Georgina Wilson Stays in Character

The Preview shoot catches Georgina in her short pockets of time in Manila. The day found her in one of the Philippines’ historic cities, but in other times, she would often be strolling around the old districts of Shanghai, as she oscillates between her two homes in these cities. “I’m usually on a flight every seven days,” Georgina remarks. “I know how to live in the airport.”

The schedule in her home turf of Manila is often packed with a calendar of meetings as one of the head honchos of Sunnies, dotted with dinners and socializing post-office hours. Living in the fast-paced Chinese city, she, ironically enough, basks in a more relaxed side, actively skipping social engagements to hang out with her three young kids, Archie, Alfie, and Charlotte.

Nonetheless, a life split between countries has routines as its common denominator. Days begin with 15,000 steps a day and weight training the next, or her children rousing her before they head to school. “Sometimes I’m confused, like, ‘Where am I?’” she quips. What grounds her, she says, is having the same breakfast on her table: Greek yogurt, granola, and coffee. “Having that routine keeps me sane.”

It is, by far, a vastly different life from hers two decades ago. While born into a family tree that traces a lineage of beauty queens and models, Georgina was comparatively a late bloomer, partly due to restrictions as a student at her all-girls high school, Assumption College. In retrospect, she notes that she was grateful for it, as she was able to have a normal schooling experience, even until college abroad in Australia at the University of Sydney.

After her high school graduation, Georgina starred in a skincare commercial, which would be regarded as one of her big breaks in the industry. Modeling and the “celebrity” of it all seemed like a natural route, given her surrounding relatives, but it was also a reminder to stay grounded. “What I love about my family is everyone really keeps you in check,” she says. “You never get too big for your boots. In short, don’t be mayabang because they’ve all done it.”

Once her modeling career rolled on, then came the hectic day-to-day schedules. “I just remember working long hours,” she recounts. “When I started modeling, I felt the days were just blurred into one. You just keep going. I’m so happy I really went for it when I was that age and had that amount of energy, which I still think I have, but, I feel those days were a lot more.”

Among her stints in commercials were her appearances in editorial spreads, including on the pages of Preview. Her close friend Liz Uy, then an editorial assistant for the magazine, would invite her for a spread in its May 2005 issue, to model different ways to wear a single shirt. Behind the lens was photographer Ronnie Salvacion, while behind the scenes, future Preview society editor Mond Gutierrez cheered on.

Not long after, Georgina would front the cover itself on the October 2005 issue, alongside actor Richard Gutierrez. Sitting on the makeup chair, Georgina of the present scrolls through her phone when she recalls her first cover shoot, photographed by Jeanne Young. “I actually recently found the call sheet for it. It just came up in my email—it was Liz sending it out,” she says. “I love how conceptual it was. It felt so cinematic, which was cool.”

It may have been the blueprint for the many Preview shoots she would continue to star in. Across interviews with the likes of former creative director Vince Uy, one cover shoot often pops up among the fold—the June 2010 15th anniversary issue of Preview, which tapped several Filipino designers for their own rendition of Alexander McQueen’s memorable ensembles. The cover required Georgina to channel a chameleon with different glam looks, all while weathering shoot mishaps and blackouts.

“Everything starts with the glam,” Georgina looks into the mirror in the present shoot, while makeup artist Anthea Bueno meticulously dabs her lids. “I’m a believer in that. I love seeing the eye look that we’re making now, which already puts me in a different mood from what I came in as.”

“Being part of a production, I’m able to see all these creative geniuses making it come together,” she adds. “I feel I’m just a piece of the puzzle. I really take inspiration from the people working around me.”

At the height of her appearances was a new moniker bestowed: An It Girl, heightened by the Preview June 2012 cover shoot with friends Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaff, Isabelle Daza, and Liz Uy. Behind the scenes, the five girls filmed a video to the tune of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”—a viral hit before virality was a norm. “I think the special part about our friendship is that it wasn’t founded on just work. We had time to just be us.”

But what made the It Girls resonate with audiences so much so that it inspired its own TV show? “Because we’re magulo,” Georgina laughs, before tapping her screen after asking for a quick “phone-a-friend.”

Mond Gutierrez picks up within seconds. “You’re on speaker,” Georgina says. “Can you tell me why people resonate with the It Girls? Why do you think people cared about us so much, as a senior It Girl?”

“I think it was because they couldn’t see a lot of that in the entertainment industry. It was a group of very successful individuals coming together, and it’s not a fake friendship,” Mond reflects at the other end of the line. “And I think that’s what resonated with people, that it wasn’t something that was put on. It just happened naturally and gradually,” he says. “And then I put you guys together. I’m kidding!”

