Jennylyn Mercado:
Keeping her feet on the ground
The Ultimate Kapuso homegrown talent shares her story of dreaming, believing, and surviving
By Jansen Ramos
Photos by StarStruck, Love You Two, Jennylyn Mercado (Instagram)
It was two in the afternoon when an emotional Jennylyn Mercado showed up at GMA’s boardroom for her contract renewal.
Dressed in simple powder blue blazer and trousers, she can’t help but feel down in the mouth for missing her late adoptive mother, Mommy Lydia, who was always present during the milestones in her career.
It has never been the same for Jennylyn since then, good thing, she found consolation through her bosses, GMA Network Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon, GMA Executive Vice President and CFO Felipe S. Yalong, and GMA Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, as she weeps.
She recounts, “Iba ‘yung pakiramdam ‘pag nakikita ko sila Mr. Gozon, sila Ms. Lilybeth, sila Mr. Yalong, magulang talaga, iba ‘yung yakap.
“Kapag niyakap ka nila, na-mi-miss ko ‘yung nanay ko, na-mi-miss ko ‘yung tatay ko, gano’n ‘yung pakiramdan so kapag nand’yan sila, nararamdaman ko ‘yung pagmamahal.
“Ibang klase ‘yung warmth at saka ‘yung pakiramdam ng mga totoong mga magulang.”
That moment, she realized it was tears of joy all along as she looks back on her humble beginnings and triumphs for the past 16 years.
Her foray into the industry started with doing commercials and support roles for such shows as Habang Kapiling Ka (2002) and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay (2002), until she tried her luck in the reality-based artista search StarStruck in 2003.
“Hindi naman magsisimula 'yung aking journey kung hindi dahil sa StarStruck.
“Do’n nagsimula lahat, do’n ko nalaman na kaya ko palang umarte, kaya ko pa lang sumayaw kahit papa’no, at do’n na-develop talaga lahat ng skills ko.”
The 32-year-old star then emphasizes, “Kung ano ako ngayon at kung nasa’n ako ngayon, ‘yun ay dahil sa StarStruck.”
From her promising start as the first-ever StarStruck Ultimate Female Survivor, she's now one of GMA Network’s most bankable artists.
In several television series across genres, she showcased her talent in bringing characters to life.
However, Jennylyn’s journey is not all roses and butterflies.
“Sa totoo lang, ‘di naman ako ‘yong artistang laging masaya, palaging successful, so nakita nila kung paano ako bumaba at kung paano rin ako nakabalik,” she says.
The Kapuso homegrown talent emotionally exclaims how GMA, whom she considers her second home, has helped her rise again after hitting rock bottom at the height of her career.
She recalls, “16 years na ups and downs, 16 years na sa lahat ng mga pinagdaanan ko, no’ng times na hindi ko alam kung kaya ko pa bang bumalik, at kung kaya ko pa bang humarap sa mga tao.
“’Yung 16 years na ‘yon nasa GMA ako, do’n ko na napatunayan na hindi lang nila ko tinrato as an artist… tinrato rin nila ako na parang anak, na parang pamilya.
“’Yung pagmamahal talaga nila sa’kin, hindi nawala.”
She further recalls, “Sa lahat ng mga moment na akala ko ‘di na ko makakabalik, no’ng nabuntis ako, no’ng nagkaroon ako ng anak, tinanggap nila ulit ako ng maluwag.
“Tinanggap nila ako ng buong-buo at hindi nila ko pinabayaan hanggang sa makarating ako dito kung nasa’n ako ngayon.”
Jennylyn did not let her failures define her. She made them a reminder that she’s capable of getting through whatever life throws her way.
She says, “Kung meron man akong ginawa noon na hindi ko sinasadya o hindi tama, siguro tama lang na pinagdaan ko siya kasi marami akong natutunan sa mga pagsubok na ‘yon.”
Rising from the ruins of the past, Jennylyn made a remarkable comeback.
With her enticing talent and award-winning performances on television and movies, Jennylyn has earned the title Ultimate Star.
Even with her exceptional popularity, Jennylyn remains grounded and continues to evolve as an artist.
She says, “Hindi naman ‘pag sinabi mong Utimate Star, hindi naman po ibig sabihin no’n na na-reach ko na lahat ng gusto kong mangyari sa buhay ko.
“Marami pa rin po akong gustong gawin sa buhay, marami pa rin akong gustong subukan, marami pa akong gustong matutunan.”
She adds, “Gusto ko pa tumanggap ng mas challenging na roles, ‘yung wala sa comfort zone ko.
“Marami pa rin naman po akong hindi nakakatrabaho sa industriya bilang leading man, unang-unang diyan si Dingdong Dantes.”
Outside of what she’s capable of, Jennylyn seeks room for growth.
At present, the 32-year-old star is very candid about her dream of putting up her own production company in the future.
She shares, “I don’t want to limit myself as an actress or performer in the industry.
“Kaya po isa sa mga hiling ko is to have more experience to explore kung ano ang kaya kong gawin behind-the-scenes.
“Bilang isang artist, gusto ko rin malaman kung papaano nakakabuo ng isang show, pa’no ba nila napagsasama-sama lahat, ‘di ba, nakakaintriga rin. Gusto ko ring alamin.”
When asked if she’ll follow it as a career path, she replies, “Hindi ko pa masasabi totally, pero sa ngayon gusto ko pumunta do’n.”
She continues, “Gusto kong mag-aral, gusto ko mag-grow, mas lawakan kung ano ‘yung gusto kong gawin.”
Now that she's got a solid grasp of what she's hungry for, Jennylyn takes pride in making her own little stage.
She just recently joined YouTube, and now, she's one of the fastest rising online stars in the country.
As an artist, she veers away from the predictable and creates contents that are truly unique.
Her love for music radiates in her CoLove series as she relives old classics, together with boyfriend Dennis Trillo, that tug one's heartstrings.
She shares, "Nag-stick kami sa 80's, 90's na classics kasi ayaw naming gumawa ng bago-bagong kanta para mas maibalik naman namin sa inyo 'yung mga kanta noong araw na magaganda talaga."
With the success of her CoLove series, Jennylyn envisions to bring it in the concert stage. "Sa February 15, 2020, dadalin namin 'yung CoLove sa stage," she reveals.
Truly, Jennylyn started out with a dream and has not stopped since.
As she sets her heart into her new goals, she bears in mind to look back and give back to those who helped her reached the pinnacle.
She shares, “Thankful ako kasi ang daming blessings.”
“Masaya ‘yung pamilya ko, marami akong kaibigan, nand’yan ‘yung mga taga-suporta ko, masaya ang puso ko, siyempe, ‘yung anak ko rin nand’yan para palakasin ‘yung loob ko at para bigyan ako ng inspirasyon.”
She then noted, “Dito po ako sinuwinerte ng husto.”
“Inalagaan akong maigi ng pamilya ko at ng GMA, from the bosses to the EPs to the crew, kaya maraming salamat po."
It takes more than just dreaming to make things happen, but with her strong determination and humility, she believes she’s capable of achieving anything.
Just as she always says, “Mahirap panindigan ang pagiging Ultimate Star pero patuloy kong ibibigay ang lahat para sa mga taong nagmamahal at sumusuporta sa’kin. Always remember kung saan ka nanggaling, and treat each and every one with respect regardless of their position in the industry.”
