By 
It’s around 10:30 in the morning when actress Janine Gutierrez, all smiles, arrives at the Siren Studio for her cover shoot. After greeting everyone, she goes straight to the makeup chair to be glammed up by her constants, Anthea Bueno and Jay Aquino. After a while, she appears on set looking like a young Brigitte Bardot complete with a blonde bouffant wig adorned by a black headband that looks great on her. Come to think of it, whatever Janine has on, she still looks stunning-it’s her smile. “I have been called suplada,” says the 33-year-old actress when asked about a possible misconception about her, an admission that’s somewhat surprising given that she can easily light up a room.
Born in a family of entertainers, you’d figure that it’s inevitable for Janine to be part of the “family business.” She had her reservations at first. “Honestly, I thought there wasn’t any space for me anymore because everyone in the family is in the business. When I was younger, I kind of rejected the idea just because I didn’t think I could match the success around me growing up. I put this pressure on myself that I don’t think I can make a mark there so I’d rather not try. Until I got older and the idea became more real because I had to choose what career I had to do after graduating, and then I said, ‘Maybe I’ll give it a shot.’ And then when I did it, here we are, fast forward we’re still here,” says Janine, who has been acting for a little over a decade now. Good thing that she was brave enough to give it a shot because she obviously excels at it, evidenced by her Gawad Urian and FAMAS awards, to name a few.
The shoot screams opulence as Janine is all clad in striking attire accented with select Cartier pieces, captured frame after frame by another of her constants, photographer BJ Pascual. She’s on-duty, the term that she uses when she’s at work. When she’s off-duty, expect a dressed-down version sporting either a white shirt or tank and shorts or jeans paired with a watch or earrings when out in public. “I still see myself as a private person actually. There’s a certain way that you can carry yourself so that no one will notice you…there’s a way that you can be low-key… Even with my personal life, I’ve always wanted it to be just like an extra. I never want my personal life or personal relationships to be the highlight of my career,” shares Janine. She has her share of relationships in the past that were under the public eye since her exes were also in the business but Janine makes sure that these don’t define her and her career.
For more than a decade, she has transitioned from being half of a love team to being a star working alongside her co- stars. She is pleased with how she got her start and values her story. “The goal was always to be able to work with different people, which is eventually what happened with my career.” Behind her pleasant demeanor is a brave and stern woman, especially in her decisions and beliefs. Janine was one of the brave public figures that took part in the national campaign in the Philippines a year ago. “I fought for that opportunity,” she says. “I was working with a brand that didn’t want to be affiliated with anything political, and I understand. But during that time, I thought that the stakes were too high to just be silent. I could not live with myself if I didn’t campaign for who I believed in. I requested a Zoom meeting, and I was like, ‘Can you please listen to me? I’d like to appeal’…I’m so grateful that I was able to do that. Even if there’s that risk that it might not go well with everyone, even work-wise, I really had to do it. It was so important to me to be on the ground in the campaigns and the house-to-house and just talk to people… At the end of the day, as an actor, you’re blessed with however small or big a platform. Even if you only get to talk to 10 people, what you’re hoping [for it is that] it would make a difference.” In the projects that she involves herself in, she says that usually whenever she gets pitched a story, a character, or a script, she instantly knows whether or not she wants to do it.
For the complete story, grab a copy of the Summer 2023 (July issue) of L’Officiel Philippines.
Janine wears #Cartier
Dress by #JeromeLorico
Photography by BJ Pascual
Styling and creative direction by Yanna Lopez
Art direction by Eugene David
Produced by Knelle Rosario and Yanna Lopez
Hair by Jay Aquino
Makeup by Anthea Bueno
Video direction by MV Isip
Set design by Justine Arcega-Bumanlag
Styling assistant: Dainnie Lopez
Cover story by Denise J. Mallabo
Denise J. Mallabo 