The brave one

MANILA, Philippines - Nag-post ako ng picture sa Instagram ko before na may tagyawat ako and inaway ako ng mga tao!” Andi Eigenmann tells me when I bring up the subject of her photo-sharing account. Like any other celebrity, she gets a hefty amount of attention from her followers, be it from the photos of bags, products she receives from fans, or even of her daughter Ellie (one commenter even asked ‘Sino ddy ng bby mo?’). Andi is a rabid user of the app, posting several pictures per day but she isn’t one who, like the photos on this page, barrages her fans with selfies or put-on mugs of her face. Well, she does have the right if she chooses to, being a stellar example of a face that’s admired by thousands, perhaps the very reason why her fans lash out when a pimple decides to temporarily set up home on her face.

But Andi is more than her appearance, a point that she likes to stress when talking about her role in the new film, Coming Soon, and the preconceived notion of being born into one of the local film industry’s buena familia. She’s one to pour her thoughts into blogs (“I used to write blogs back in school. My friends read it because natatawa sila. I fictionalized my life, kahit yung crushes ko,” she says), or Twitter. But for her, film and acting are the ultimate form of self-expression, which is why in Coming Soon, she bravely put herself into new territory.

SUPREME: Why venture into producing for Coming Soon?

ANDI EIGENMANN: Actually, I became a co-producer because the whole production mainly consists of my friends. I wanted to take part in it and not just as an actress but also because I believe in the film and I really wanted to help out and because my friends, who are the producers of the film, are first timers when it comes to filmmaking. I know that I was needed somehow to help them, give them advice, help them figure out how it goes, the ins and outs of the industry. That’s why eventually I became a co-producer and I said yes to it because for me I feel like I’ve always been into film. If I wasn’t an actress I would have taken that up. I would have taken up film in UP, you know. I can’t imagine my life, myself, if I were placed somewhere else, in a different industry. So I guess it’s normal for me to venture off into something else that’s also connected to film besides acting.

Do you think your affinity for acting was because actors surrounded you while you were growing up or is it just innate?

Actually, I don’t know if it’s genetics but yeah, it’s more innate because I was exposed to that industry since I was a kid. I actually tried to get away from it. There was nothing exciting about it anymore. It’s so normal for me. It’s nothing different so why would I want to venture into film as well and be an actress (when) everyone else is? But then wala, I couldn’t help it. It’s something that I’m really passionate about and what I want to do. The only difference is, growing up, I didn’t really expect to be an actress right away. But I’ve always been into the arts, I’ve always been into film so parang hindi na rin malabo yun.

Are there similarities between you and your character Monica in Coming Soon?

Some, I guess. Kasi artistic din si Monica. It doesn’t show in her appearance but the things in her head go around artistically. That’s also how I am in real life. It doesn’t necessarily show in my appearance, also because I’m an actress so siyempre diba hindi pwedeng masyado na… I mean if I want to venture to different kinds of genres and films, as an actress mas gusto ko yata na pwede akong ihanay sa iba’t-ibang klase ng pelikula, hindi lang isa. Ayaw kong magkaroon lang ako ng isang typecast na yung physical appearance ko nagre-reflect sa personality ko. Ganun si Monica pero for a different reason naman kasi siya, umaapaw yung insecurities because she’s a socialite’s daughter so maraming expectations. Kasi ako growing up, yes, my parents were veteran actors but the thing is, they never encouraged or discouraged me to be a part of the industry so walang pressure, walang expectations. At isa pa, yung mga magulang ko sobrang supportive na kahit anong gawin ko sa buhay ko, sa kanila basta passionate ka about it, dun ka masaya, okay lang, supportado ka.

How conscious are you of your social media presence?

The thing is, I have to be conscious. I’ve been in trouble for my Twitter account a lot of times already kasi hindi ako nahihiya to say what I feel. I use Twitter not as an outlet as a celebrity or to promote myself as a public image. I use Twitter just like my friends who aren’t in showbiz or who aren’t expected to pull off a certain image. Kung ano yung gusto ko, yun ang sinasabi ko. Kasi para sa akin, kung sino yung nag-follow sa akin, gusto nyo akong i-follow. Kung ayaw nyo sa akin hindi nyo ako if-follow, so hindi nyo ako papakialaman, diba? Yun nga lang, Twitter became such a big deal na ginagawa na rin siyang basis ng news, ng mga chismis so nagkaproblema ako dun kasi minsan hindi naman naiintindihan ng mga tao where I’m coming from or what I want to say, but I give them room for assumptions so dun ako nagkamali before. Kaya ngayon mas conscious na ako, but I still make sure that my goal is always to be real because I know that’s why I have people who follow me, because they like me for being real.

I noticed that in Instagram, you have a lot of photos in bookstores. What kind of books do you like to read?

Growing up, I was a Harry Potter fan. Favorite ko yung In the Night Garden, na every time I get asked sa interviews kung sino yung sumulat, I apparently forgot and the (copy of the) book that I read wasn’t mine. I never found a copy for myself and hindi ko maalala yung writer. Kahit i-search ko siya sa Google walang lumalabas. My favorite author is Neil Gaiman. Anything by him, I love. I love graphic novels. Kahit na ano. Wala akong specific favorite books. Yung books parang films siya for me, nagv-vary yun sa mood mo so hindi ka pwedeng magkaroon ng isang specific na favorite kasi iba-iba naman yung gusto mong basahin.

Do you already know which books Ellie should read?

Yes! Mahilig akong tumambay sa bookstores, hindi lang sa pagbabasa ng mga novels. I just like to learn. Meron pa akong discount card sa Fully Booked, lahat ng tao dun kakilala ako and sinasabi ko sa kanila kapag meron akong book na gusto, pinapatabi ko for Ellie. Yung mga Dr. Seuss, lahat pinapatago ko. Sabi ko pag may nakuha kayong copy, one of each, itabi nyo and kukunin ko every time na bibili ako. So sangkatutak yung Dr. Seuss ni Ellie. And yung mga Disney, yung mga classics.

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Coming Soon hits theaters April 17. Tweet the author @donutjaucian.