From Drama Queen to Funny Girl

MANILA, Philippines - Jennylyn Mercado has spent her over a decade in showbiz primarily as a dramatic actress. But audiences are now looking at her in a different light: as the new rom-com darling in the mainstream fray.

Discovered and hailed female winner on the pioneering edition of the GMA-7 reality artista search “StarStruck,” it would seem Jennylyn – with her delicate beauty plus a teleserye-like story from her childhood – has been destined to do drama, noticeably not backing out from the more offbeat or complex projects, like her previous TV series “Rhodora X” which required her to flesh out multiple personalities of a character afflicted with a dissociative identity disorder.

There was also the 2010 period film “Rosario,” which earned her several acting nominations. All these increased her longing for a concrete validation in the form of a Best Actress trophy. “Ang ku-kumpleto sa pag-a-artista ko talaga ay Best Actress. I’m really praying for a role that will give me that,” she had confessed in a previous interview.

Then, “English Only, Please” came and viewers saw a startlingly different Jennylyn. A Metro Manila Film Festival 2014 entry directed by Dan Villegas and co-written by Antoinette Jadaone and Anj Pessumal, the romantic-comedy became a sleeper hit, steadily climbing the box-office ladder to join the big-budget films in the Top 4 money-earners. It enjoyed an extended run in cinemas and is set to be shown overseas.

It also gave Jennylyn her first Best Actress award, heaps of critical praise and a surge of interest in this 27-year-old, whose acting work has been underrated and somehow eclipsed by the tsismis and controversies around her personal life.

Jennylyn is quick to deflect the praise, crediting the film’s success to its relatable story plus her off-screen friendship with leading man Derek Ramsay that translated to credible onscreen chemistry. But she is clearly happy. She is also the least surprised person in the room when told that people are surprised that she could pull off comedy.

“It was my first time to do comedy. I waited 10 years for it! It’s a dream role. Gusto ko talaga mag-comedy but I’ve never been given the opportunity,” Jennylyn tells STARweek. “Ang sarap ng feeling (to be given diverse roles) because you’re able to prove to yourself that you can do it and that the only competition you have is really yourself.”

Nevertheless, she had her many doubts and worries “because I didn’t have any experience in comedy, really zero! We (with Derek) plunged into roles without any workshop. The first time we met was our first shooting day. We just went ahead with it.”

In English Only, Please, Jennylyn plays Tere, an endearingly bubbly English tutor with her fair share of romantic mishaps, who then gets hired by the heartbroken Filipino-American Julian (Derek) who is deadset on delivering a stinging love letter to an ex-girlfriend in flawless Filipino. What ensues is a subtly kilig narrative of how a purely business association can transition to friendship and a second shot at love.

Interestingly, Jennylyn and Derek weren’t the first choices for the lead roles (they were supposed to be portrayed by Angeline Quinto and Sam Milby).

Jennylyn didn’t have any qualms being the replacement nor did she have any rom-com references or inspirations for Tere. She recalls that during the first shooting day, director Dan Villegas just let them bond with the production staff, teasing each other and laughing on the set, but with the cameras trained on them. “Then ni-rewind ni direk yung camera, and he said that’s it (that’s Tere), ‘wag ka nang umarte (no acting required).”

In other words, the movie has allowed Jennylyn to be herself and to introduce who she is behind the cameras. Jennylyn admits the role is very close to her personality, also acknowledging that it’s probably different from the image she has projected to the audiences and even to the media. “People (used to) see me as shy or matipid (with words). I was like that, maybe because I was scared that I might be misinterpreted na masyadong loud or whatever.”

One way to tell if a film is a success is if it merits a sequel, and English Only, Please Part 2 is already in the offing, according to reports.

Meantime, Jennylyn is very grateful that 2015 is off to a good start for her. The projects, including endorsement deals, are pouring in so fast that her schedule will most likely free up only in March. She will soon sit as judge when the artista search StarStruck makes a comeback this year. But she’s now seen playing the lead in the primetime teleserye titled “Second Chances” directed by Laurice Guillen. And to an avid showbiz observer, Jennylyn’s life story is blessed with second chances as well.

It’s no secret how some of her life experiences are the stuff teleseryes are made of. It was dramatized on TV how she experienced being battered as a child by a stepfather, an incident that even landed the then four-year-old Jennylyn in the news (incidentally, on the front page of this paper’s sister publication Pilipino STAR Ngayon). Once in a while, this part of her life is brought up in interviews – like, could it be a source of motivation for emotionally-charged scenes? – but Jennylyn has managed to address such questions without a hint of bitterness.

She said in a past interview: “It happened in one chapter of my life, but as I was growing up, through the support of my parents and my loved ones, they really made sure that wala talagang magiging bakas sa paglaki ko at ‘di ko siya madadala, that I would not carry it with me. That includes all aspects – psychological, emotional, spiritual.”

More importantly, her experience has emboldened her to champion child-oriented causes. For several years now, she has been quietly supporting NGOs like the Bata Foundation (Christian Mission Services) which has been providing shelter for maltreated children. “The kids grow up and are educated there so I’m supporting them financially and through (my) presence, which is very important. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam when you see them happy to see you.”

Then there was her pregnancy at age 21, considered by many a “death sentence” in the careers of showbiz upstarts. But Jennylyn managed to bounce back, also reflecting in a previous interview: “I didn’t expect I would last this long and I’m still surviving. Ang daming nangyari na sa buhay ko. For one, I gave birth and had a son. Nakakatuwa kasi akala ko ‘di ko talaga makaya so I’m thankful to be still here.”

It’s this same gratefulness that she expresses when she looks back on the year that was. She tells STARweek: “For me, 2014 was the best year – in all aspects of my life. Last year, buong year akong single, I didn’t expect that I can be single, that I can be happy being single, that I’m OK being single, and then so many blessings came – Rhodora X, the cooking show ‘Sarap with Family,’ an album, English Only, Please. Maybe I’m luckier when I’m single, hahaha!”

The single mom, however, adds, “Of course, I don’t want to be single forever. I want to get married and have another child. (What I’m looking for in a guy) is No. 1, someone who will accept and can truly be a father to my son Alex Jazz.”

Jennylyn is also more positive and light these days, a change that she herself noticed. “Ako rin I noticed that in myself. Siguro dahil wala akong distraction. I’m not saying relationships are a distraction, but I’m just focused now on my career and family. I am able to focus on things that need more focus.”