How Richard will win his lady boss’ heart

MANILA, Philippines - Doing Seduction was perhaps an extra challenge for Richard Gutierrez. To some showbiz watchers, he was never found wanting in the Peque Gallaga comeback flick. In fact, he added spice to his sweet, boy-next-door image.

After seeing him in the edgy sexy genre, Richard is back to romantic-comedy via the GMA Films and Regal Entertainment-produced My Lady Boss.

“It’s very refreshing to do another rom-com (romantic-comedy) after doing Seduction which was intense and heavy,” says Richard. “It’s entertaining and light. It feels good doing a movie of this type again. I was looking forward to this movie after Seduction. We enjoy doing the movie. Although the acting is serious, it is lighter.”

Adding to the romantic and fun mood onscreen is Marian Rivera, whose bubbly personality and comic timing will find useful in My Lady Boss. Richard and Marian first worked in the blockbuster My Best Friend’s Girlfriend (BFGF).  

“After five years, we finally got to do a movie,” says Richard. “Our first movie received positive feedback. I was surprised why we (never had an immediate) follow-up. At least, we’ve been given another opportunity to do a film.”

Working as hosts of GMA 7’s Extra Challenge has helped Richard and Marian rekindle their friendship and re-establish their rapport. “Yan and I have become closer. We’ve gotten to know each other more. When we did our first movie, Marimar (Marian’s first primetime soap) had just started then. I can say she was new then. Now, she has grown as an actress. She is confident and can define her character when we get to talk about our roles. Her comic timing is pasok na pasok talaga. She is funny even off-cam. She is very professional and able to deliver, considering she has a soap.”

According to Richard, My Lady Boss, though still a rom-com, is more mature than BFGF. This can be seen in the issues being tackled by his character and Marian’s.

“In BFGF, our kiss was just smack,” recalls Richard during the recent My Lady Boss set visit in a well-appointed Fairview building. It will serve as Marian’s office where majority of the scenes will be shot. The production team has already created different set-ups. “This time, we have intimate and comic scenes. After five years, our chemistry and rapport have never changed. We would just laugh, and talk to our director Jade Castro about inputs and ideas we could share. It’s like a collaboration and it has been working well so far.”

As far as Richard can remember, it’s his first time working with Jade Castro. In 2002, Jade was in charge of script continuity of Richard’s early movie Bakit Papa opposite Chynna Ortaleza with the Sex Bomb Dancers. Richard shares, “I was wearing the same T-shirt all throughout the movie. I was 19 or 20 then.”

After the teeny-bopper movie, Richard has ventured into tear-jerkers and suspense movies such as Patient X, Sigaw, Let the Love Begin and In Your Eyes. 

From his angsty Ram role in Seduction, Richard plays Zach in My Lady Boss. “He is a bit pilyo and bad boy. But he is not as bad boy as my Seduction character. He is obnoxious, pala hirit. Hinihiritan ko ang boss ko. He is annoying. He is obnoxious although he is smart — he knows what he wants. After college, he didn’t want to work for anyone. He wanted to be his own boss and started to put up his own companies. And they eventually failed. He realized he needed some work experience. So, he decided to go to work.” Fans are assured that there’s a turning point in Zach’s life. 

Asked if he sees himself in Zach, Richard replies, “When I was (in high school), I was a bit pilyo. I had strict teachers. I was using my charm to win (their hearts). I can relate to the character. In every character that you do, you put a bit of yourself in it.”

Will Richard’s Zach win his lady boss’ heart? Soon we will find out when My Lady Boss opens in theaters.