Home is where the opportunities are

She knows that some people think she is overly ambitious when she decided to go to the States to try cultivating a career there, but Giselle Toengi couldn’t care less.

"Even some of my friends cannot understand why I have to leave when my career here is doing very well," she says. "I have three regular TV shows and I have just launched my own album as a singer. But I don’t blame them. As for me, after six years in local showbiz. I think I have already proven here that I can host my own dance show, Eezy Dancing, that I can sing in musical shows like S.O.P., that I can be a video jock in Singapore, and that I can act, doing both dramas and comedy. I’m glad I was able to do good movies like Luksong Tinik, for which I won the Manila Filmfest Best Supporting Actress award. I really felt it’s about time for me to try doing other things, to grow, to take one step further and expand my horizons. I was only 16 when I joined local showbiz. Now that I am 22, I believe it’s time for me to move on."

And what did she find out when she went to the States?

"It’s a period of self-realization for me, a humbling experience. You really have to work very, very hard to make it there. I enrolled in the drama classes of different acting coaches. I am looking at my career on a long-term basis. People tell me that I would have been a bigger star by now if only I agreed to go bold noon pa. But I have no regrets about it. The sexiest movie I did was Deliryo with Peque Gallaga and I didn’t really show anything there. I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. Flavor of the month ka ngayon, but after you’ve shown everything, the public gets tired of you and a new hot sexy star comes along. Also, I would have lost all my endorsements and TV ads if I went bold. At this stage, I no longer dream of being a big, big superstar. I’ve already gone beyond that point. I just want to cultivate further my craft as an actress. I don’t even think of my career anymore in terms of money that I would earn. I just want more fulfillment as an actress."

And this is the reason why she grabbed the opportunity to be the featured star of GMA-7’s new drama anthology show, Larawan, for four weeks, shown on Wednesdays, 9 to 10:30 p.m.

"I spent Christmas here and was thinking of going back to the States when I got this offer from GMA which I couldn’t just bypass. I’ve never had my own drama series and I saw this as a chance to be able to do different kinds of roles. So far, happy naman ang GMA with the fairly high ratings of the episodes I’ve done for them."

The first episode, entitled Pustahan, was shown on Feb. 14. Directed by Ruel Bayani, it featured G as a mystery girl who avenges the death of her sister killed by the members of a fraternity.

The second episode, Salamin, shown on Feb. 21, was directed by Jeffrey Jeturian. G starred as an accident victim who gets afflicted with amnesia, with Rustom Padilla as her leading man. Last, Feb. 28, she starred in Bahay-Bahayan, directed by Jay Altarejos.

"In the last episode to be aired on March 7, Ward 17, I play another challenging role, that of a disturbed girl committed by her parents in a mental institution. I’ve long been wanting to play a luka-luka and my wish is finally granted. I’m glad the show gave me the chance to work with different directors because I learn so much from each of them. Ako pa naman, nagpapadirek talaga. My only request was for us to tone down the drama scenes. In local dramas, uso ang sobrang iyakan and too much outpouring of emotions. In this show, we tried to avoid being so hysterical."

It is common knowledge that she went steady with Jeffrey Quizon for sometime. How did she feel when Jeffrey won in the recent Metro Manila Filmfest as Best Supporting Actor for Markova, Comfort Gay?

"I was with him that night and I was very happy for him. I have always known na he’s very talented and all he needs is a good break for people to recognize that he’s a good actor."

Have they reconciled?

"No. We’re better off as friends. Right now, having a boyfriend is the least of my priorities. I haven’t been in love for such a long time and I don’t miss having a lovelife dahil priority ko talaga ngayon ang career ko."

So when is she going back to the States?

"I don’t know yet. I still have offers to do some endorsements here, so I might do them muna before I return there."