Is it still relevant to honor the entertainment industry’s best and brightest this time of the pandemic? If the buzz and reaction to the announced nomination from the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino that gives out the Gawad URIAN are set as indicators and qualifiers, a resounding yes is the answer to the opening question.
All of us are in dire need to be entertained. News, that has nothing to do with the virus and all the political bickering are welcome by the bored public.
As always, the highly contested battle is the best actress trophy with 11 acting nominees that include the likes of national treasure Angie Ferro for Lola Igna, mainstream darlings Kathryn Bernardo for Hello, Love, Goodbye, and Nadine Lustre for Ulan and of course, the millennial muse Janine Gutierrez for Babae at Baril. Winners will be announced in October.
Janine’s reaction to her nomination, “I am very happy to be nominated alongside amazing actors.”
“You know, I never expect when it comes to nominations or awards. I have learned in the past that it's best to be grateful and take things day by day, so for me it’s already a victory to be nominated,” she states.
A recollection of her Babae at Baril experience, she shares that her character doesn't have a name.
“On the set, we call her ‘babae’ and I think that was so meaningful. It showed how this woman's experience is representative of every women's experiences. And that's what attracted me to the role as well,” she explains.
“It was a difficult role because you cannot be seen ‘acting.’ Sometimes it is easier to do roles that are so loud and nuanced because you can use different techniques or movements or wardrobe to take you through the role but for this, it had to be raw and honest and unpretentious and that's what I tried to achieve. This character was the type of person that did not draw attention but had a very deep inner life and strong feelings,” Janine relates.
Apart from her nomination, her followers are excited for the T-Rex Entertainment’s Prime Cruz’s helmed Ngayon Kaya, opposite Paulo Avelino.
“My name in the film is A.M. and I could relate to her a lot,” Janine says. “She is optimistic, believing that the universe always has a plan, and that everything happens for a reason. At times, masama din na iasa mo lang lahat sa universe,” she ends with a chuckle.
On Avelino, she divulges that he was so much fun to work with. She had the best time on set with him and discovered that he wasn’t that serious and that he also has a quirky side.
“He’s just really so good! I could see the shift in his face and his movements when the director would yell action and being around that kind of energy brings you up, too. He helped me a lot with some scenes also wherein after one take he would suggest how we can do it better. And I was just so comfortable around him and I feel like that's already half the job,” she says.
Since Ngayon Kaya is part of the 2021 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival, the millennial muse assures the movie-going public that they will fall in love with the story.
“That I guarantee. I am so in love with it. I feel that I've been through it and many others have. It’s nostalgic and sweet and funny and honest. And after, you'll know, if you still believe in meant-to-be,” she ends.