Andi Eigenmann admitted that she has a lot of frustrations as an actress. Even if she was born in the industry because her parents and other relatives are actors (Jaclyn Jose and the late actor Mark Gil), she grew up in a normal environment.
“It was inevitable that I become part of the industry. My parents treat their careers as their profession but it is not part of their lives. And the way we were raised, sobrang normal lang talaga and our parents did not even think that we will end up in the showbiz industry also,” said Andi at the press conference of the movie “The Maid in London” which opens July 4 in cinemas.
“People never get tired of asking if it was my longtime dream to be an actress. I’ve always answered no. But recently, I realized, I really wanted to give showbiz a try. It seems like I was telling myself you should have said yes so that they’ll know you wanted more.”
But now that she is older, Andi realized that the reason why she is getting acting jobs is because of her talent, not the length of time that she has spent in the industry nor the time she should spend explaining to people how she loves acting.
“The point is I deserve it. Do I deserve it? But then I also realized that that there are many factors to be considered in being an actress, not just your talent but also your commitment to your craft,” said Andi.
She also realized that since she’s a celebrity, anything she does or says gets magnified. And that she cannot afford to make a mistake in the eyes of the people. She hopes things don’t get blown out of proportion.
“I hope things can work that way. I hope people understand that just like them, I also have feelings. I also get hurt and I am not perfect. I have my own mind and I have my own way of using it just like any other person. And I didn’t want to force myself into them. Since they don’t understand me, I’d rather get out of the business. Maybe I am not fit for this industry.”
But her passion for acting remains and she loves what she’s doing, like playing an important role in “The Maid in London.”
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Director Louie Ignacio is excited with his latest movie titled “School Service,” an entry to the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in August.
He had already finished principal photography for the film which stars Ms. Ai Ai delas Alas and Joel Lamangan in the lead roles. What keeps him awake at night is doing post-production work.
“Puyatan na kami,” he said in a Facebook message. “Pero naka-picture lock na ako. Happy ako sa result. I like what I saw.”
Direk Louie considers it a high point in his career that he had the rare privilege of working with the award-winning director Joel Lamangan.
“It’s a big honor for me and I am humbled that Direk Joel accepted the role. And he is very good in the film in his role as a gay syndicate head.”
He is very much impressed with Kevin Sagra, the showbiz newbie who gets his big break in the movie. “Magaling ang bagets,” he said. “Even Direk Joel himself was impressed.”
Direk Louie can’t wait to show the film in Cinemalaya where he is making a comeback after his entry “Asintado” in 2013. He has uploaded a teaser of “School Service” in his Facebook account.
He also wrote and directed a short film titled “Ngiti ni Nazareno” (The Smile of the Nazareno) which will have its world premiere in the short film competition section of the 14th Eurasia to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from July 1 to 7. The film is produced by indie film stalwart Ferdie Lapus.
In 2016, Direk Louie’s “Area” won the Special Jury Prize in the full length feature section of the same festival. It will also compete in FACINE, San Francisco, this October.
The movie stars Kenken Nuyad, Edwin Barrios Serrano, Antonio de Guzman, Jr., and Tabs Sumulong.