 G TOENGI: SUCCESS IS HAVING IT ALL (A HOLLYWOOD CAREER AND A SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND)
Interview by Tinna S. Bonifacio
Former VJ and actress Giselle “G” Toengi surprised local showbiz-watchers when she decided to give up her career in Manila and move to the US to try and make a name for herself there.
Recently, G returned to Manila to visit relatives and fulfill several commitments, including an international movie, Wages of Sin, to be filmed in Manila.
Jobs DB seized the chance to chat with G and find out what's the latest with her.
What brings you back to Manila?
Basically, I came to visit my family, since my mom and brother are based here. While I’m here, I also plan to fulfill some showbiz commitments.
Why did you leave in the first place? You already had a career in Manila as an actress and VJ, and people already knew you. Yet you gave all that up to move to the US and try to build a career there.
I left for New York to study at the Lee Strasberg School so I could really immerse myself in method acting, to really be a true artist. I wasn't growing artistically here [in Manila]. After that, I landed a job that required me to tour the West Coast. After six weeks, I packed my bags and moved to Los Angeles. Again, it was a career move. There was more film and television work there as opposed to New York, which was more theater-oriented.
But didn't you have second thoughts about leaving behind what you had started here in Manila?
I might have taken some time off [to get married and to start a family] and find my bearings in the States, but I didn't give up my acting career. In fact, being a wife and mother even helped, because the maturity I gained ultimately helped me in my acting. It made me a better actress and performer.
So you intend to really build a career in the States, long-term?
I definitely am building a career in the States. I've done plays there, but I'd say I've barely scratched the surface. I still want to do more. I am looking into acting forever, that’s my long-term goal. Just to be a working actor on even one television series is really what I aspire for!
But would you ever consider moving back to Manila to work?
I fly back to Manila occasionally, like now, because of work. For the next few months, I'm going to be shooting this international martial arts film titled Wages of Sin. I'm co-starring opposite this Filipino-American actor, writer, producer and celebrity fitness trainer Neal “Xingu” Rodil. He was the guy who trained Charlize Theron on-set for the film Aeon Flux.
I see. But how practicable can maintaining a career in Manila be, when you are based in the US?
My husband Tim (Walters) and I have discussed a move in about four or five years, but nothing iis final yet. We don't even know if we'll be moving back to Manila or to Switzerland [Writer’s note: G is a Swiss citizen because of her late father, who passed away when she was 11 months old]. Anyway, whether it's here or in the US or wherever, I intend to stay active in my career. I'm very blessed that my husband is so supportive of what I want to do.
What’s the best career advice anyone has ever given you?
My mom told me a long time ago that anything in the world is possible through hard work, and that I should never take no for an answer.
Who would you consider your career role model?
That's easy. Dawn Zulueta has always been the epitome of beauty and brains in my book. Now that she’s a mom, it’s even more inspiring, since it hasn’t hindered her from doing her work.
What is the secret of your career success?
That’s a tough one to answer, since success to me is so relative. I guess it’s the belief that God has plans for me, so when something in my life doesn’t work out, I just trust that the Lord did not intend that path for me.
I think above all, it’s having a positive outlook on everything that I encounter in life.
(If you'd like to know more about Giselle, log on to her official website at www.gtoengi.net)
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