Jenine Desiderio: From song to thong

It’s ironic how world-class singer Jenine Desiderio took the plunge and braved the path other seasoned actresses fear to tread.

Making her major screen debut via FLT Films’ Mamasan, a tongue-in-cheek satire revolving around the risque and bawdy world of a scheming madame and her flock of courtesans, Jenine threw all caution to the wind, nonchalantly stripped down to just her thongs and just as casually shrugged off the incident with an almost Zen-like detachment.

"It hasn’t sunk in yet," she reiterates. "I’m still getting used to the ring of that ‘bold star’ tag."

Hers, after all, was a closely-guarded career neatly tucked under her belt – a miscellany of performances both prestigious and noteworthy. Aside from being part of the original cast of the highly-renowned Miss Saigon, Jenine also played the lead in Fire Water Woman a few years back, and also did a brief appearance in the Cogie Domingo-Eddie Garcia starrer, Death Row.

By showbiz standards, Jenine’s private life has so far been unsullied. Even in the midst of threatening personal upheavals, she has often been spared the wrath of news-hungry entertainment columnists.

But now, she’s painting an entirely different picture. In the thick of promotions for the movie, Jenine’s photos – all in varying stages of undress – are strewn all over the local tabloids, prompting a string of controversial questions from those who know her well. Even her marriage is rumored to be on the rocks.

Hounded by a barrage of questions from nosy neighbors, Janella, Jenine’s precocious four-year-old daughter, runs to her mom and asks, "Mama, why are you in the newspapers?" to which the doting mom simply replies, "Well, that’s my work, sweetheart!"

Looking back now, Jenine can’t help but notice how ironic her answered prayer turned out. "I was experiencing major problems with my recording career so, I prayed hard for things to fall into place and completely surrendered everything to Him. Now, here’s the irony. I was in church when my manager Arnold Vegafria called, informing me about this new movie I have to shoot immediately the next day in Tarlac. Honest, it was that fast!" she narrates.

"Some of my friends said, ‘How conflicting naman! You ask for guidance from Him, and then here you are becoming a bold star!’," Jenine retorts. "But I told myself also that I won’t over-analyze this situation. But I think that in the end, what matters most is the message that we’re imparting in the movie." This, she says with a straight face. Never mind if it sounds very much like that same worn-out cliché that’s been the accepted ‘industry standard’ for fledgling boldies.

And just for the curious, how bold did Jenine go in Mamasan?

"I was down to my thongs... my T-back. Nothing else!" she proudly declares. "There were two love scenes: one with Mark Gil and the other with Richard Quan, my hubby in the movie. There was also this sexy dance I did."

As luck would have it, playing the role of a modern day harlot has always been her dream role. "I’ve always wanted something like this with a certain depth," Jenine explains. "You see, I’m the star prostitute of Mamasan (Elizabeth Oropesa) when I was still in her casa, and then I got too big for my shell, being educated and all, so I put up my own casa. Eventually, I pirated some of her best girls, which include Raven Villanueva and Barbara Milano."

"It’s kinda funny how my love scene with Mark Gil turned out," she adds. "He plays the role of a politician with a fetish for making out with smart girls. So, I was recommended by Mamasan, and as it turned out, in the course of our love-making, you wouldn’t hear the typical sounds of a couple in ecstasy. Instead, I’d be saying things like, ‘So, did you approve the P125 wage hike of the workers?’"

Of her co-stars, Jenine takes her hat off to La Oro and Mark Gil. "With their experience in the business, we would tend to think that they’d be kind of lax about what they’re doing, but no… they’re constantly inspired and on the roll. They always explore everything they can do for the role. In layman’s terms, kina-career nila yung roles nila," adds the buxom singer-actress.

With the film in the can and slated for inclusion in this month’s Manila Filmfest, Jenine’s movie career is off to a good start. But isn’t she afraid about being stereotyped in bold roles from here on?

"Facts is, I have been getting offers. To date, since I finished Mamasan, I have received three or four offers from different camps. But I turned down some because they seem exploitative. I can keep up the sexy image, but there should be substance naman to the role. I don’t like roles with no meaning at all," she clarifies.

Looks like Jenine is headed for a slate of bold roles after all. In all likelihood, to paraphrase the Led Zeppelin classic, the thong remains the same.