Maine Stay

After two years in the industry, Maine Mendoza’s proven she’s in it for the long haul.

- Chandra Pepino

This is the inexplicable magic of Maine Mendoza: Even when she’s sick, she’s still the most radiant person in the room. Her secret formula? In an industry where a well-manufactured smile was the norm, she went against the current and made faces. When the cameras stop clicking, she blinks and allows herself small mental breaks—a temporary escape from the flurry of 30-odd people surrounding her—but when photographer and constant collaborator Mark Nicdao shouts, “Let’s do this!” it’s as if an imaginary light switches on, and Maine has risen above her own body. The piercing eyes. The wide grin that’s graced many an EDSA billboard. She nearly falls over backwards in her five-inch stilettos but makes an impeccable recovery by playing it off as a faux high-fasyon pose. “O, diba?” she exclaims, and the whole room erupts in relieved laughter. If Maine Mendoza can soldier through, then damn it, so can we.

it’s been a while since you became an overnight sensation via your dubsmash videos. has your celebrity status sunk in yet?

 It’s still surreal for me, kasi hindi naman ako sanay sa ganitong attention. Pero ngayon, na-expose na rin ako sa iba’t ibang environment at sa iba’t ibang trabaho. I feel like my being a “celebrity” is never going to fully sink in for me. I can’t refer to myself as a celebrity. Siguro, Dubsmasher na lang!

You’re not afraid to be yourself with your fans, which is refreshing to see. How different is off-cam Maine from on-cam Maine?