“You’re good. I said you’re the secret sauce,” Georgina tells Mond, before turning to us. “My momager. He’s our Kris Jenner.”

It was, the two close friends consider, a big leap from an industry known to be cutthroat, when competition was run-of-the-mill, compared to publicized friendships between celebrities. At that time, most “stayed on their own lane,” and the girls’ connection, it seemed, was refreshing to see.

There have been many changes in the past decade for Georgina. But regardless of the blur of cities and careers, she cites a constant throughout. “My friends, ’yun lang!” she says. “I still feel I’m the same person.”

And these days, compared to 20 years ago, her work schedule is primarily laser-focused on running the local now-lifestyle behemoth since its beginnings as an eyewear label in 2013. As Sunnies’ brand director, Georgina says that the vision of the brand, to bring beauty to everyday life, hasn’t changed despite its growth. “It’s evolved into a whole lifestyle around it. I love that it’s so identifiable, something so Sunnies. That look is so Sunnies, that color is so Sunnies, that table is so Sunnies,” she says. “It’s a testament to how much we’ve stuck to our brand vision and how tirelessly we make sure everything is on brand because it’s a labor of love.”

Moving between careers, much like the cities she lives in, has its share of commonalities when it comes to the upward trek. “As a model and an entrepreneur at that age, you just have to keep going. There’s no choice. You have to succeed,” she says. “Determination and a can-do approach have helped as an entrepreneur.”

But there also lie the contrasts, which have also been apparent to those around her. “There’s a big difference from being a model. You can switch off after,” Georgina explains. “People glamorize being an entrepreneur. There’s no one to turn to if it’s not working. You need to fix it. True entrepreneurs, respected by their team, are present. They do the dirty work. No job is too big or small.”

“It’s a full commitment–there’s no switch off,” she adds. “My kids see that, my husband sees that, my family sees that, and the team sees that. We live and breathe it.”

Many working mothers could agree about the delicate balance between their careers and children, and Georgina is no different. “I feel like I’m the same person, but my heart lives outside of my body,” she says about motherhood. “It’s very hard to say that you can do it all and juggle it all. But I think you just have to do the best that you can with the task in front of you. Time has become so much more important. When I’m with my kids, I’m the most present I can be. When I’m at the office, I work in the most efficient way. I think that’s the only way to do it.”

“So, just prioritize,” she continues. “I live by my calendar. Every hour is scheduled. It’s important to have time to yourself, too.”

She, after all, moves in roles and cities in regular rhythm, back and forth between identities that don’t neglect either of them. “Moms sometimes feel that they need to give up themselves,” she adds. “But I think that moms who take care of themselves and put themselves first, too, are a good example to their kids…  I’m happy that my kids get to see the value of work.”

Georgina ponders what her kids could glean from her balancing multiple roles. She isn’t the type of parent to dictate her own wishes to her children, she says. “I was telling them, ‘I don’t have any expectations of you for when you’re older.’ And then my son, Archie, goes, ‘Well, I have expectations for myself.’”

“They need to find their own paths. Obviously, there’ll be influence, but they’re very separate beings and their souls are different, and I respect that,” she says. “I just want to encourage them to be the happiest. I think that’s the most important thing for them to remember—to be a good person, to be truthful, to not steal.”

“That’s what I want for my kids,” she adds. “That’s, for me, success.”

Between a mother, an entrepreneur, an It Girl, and all the characters she has embodied as a model, what exactly is the common thread that ties Georgina Wilson together? “I’m unapologetically myself,” she says. For the answer, curiously enough, she doesn’t look inward. “I’m attracted to people who are so comfortable in their own skin, and I think it’s something that you can see right away.”

“And I think that comes from an environment that supports everyone. I live in an environment where I’m very supported, ever since I was young, where you can be yourself, and there’s nothing to apologize for.”

Her lips don a shade she developed herself, and the cameras are about to switch on for her first shot. The conversation turns to her next role. “I love that I’ve been modeling now for 21 years, which sounds crazy to even say, and I still enjoy it. I still have so much fun exploring the world with my kids and my friends and my loved ones, and just having the best time.” 

“I feel like the next decade is reaping the benefits from everything that we’ve done in the past,” she says. “But I’m gonna have to get back to you on that. I haven’t really thought about it. I’m just taking it a day at a time.”

Her glam wraps up, the first step. It’s Georgina’s time, once again, to slip into a new character.