Testing showbiz waters

Her formidable showbiz lineage has given her an edge in her career. The daughter of Mark Gil with model Bing Pimentel, Maxine Eigenmann no longer surprised people when she joined showbiz. Yet, even with an eminent family background, Maxine would rather make a name for herself than forever hinge it on her more famous relatives.

She must have been inspired by the success and stellar status that her older brother, Sid Lucero (Timmy Eigenmann), has been enjoying, both on film and TV. For a time, she was contented with modeling, taking after her mom, who enjoyed modeling stints here and abroad. But even if Sid had already joined showbiz, Maxine wasn’t encouraged.

“It was my decision not to enter showbiz right away,” Maxine grants. “I was exposed to modeling because of my mom. I’ve been independent since I was 17 and I worked in Bangkok to model. I really wasn’t interested in showbiz until recently.”

To date, Maxine has appeared in eight commercials — Modess, KFC, Rejoice, Palmolive Shampoo, Jollibee, Anlene, Rexona and Voice Wafer Snacks.

She has received a lot of acting offers, but it was only recently that she has given her nod to showbiz. She will soon be seen in a villain role in Judy Ann Santos’s soap Humingi Ako sa Langit. “I enjoyed it,” says Maxine of her TV acting salvo. “Juday is very easy to work with. I’m very comfortable with her.”

A more regular TV exposure for Maxine came with TV5’s Lipgloss, the youth drama revolving the intertwined lives of privileged teenagers of the upscale academic institution, Linden High, as they deal with issues about relationships, jealousy, sex and other juvenile matters.

Lipgloss has captured the attention of the rapidly increasing viewership base of the metro. It plunges into its second season with even more intriguing twists and turns and brand new explosive characters. Giving in to the demand of its audience, Lipgloss has also barged into TV5’s primetime with a new time slot at 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

Others in the cast are Sam Concepcion, Cheska Ortega, Mikee Lee, Saab Magalona, Kevin Lapena, Princess Ryan, Rodjun Cruz, Neil Coleta, Czarina Suzara, Mary Grace Perido, Fred Payawal and Miki Hahn. With Christian Vasquez, Lorenzo Mara, Ricardo Cepeda and Rachel Lobangco.

Maxine informs she has gotten the blessing of her dad to join the business. “He’s very cool,” says Maxine of her popular father. “I get advise from him and turn to him for a lot of things. He’s not biased. He doesn’t force anything upon me. He gives me freedom and allows me to make my own decision. I guess that helps a lot in molding your personality.”

Maxine hastens to add her dad is her biggest critic. “From the start, he has been very encouraging and supportive after I told him about my decision to enter the business. So far, he hasn’t said anything negative about my acting. But I’m pretty sure he will not hesitate to criticize me if necessary.”

Maxine is aware that capitalizing on her family name and background will make her clinch better showbiz deals and give her an edge over other newbies in the business. However, Maxine refuses to do that.

“I entered showbiz not because I know it would be easy for me,” Maxine explains. “I don’t look at it that way, knowing I’m an Eigenmann. I just wanted to try it out in the business. After all, acting is in my genes. Now, I’m really enjoying it.”