After a one-year hiatus from the limelight, Richard Gutierrez is back with a big bang.
He recently signed a movie and television contract with ABS-CBN. Yes, the former GMA Prime Time King is now a Kapamilya!
“I guess, this is a perfect time for me to make a career change. As everyone knows, I’ve been away from mainstream showbiz for more than a year, which was my personal choice. But at this point, I’m back, re-energized and raring to work once again. I believe the timing was perfect. Everything fell into its proper place,” he avers.
His maiden project for the Kapamilya network is the highly anticipated La Luna Sangre where he plays the role of Sandrino, the king of vampires.
“It excites me to the hilt because it has always been my dream to delineate the role of a vampire on screen. As an actor, it’s one of my choicest characters to breathe life to. After reading the script, the story line and the character description, I knew right away that this is a very good comeback project for me.”
Apart from La Luna Sangre, he is also slated to do a movie with former screen partner Angel Locsin for Star Cinema.
“That’s right! I consider these developments as a blessing. I thank God for opening doors of opportunities for me now. As I’ve said earlier, everything happened smoothly, sans any glitches. So what I can only say is that I’m happy to be here!”
The handsome star was with the rival network for a long period of time and this he will always be thankful for.
“That’s 12 fruitful years with GMA. I’m grateful to them for what they’ve done for me throughout my stint with them. They shaped who I am. But as an individual, as an actor, I’m happy to be where I am today. I’m thankful but is also looking ahead. I just have to give my best once again,” Richard states.
********
Now that she has officially started taping for the grand prime time soap La Luna Sangre, Kathryn Bernardo admits her being under pressure.
“Well, who wouldn’t be?” she says. “For one, this is the first time that I’m doing a genre of this type. I now realize that an action-fantasy is not easy to do. Mounting the scenes is already a gargantuan task.
“When I first read the script, I instantly knew that there would be lots of fight scenes. Initially, I didn’t know what could happen. It’s good that I was able to train Wushu for a number of days before the principal photography. At least, I was given ample preparations. It’s a huge challenge for me that’s why I’m quite nervous.”
Despite this, the popular star feels excited about the project.
“Oh, yes! In fact, when I read the script, I couldn’t help but finish the entire first week. I think the story is gripping. I hope the viewers will have the same level of excitement. I’m sure they will enjoy the program. I can now imagine how the scenes will be fantastically executed!”
Kathryn reveals that the fact Angel Locsin originally portrayed her role in the story is an additional pressure on her part.
“Everyone knows how highly-competent an actress she is. She did very well in ‘Lobo’ before. For one, she can do action sequences with much ease and confidence—a proof of her versatility. As for me, it’s my maiden venture in this kind of genre. But rest assured that I will exert my best efforts to be credible in my portrayal!”
In this much-anticipated vehicle, she is paired once again with Daniel Padilla.
“Yes! We’re excited because our roles here are very different from what viewers usually see. It’s not really that mature but just according to our actual age. Yes, there are still cute scenes but definitely, there’s depth in the motivation of our characters,” ends Kathryn.