break from each other,” she said. Again, Dangwa is a welcome change for Janine because “siyempre gusto ko namang mag-grow, at ayaw ko na ng masyadong pa-bagets. From playing Ikay, I want to do something new. I’m embracing my new character.”

Now that Janine is living up to her dream, she also wants to put up her own business, which is more permanent than doing showbiz, especially when offers come far and between. “I’m still saving up for it,” said the European Studies graduate from Ateneo de Manila University. “If ever there’s a break from acting, I’ll be busy doing something else.”

Meantime, Janine keeps her hands full as Rosa, the lady of quotable quotes.