The 25-year-old Sparkle star navigated her path to redemption exceptionally well, as she landed on projects she may not have gotten without her viral online gaffe last year.
‘The Kapuso star who ‘dogshowed’ the first GMA Gala Night.’ This could be the moniker that perfectly suits up-and-coming Kapuso star Mariel Pamintuan, whose name landed on news headlines in September of last year.
“Marami pong nagalit sa akin don, and I’m still grateful na nangyari ‘yon, kasi dahil don, nakuha ako dito. Kaya nakuha ko itong project na ‘to, dahil doon,” she shared during LionhearTV’s exclusive interview of her last June 8. Pamintuan was talking about her TikTok Live, where she supposedly ridiculed the food served at the first GMA Gala Night.
It turned out that such online blunder was what would eventually open the door for her first big break: a role in ‘Luv Is: Love At First Read.’
“Doon binase ‘yung karakter ko na maldita na feelingera na ganon,” she shared.
Intentional act with unexpected results
As Pamintuan revealed, she had it all planned out to get to the headlines no matter what when she decided to join the glamorous gathering of Kapuso stars.
“…pagkapasok ko sa Sparkle, nasabi ko na ‘ay, kailangang mapansin ako dito. Hindi puwedeng pagbalik ko sa showbiz, wala ulit mangyayari sa akin’,” she admitted, recalling her hiatus from showbiz. She shared that it was her mom’s swelling medical expenses that ultimately pushed her to come back and pursue showbiz limelight.
“Yung nanay ko talaga, siya ‘yung stage mother na nang-aano sa akin, siya talaga nagtuturo talaga sa akin ng mga lines ko and everything. So sabi ko, ‘kailangang matupad ko ‘yung dream ng mama ko, magkaroon ako ng moment dito pagbalik ko ng showbiz. And then, Sparkle Ball, gumastos ako ng PhP15,000—sa akin malaking bagay na ‘yun, kasi pang-chemo na ‘yun ng nanay ko. So sabi ko, ‘hindi dapat masayang ‘yung ginastos ko dito,” she shared.
Pamintuan did not deny that she went live on TikTok and shared her thoughts on the food being served that night to attract attention.
“Pagpasok ko sa Sparkle, nagka-cancer siya, kaya naging desperate ako. Sabi ko, ‘hala, kailangang bilisan ko. Kailangang may mangyari kaagad sa akin. So, talaga ang goal ko lagi, kapag may mga ganyang ganap, mapansin ako. Talagang gusto kong magpapansin. So sabi ko, eto 15,000 gagastusin ko sa gown at make-up ko, pang-chemo na ‘to ng mama ko. Sabi ko, dapat sulit ‘to. So pagdating ko doon, andaming maganda, andaming sikat, so paano ako mapapansin? Sino ba naman ako, hindi ako sikat,,” she added, clarifying that what she said was not actually her personal thoughts.
“So ang ginawa ko, nag-Tiktok Tiktok akong ganyan. Sinabi ko na lasang liver spread daw ‘yung food. Qinuote ko lang naman ‘yung katabi ko, hindi naman ako nagsabi non, tapos ayun, pinick-up na ng media!,” she revealed. As most may remember, what happened next was that Pamintuan quickly became an overnight sensation, earning both amused and annoyed reactions from netizens.
Pamintuan admitted that the overwhelming responses to her TikTok video on Twitter both made her excited and scared. While it made her worry about what her big bosses in GMA would say, she nevertheless felt excited for achieving what she meant to accomplish in the first place: to draw attention.
“‘Yung una na-shock ako na ‘ha, siniseryosa ba nila ‘yung sinabi ko?’ And then, nakaabot sa mga boss, sabi ko, ‘hala, kaka-sign ko lang ng contract, matatanggal ata agad ako sa GMA, wala pa akong project!
“Sabi ko, Lord, super pray ako noon, pero at the same time, natuwa ako, ewan ko kung bakit. Sobrang papansin lang. Natutuwa ako na na andaming nambabash sa akin, at least napansin ‘yung ginawa ko. Pero sabi ko, ‘moment ko na ‘to, dapat damhin ko na lang kung ano’ng nangyayari,” she shared, confessing that she found contentment in getting noticed, at last, albeit through a blunder.
A blessing in disguise
Mariel’s viral gaffe, it turned out, was the answer to her prayers.
“Grateful ako na nangyari ‘yun kasi nakakakuha pa ako ng project. Pero, actually, sinadya ko din ‘yun,” she said, referring to her role in the series.
“Additional character po si Sandy, ‘yung role ko,” she revealed, adding that it was that Gala incident that made the showrunners decide to get her in the show. “Sa pagkakaalam ko po, ang sabi nila direk, kaya po ako pinasok dito ay dahil doon sa kung maaalala niyo po, ‘yung sa Sparkle Ball,” she said.
Her influences in showbiz
Pamintuan confessed that she is not scared being typecast in ‘kontrabida’ roles as long as she gets to work and earn money. She also shared about the local actresses she considers her inspirations.
“Gusto ko pong maging iconic. Kasi ‘yung nanay ko palagi siyang nanonood ng Vilma Santos, Judy Ann Santos, Jodi Sta. Maria, gusto ko ring maging ganon na parang pag sinabi mo, ‘ah veteran, icon’. Gusto kong matandaan ng tao,” she shared.
Her mother as the ultimate driving force
When it comes to her mother, Pamintuan shared that there is nothing she would not do to give her the good life she deserves. It is for such reason that she never fails to mention her mom whenever she gets asked what drives her into doing her best.
“Lagi kong nababanggit ang mama ko, kasi… oo, super love ko ang mama ko,” she said, reiterating her mother’s illness, which motivates her to work extra and hard to earn more.
Playing the role of a campus bully Sandy Bascon, Pamintuan is set to both amuse and annoy viewers as she makes the life of Kyline Alcantara difficult while she also pulls off her comic side in the series. ‘Luv is: Love At First Read’ airs on GMA Network’s pre-primetime slot, just before ’24 Oras.’
