Destiny's child

MANILA, Philippines -- It was the summer of 2003. Geoff Eigenmann thought it was just going to be one of those summers that he would spend on the beach playing ultimate frisbee with friends. But it was when he got discovered and re-acquainted with what he was really destined for.

"Frisbee is the reason why I am in showbiz. I used to be over 200 pounds before, really heavy. I started playing frisbee and then I lost a lot of weight. That's when offers started to come for commercials and movies," Geoff recalls.

But being born to a family of great acting royalties, Geoff's destiny was almost cast in stone.

Student for life

Yet the young actor still feels the pressure of carrying such a popular surname.

"The surname is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. What is difficult is to prove that I'm worth it. I have to show that I got what my parents have, and I'm capable of doing what I'm doing," he says.

Growing up, Geoff was surrounded by a tremendous amount of talent coming from actors and directors his parents had worked with. This early exposure to the business became an advantage.

"Bata pa lang ako nakikilala ko na sila. I definitely learned a lot from being with friends of my parents, directors and actors. It put me in a different comfort level with the people I'm working with," he explains.

But Geoff is not exempt from criticisms, especially coming from his mom, award-winning actress Gina Alajar.

"She won't let me off the hook easily. I'm her student, she's my teacher. If she likes something, she'd tell me about it. If she doesn't, she'd definitely tell me about it. Like for instance, I was taping a scene for a soap opera. Unfortunately, my mom was there. She was by the monitor with the director. When we finished the scene, the director was happy. Then my mom goes, I'm not happy, dinaya niya, wala akong naramdaman. She said that sa set, in front of everyone. Wala akong nasabi! So I did the scene again. It was embarrassing and humbling," he relates.

His mom was however happy with Geoff 's last stint on the show "Grazilda,"

"She didn't think na puwede akong maging kengkoy on screen. I really enjoyed doing that because I got to play with the character," he continues.

Geoff is currently in the new TV series "Magic Palayok" on GMA with his aunt, acclaimed actress Cherie Gil, and his real-life girlfriend Carla Abellana.

"It's our first project that we are already a couple officially. Napag-usapan na namin na we'll have fun with our characters here and show a different side of us," he shares.

Aiming for longevity

After doing numerous TV and movie projects, the one thing that Geoff has been raring to go back to is the theater stage. He has done a few plays under the Actors Workshop Foundation.

"You know 'yung scenes sa mga movies when after the play, you're in front of the mirror, taking off your make-up, remembering everything that happened onstage? Iba 'yung feeling, 'yung satisfaction. If there's a chance, I'm willing to do kahit indie play. I've done a couple and I really enjoyed it. Everybody's doing their own thing but work is getting done. Hindi mabigat. I like that," he says.

His ultimate goal is neither to clinch a big movie project nor land that lead TV role. "My goal is to last in the business. Longevity. Kasi maraming hindi tumatagal. My mom has been in the industry for 40 years and my dad for 30 years. Like 20 years from now, I want to still be doing this, still having fun."

Think first and think hard

Driven. This is one word to describe Geoff as he goes through his many interests in life, be it acting or sports.

"I've always been athletic and any sport that comes my way, I try out. During summers I'm always out of town, looking for adventure or plain nature-tripping. I go to the beach, play frisbee. I'm always active that way," says Geoff, who has since overcome his insecurity as a chubby teenager.

Geoff is also proud to say that he was part of the very first Philippine frisbee team. "When I started with frisbee, it was something new. The community was small with only about 200 players. We went to Singapore and Thailand to compete. Now, there are 20 or 30 teams already. What I love about it is the camaraderie. On the field, yes magkakaaway, all-out sa game. But after every league, there's a party at night. Lahat kami magkakaibigan," he shares.

Having seen the many facets of showbiz from the inside and out, would he advice young people to pursue it as a career?

Geoff could only give a not-so-typical answer.

"Do something else. Finish school first. It's great being famous, but there's definitely a lot of downside. You do one show, you tape for three months almost everyday, and then when that show is done, hindi ka pa sigurado kung may gagawin kang susunod. Kung hindi ka nakapagtapos ng school, anong option mo? Think first and think hard if you really like to have this kind of life. It's easy to get in the business, but it's hard to stay and to prove your worth," he ends.