PUBLISHING DATE: October 15, 2018
ORIGINAL SUBMISSION:
We’re told that luck is what we make of it. Often, we equate the quote to mean we have to relentlessly work hard to achieve our dreams. In some degree, yes we obviously should. But the statement also signifies that we have to be open to the coincidences and serendipities the universe sends us and to ready ourselves for when they come. Such was the case of internet star Maine Mendoza back in 2015, when the Dubsmash Queen rose to fame seemingly overnight in being part of the country’s longest running noontime show Eat Bulaga.
Maine shares that entering showbiz has always been a secret dream of hers. “I can still remember, as a kid, I wanted to do scenes [I see] on television or billboards. Pero hindi ko alam kung saan ko ‘yon nakuha because I used to be a really shy kid. But I had this thing before na sinasabi ko ‘you’ll see me in TVs eventually when I grow up,’” Maine shares.
Life went on and the dream remained as a fantasy while she pursued to finish Culinary Arts and interned abroad. Making videos, however, has always been her favorite pastime. Calling herself quiet and shy, Maine lets her crazy and creative side lurk out in her videos, and after discovering Dubsmash during down time at the office, the rest, she says, is history.
“When i graduated i didn’t know what to do with my life after that. And then this happened. Sobrang unforeseen naman toh eh, nobody expected I would be here and that I would go into show business,” Maine says. TV network GMA catapulted her popularity after naming her Yaya Dub in Eat Bulaga’s first Kalyeserye. The character is a perfect fit for a girl who wasn’t afraid to express herself. That’s what truly drew us to Maine: her fearlessness and enthusiasm. She nailed comedy and reality TV. She blurred the lines to what was scripted and real and she’s a breath of fresh air in an industry where charming young women are made to look and act similarly.
As Maine navigates the precarious waters of showbiz, she’s wary of that very situation: to be packaged into an image she’s not. Authenticity is her expression in a world that seeks out branded personas. “Why pretend to be someone else when you can just be yourself? I don’t see any point in being fake to yourself and to the people around you just to have a certain branding or just to convince people that you are this and that. It doesn’t make sense to me,” she continues. And the age of Yaya Dub has come to a close in Maine’s life and career. Admitting that a part of her will always relate to Yaya Dub, she’s also more than just that character and the other half of Aldub, and she’s out to show that. “People are accustomed to the character Yaya Dub. Ako naman, since Kalyeserye ended a year and a half ago, i want to separate from that role. I want people to know na I’m more than a wacky face. May pangalan naman po si Yaya Dub. The person doing that character, that role, is Maine Mendoza. So sana ma separate ko sya completely.”
That’s how Maine defines the luck she was given. t’s not just embracing opportune events and submitting completely to the flow, but shaping the advantage into the narrative you want for yourself. “Strive hard and don’t give up on your dreams. Because ‘yon naman talaga ‘yon. Kailangan mo mag pursige sa buhay. And if you really want to achieve something you really have to work hard for it,” she relates.
Showbiz is as real as hard work can get, and the star embraces the whole package with no regrets. “I was given more than I wanted and I’m just really thankful with everything that I have right now, even if I don’t deserve some of those things. Yung privacy lang siguro yung talagang downside of the industry. Everybody’s eyes are on you. Every action you do gets scrutinized. But apart from that I’m really happy with everything.”
A year and a half after she bid goodbye to her role as Yaya Dub, Maine is more than ready to discover herself in other fields. She released her first autobiogaphical book entitled Yup, I Am That Girl in October 2017 and is currently working on her album. She has also opened a fast food franchise in 2017 and recently launched Humans Of Barangay on Facebook, a collection of people’s stories she meets everyday with the goal of championing their inspiring lives. “Hindi naman pwede na you’ll stay here and do the same things. You really have to keep exploring to grow. I want to explore new things because I’m the kind of person na sobrang takot mag risk or mag try. I really have to believe in myself na I’m capable of doing things,” she relates.
And capable she is. Having proved her mettle and garnering accolades from Gintong Kabataan Awards, Metro Manila Film Festival, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, and PMPC Star Awards to name a few, it won’t be a surprise that Maine will continue to flourish in the passions she has yet to discover. At 23, there’s much room to grow for a flowering artist in an industry she can treat as her canvas.
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