Gelli De Belen acknowledged that she experienced being in the shadow of her sister Janice De Belen when she started out in showbiz.
The De Belen sisters is one of the popular siblings in the local entertainment industry, having built long-running careers as actresses and television hosts.
Speaking in an interview with Boy Abunda, Gelli was asked if she ever felt like she was walking behind her sister’s shadow during the early years of her career.
“Yes, every day, every time. But that was...the reality of it,” she said, noting how Janice had already established herself as a “superstar” from a young age, particularly through her iconic role as Flordeluna in the hit 1980s teleserye of the same title.
For Gelli, being known as Janice’s sister was not something she resented. In fact, she said it helped audiences remember her.
“Tanggap ko ‘yun. Kapatid ko naman talaga siya eh. Siya naman talaga si Janice De Belen. And it actually helped me. It helped people remember who I was.”
Nonetheless, the actress stressed that she still had to put in the work to sustain her own career in the industry.
“Now it's the work after that na you get to stay...how [do] you sustain it? Because of course, she's my sister, of course she's the superstar...Pero after that ay bahala ka na. Gawin mo na yung job mo.”
True to her words, Gelli has built a career of her own spanning more than three decades, leading projects such as The Secrets of Sarah Jane: Sana'y Mapatawad Mo, Makuha Ka sa Tingin, Asero, Gagay, and Roadtrip, among others.
Rather than staying out of each other’s careers, the sisters even found ways to work together. Gelli and Janice, along with their friends Carmina Villaroel and Candy Pangilinan, leads the video podcast Wala Pa Kaming Title, where they share conversations and stories about their lives and experiences.
Meanwhile, Gelli also shared that her older sister never interfered with her process as an actress and allowed her to discover her own strengths.
“Dati nga tinatanong ko si Janice kung ‘Paano ka ba umiiyak? Kasi grabe ka talagang, you cry!’ Sabi niya ‘Hindi ko nga rin alam eh’. It's just all like that. Pero yung process, technicalities of work, no, she never meddled,” she said.
“Si Janice naman di talaga nangingialam. Kahit nga sa mga lovelife, hindi nangingialam ‘yan eh. ‘Bahala ka sa gusto mo, support lang kita’”.
READ: Janice De Belen on daughter Kaila Estrada’s love life: ‘I am just happy that Kaila is happy’
According to Gelli, this has also been Janice’s approach when it comes to her children. She gives advice when asked but does not impose her views.
“If you seek her advice, then she'll give it. Pero usually, it's just you know? Pag usapang magkapatid parang you just really want her to listen or she just really wants me to listen to her. Gusto lang niya mag vent.”
The actress also noted how she has seen Janice become more relaxed and comfortable with herself as she has grown older.
“Yes. I think as she matured with her age -- she's always been matured eh -- pero as she matured, parang naging mas chill siya, naging mas comfortable in her own skin...She goes out more, she enjoys going out now. And I'm so happy, kasi she's at that point na napansin ko talaga [na] kuntento siya. Happy siya.”
“Ito ang perfect season niya in her life,” she maintained.
Gelli and Janice stars in the upcoming film Mantsa, which is set to hit cinemas on October 7.