Andi Eigenmann: such a drama princess

Lily

B.R
Staff member
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Andi Eigenmann's meteoric rise to fame is being questioned. Some say it's beginner's luck. Her very first acting gig — the lead role in the TV phenomenon Agua Bendita — was a critical and commercial success. During its run, the fantasy series dominated primetime TV, earning Eigenmann the tag Princess of Drama.

Because of Agua Bendita's success, Eigenmann (born Andrea Nicole Guck Eigenmann) has been noticed by film producers, while the top executives of her home studio, ABS CBN, have made known their big plans for her.

But there's talk that she's only achieved what she has because of her pedigree. She is, after all, the daughter of award-winning actors Mark Gil and Jaclyn Jose.

A virtual unknown before she made a big splash in Agua Bendita, Eigenmann was known in showbiz circles as Jose and Gil's pretty daughter, but other than that she was carefully shielded from the bright lights of showbusiness by her protective parents.

Ask the young starlet about her family ties, and she'll tell you she made it on her own, and in a big way, with her parents barely helping her out. In fact, she sees being an Eigenmann as more of a liability. "People have expectations. Just because I'm the daughter of Jaclyn Jose, I have to follow in her footsteps? I don't think so. I don't think just because we're related, we have to do the same things and be alike. I want to show people I can step out of my mum's shadow and that I'm in this industry not just because I'm an Eigenmann but also because I deserve to be here — that I've earned my right to be here," she explains to Showbiz Tsismis.

And despite her new-found fame, the fast-rising superstar is somewhat oblivious to her success. "It's exciting, but it's also kind of surreal. It helps that I think of it mostly as a job and that I'm still new at it. I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm determined to be the best in this business, because this is really what I want to do."

Although she shone brightly in her first acting assignment, the real test comes with her upcoming role in the soap Your Song, where she will be appearing with — surprise! — her mother. Eigenmann admits there is a bit of pressure, "but I never let it get to me".

"To be honest, in some ways it makes my job a lot easier, because we don't have that awkwardness between us that others get when they work with people for the first time. And she gives me some pointers, so that helps."

Eigenmann's also gearing up for her film debut, said to be a remake of the '80s hit Temptation Island — the film that launched award-winning actress Dina Bonnevie to stardom.

In the meantime, Eigenmann will have to be content with her status as drama princess. She is learning early that having detractors comes with the territory.

What's her take on this? "Why would I waste my time with those guys, when I have these people who love me and who I love too?" she asks.

"The only people that I'm trying to impress here are the people who watch my shows, the people who like me. People who say bad things — that's probably their job. Me, I'm just going to do my job."

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