The enduring appeal of Richard Gomez

When I look back on the year that was, one of the things I’ll take away is the pleasure I got from seeing the return to television of some actors I’ve missed watching on the small screen and one of them is Richard Gomez.

For the longest time, Richard has been focusing on his other interests like politics, serving as the Chief of Staff of his wife, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. Thankfully, someone persuaded him to take on the role of Marco Montenegro in Walang Hanggan, the phenomenal primetime drama that re-launched Richard’s loveteam with Dawn Zulueta. The show re-introduced Richard to a whole new generation of viewers, and also gave his acting career a new lease on life. To date, Richard has been in the industry for nearly 30 years, and he considers the fact that he’s still here and working is a blessing, given the current scenario where the competition is tough and stars come and go very quickly.

When asked what lessons he can share with younger actors, Richard says: “I just tell them, ‘Be the best you can be and try to save as much as you can while you’re there. Huwag kang magbibigay ng sakit ng ulo sa mga tao.’ That’s the way to do it in this business, because once they hate you, they’ll kick you out.”

It helps, of course, that Richard sees acting not just as a job. It’s his passion. He has tried other aspects of the business — he’s tried directing, editing and cinematography — but the best to him is to be in front of the camera. “It’s fun for me,” he says. “I’m happy doing it, especially kapag maganda ang material, kapag maganda ang script.”

When Richard first joined showbiz, he also had his share of detractors who said he was nothing more than height and good looks. But he didn’t let that stop him. He was determined to become an actor, and devoted himself to learning everything he could about acting from books and from watching and talking to other people.

“Pinag-aralan ko talaga, and I learned to love it. Nag-workshop ako, and I spent time with actors that I worked with, asking them ‘How do you do this? How do you do that?’ I was also very honest with myself, my co-workers and my directors. If there was something I didn’t know, I would tell them, ‘You have to tell me what to do.’ And when they did, I really listened.”

That kind of attitude is why Richard, along with his contemporaries like Albert Martinez and Gabby Concepcion, continue to find work even today — and it is rewarding work, not just financially. Doing Walang Hanggan, for instance, brought back a lot of pleasant memories for Richard. He was elated to find that up to now, he still enjoys a certain respect among industry people, and that fans — many of whom weren’t even born or weren’t old enough to have watched any of their movies — warmed up to his loveteam with Dawn.

Working with her was an experience he’ll always enjoy looking back on. There was no awkwardness at all, and even Lucy was vocal about saying how big a fan she is of the Richard and Dawn loveteam. “There was no problem with Lucy. Kuha n’ya talaga ‘yon,” says Richard.

It wasn’t difficult working with Dawn again even if they had some romantic history. Looking back on Walang Hanggan, he says: “Surprisingly, hindi kasi when we broke up, we understood what was going on with the two of us. There were some things that we couldn’t get along with about each other. No matter how much we loved each other, there were just some things na para sa amin, would make us say, ‘Ang sakit sa ulo nito.’ We went our separate ways and you know, became friends eventually. Of course, it took a while until we saw each other again. Slowly, na-regain yung friendship. Now we’re good.”

Richard is already looking forward to his next acting project. There will always be other things to do, but acting will always be on top of his list. For him, it’s not just a job — it’s his life.