Ruru Madrid learns from action idols, rides high on ratings

MANILA, Philippines — Ruru Madrid further strengthens his foothold in the action genre with the GMA Primetime Telebabad show, “Black Rider.” It’s a follow-up to the action and adventure-filled “Lolong,” with the drama-fantasy “The Write One” as, in a way, a breather from the genre and a reminder of his versatility.

Like “Lolong” and “The Write One,” “Black Rider” is doing well in the ratings’ game.

Back in the first quarter of 2022, Ruru was tapped and launched as one of the Sparkle 8, composed of four Kapuso actors and four actresses, to represent the talent management Sparkle GMA Artist Center. He belonged to those few who were expected to spark and chart new career possibilities.

With the way his career has been going so far, Ruru seems to have found his niche in action, with a dash of adventure, drama, fantasy, and romance sometimes, depending on how the show’s narrative is envisioned.

Ruru is enjoying every bit of the action genre and showing his full potential as a leading man and a lead star.

“Pinaka-enjoy ko rito is sobrang laki ng casting ng project na ‘to (What I enjoy most is its big casting),” answered Ruru when asked about among the enjoyable and exciting things in “Black Rider” in a brief e-mail interview with The STAR. “When you work on a project with a big cast, you’ll get to know more people and have more friends along the way. You’ll get to work with many people you haven’t worked with before, like former action stars who returned through ’Black Rider.’”

With his stints in “Lolong” and the now-airing “Black Rider,” Ruru considers himself a newbie in action and continues to learn the ropes from veteran action stars.

“Since I’m new to this, I find it a huge help to work with them, dahil nakakakuha ako ng tips sa kung paano magtagal sa ganitong klaseng mga proyekto (because I get tips on how to handle the demands of projects like this).”

“In doing action, you need to take care of your body (and be careful in everything that you do) dahil ang target natin is matagal natin ‘tong gagawin (because the target is to do it for a long time),” added the actor.

“It’s something that they’ve always taught me, and it’s something that I cherish the most. I guess, ‘yun ‘yung kaibahan niya sa previous projects ko dahil ngayon lang naman ako talaga nag-focus sa action (that makes ‘Black Rider’ different from my previous projects because it’s only now that I really focus on action). Pangarap ko rin naman ito ever since, kaya sobrang saya ko na natutupad ko na ‘yung mga pangarap ko ngayon. (This has also been my dream ever since, so I’m extremely happy that my dreams are now coming true.)”

So, Ruru has ticked off another item on his wish list, and that’s to star in a complete action TV series.

“Our goal is to really entertain people. Lahat naman tayo na nandito sa ganitong industriya, ‘yun naman ang goal natin, ang mapasaya sila,” he shared and reflected on why viewers are hooked on the story of “Black Rider,” with its good ratings performance as a proof. “Etong ‘Black Rider,’ meron pang ibang binibigay sa bawat manonood: ‘yun ‘yung aral na mapupulot every time manonood sila (It offers something else to every viewer: It’s the lessons about life they learn while watching).”

According to Ruru, it also shows the different challenges that every ordinary Filipino encounters and that speaks about their resilience. “I think it’s a big factor why the audience likes the show.”

Aside from that, Kapuso viewers also appreciate the amount of commitment and hard work the show’s production and creative people put in to tell the story of Ruru’s Elias, also known as Black Rider. They present the character as “a motorcycle driver” and the “protector of common people.”

“In everything that we do, especially the fight scenes, we do prepare. With the drama scenes, hindi namin hinahayaang masayang ‘yung bawat eksena (we also give them importance and make sure that nothing goes to waste),” said Ruru, adding that people who are on board the project, from the directors, producers, staff to crew and co-actors, give their hundred percent dedication to the show.

In his career, Ruru has been paired with different female artists such as Shaira Diaz, Gabbi Garcia, Arra San Agustin, Bianca Umali, and now with Yassi Pressman for “Black Rider.” He can attest to the importance of having new collaborators.

“As an actor, natututo tayo every time may nakakatrabaho tayo (we get to learn from our colleagues every time). Galing din naman ako sa love team, and iba rin naman ‘yung mga natututunan ko doon (I’ve also done love team, and I’ve gained different insights and learnings from it),” said Ruru.

“Natututo ako kasi may iba-ibang skills naman silang i-a-apply sa bawat proyektong ginagawa (I learn from my fellow actors because they apply different skills in every project).”

“I can compare (working with new onscreen partners) to traveling. Every time you go abroad and visit a country, you’ll learn a new culture. Same din ‘yun sa mga nakakatrabaho, lalo na sa onscreen partner,” continued he.

“I’m very happy na ganun yung mga nangyayari ngayon, and I’m also happy to work with Yassi, whom I’ve already worked with (in the film) ‘Video City.’”

Follow the story of Elias weekdays at 8:05 p.m. on GMA.