Richard and Raymond Gutierrez: Two much

They were born into, grew up in, and breathe a life of controversy and glamour. They are extremely different from each other, yet so alike. What is life like as one half of the most intriguing twins in the country? Here are 10 things you should know about Richard and Raymond Gutierrez.

1. Richard may be the movie star now, but it was Raymond who was really the performer, growing up.

“Raymond loved the camera more than I did,” Richard reveals. “Yeah, I was such a camera hog, and Chard was more snooty,” Raymond says, and they both burst into laughter. We’re talking about Kambal Tuko, a movie they did when they were five years old. “That was the most successful one that people remember until now. How can you not remember twins attached to each other?!” Mond says. 

“I remember we would be so excited to go on set, kasi Tita Susan Roces would always have a gift for us. Coloring books, toys, food, basta every taping meron siyang baon for us. We love her,” Mond shares. “But you know what, when we were kids it was super just playing around. The movie set was our playground. We didn’t see it as work.”

2. Raymond may be the party scene staple now, but it was Richard who loved the nightlife first.

“I started partying young. I was always the adventurous kid,” Chard says. “Pakawala,” Mond butts in, and they both laugh. “I was always looking for new adventures, curious about seeing the world, seeing different things. And our parents trusted us. Even when we were in the States, at the age of 14 and 15 I was already going out. Before I was 18 I was already trying to get in and sneak into clubs. It was the crazy time of my life. It was fun. I have no regrets. I’m glad I went through that in my life,” Chard reveals.

“Now he’s boring,” Mond teases Chard.

“Now he’s the night person,” Chard says about Mond. “I’m the morning person. I wake up at 6:30 or 7 a.m.”

“I’m going home at that time,” Mond quips and they both laugh. 

3. Richard was all set to compete in Florida for National Championships for martial arts, but while vacationing in the Philippines, he ended up staying. Raymond was all set for college in LA, but while vacationing in the Philippines, he also ended up staying.

“Not a lot of people know that Chard competed in martial arts in L.A.,” Mond reveals. “Martial arts was my passion. I started competing all around California and became State Champion a few times,” Chard shares. “I wanted to compete in the Nationals. For you to compete you would need a certain number of medals, and I achieved that already so I signed up. But then I went back to the Philippines for summer break, and didn’t come back to the States.” “Nag-enjoy, may barkada,” Mond comments.

“I’m a brown belter,” Chard says. “I’m a yellow belter,” Mond says. They laugh.

“I was on vacation for Christmas and was only supposed to be here for three weeks. Then my first-ever TV appearance was on MYX as a VJ,” Mond shares. “That’s where Tita Wilma Galvante saw me and she asked if I wanted to try out hosting. I did a variety show, then pageants, then tuluy-tuloy na until she offered me a contract. I had already signed up for my classes in L.A. and I was calling my best friend saying I’ll catch up when I arrive. But I ended up enjoying hosting and told myself I’d go back to school when I’m not enjoying it anymore. Wala, now I’m still enjoying it.”

Both Chard and Mond say that they do have plans of going back to school someday. “I’ve always wanted to take short courses in NYC or London, but plans are always put on hold,” Mond shares. “I want to take filmmaking in L.A., but the courses laging hindi tama yung timing,” Chard says.

4. Richard and Raymond are extremely protective of each other, but they also have misunderstandings and end up not talking to each other.

“May time na hindi kami nag-usap,” Mond says. “I didn’t like his girlfriend then, ano magagawa niya eh girlfriend niya? So hindi talaga kami nag-usap para mas madali ang life.”

“I got into a lot of fistfights in the States because of him,” Chard says referring to Mond. “Whenever I would get into fights, I would send Chard,” Mond says laughing. “Siya yung marunong sa karate eh, para useful ang training niya.” “Maraming bullies sa States,” Chard explains. “And because we’re twins, we always get picked on. We transferred schools a lot, so every time nasa bagong school, there would be new bullies.” Mond adds: “But because of the early times that we defended ourselves, people respected us more so we ended up having so many friends at the end of the school year.”

Mond is active on social media platforms, while Chard maintains a private Instagram account. “I eat haters for breakfast,” Mond says. “You have to be open to criticism and the hate because it’s part of it. Di ka dapat maging sensitive, di ka dapat pumapatol. But sometimes you can’t help it, they catch you in a bad mood and you can’t help but answer back.”

“It’s just not my thing, I think it’s high maintenance,” Chard says of social media. “He doesn’t even ‘like’ photos,” Mond quips. “I’m like, Chard can you like my photos, I have to force him to like my photos.”

5. Richard and Raymond Gutierrez in numbers:

5: Number of minutes older Chard is than Mond

11: Number of movies they made together as kids

10: Age when they moved to L.A. to study. “It was my sister (Ruffa)’s decision, she wanted us to experience what she experienced growing up, away from the limelight, to have a normal childhood experience,” Mond shares.

5: Number of bikes Richard currently owns. “I have both road and mountain, then one motorcycle. I used to have three. I used to have jet skis also. I don’t hold on to them for long.”

100-plus: Approximate number of action figures in Raymond’s collection. “I used to collect hard-to-find action figures, I would even attend the toy conventions in the States. Marvel, X-Men. I used to be a nerd.”

6. Richard admits that girlfriend Sarah Lahbati is a big factor in his being more “mellow” now.

“I’ve been under contract for over a decade. So I grew up practically with a contract. I wanted to be able to live life a little better, without living from one call time to another. I’m so happy I made that decision,” Chard reveals. 

“Yeah, definitely,” Chard says on his serious relationship contributing to his new perspective on life. “It was also perfect timing when Sarah and I met. We were doing a soap and we got to know each other on set. During that time I was trying to become more mellow, more relaxed, trying to change my ways. Then meeting her and being with her really solidified that character of mine. Nanligaw talaga ako. Effort talaga to bring food to the set or flowers to her house. I met her mom, and her dad when he flew in from Switzerland. Old school ligaw talaga.”

“For me the biggest change is he used to be so private,” Mond says about the “new” Chard. “But now, sharing photos of him and Sarah, being more verbal about her, he’s in a happy relationship and hindi niya kailangan itago.”

7. Raymond admits that his name made it harder for him to get into the business. 

“There are so many anak ng celebrities who are not doing anything, who tried and failed. For me, I was the last person to come into the limelight, having my family’s shadow hanging over me. Not only my parents and my sister, but now even my twin brother. I actually had the hardest time to create a name for myself,” Mond shares.

“I got so many offers to act and I really declined all of them. My mom and I would have screaming fights because sayang the offer, the opportunity, the money. But for me, if I don’t feel comfortable doing it, I’m sorry, I’m not gonna do it. I stuck it out and I said I wanna become a TV host. Through the few years that I have been hosting, thank you, Lord at medyo napansin din naman ako,” Mond says, laughing.

Aside from hosting, Mond is also a contributing editor for Preview and Esquire. “Dumaan talaga ako sa butas ng karayom to get the Esquire job. I applied, I took a test, I did all the meetings. I met with Jo-Ann Maglipon, Myrza Sison, Liza Gokongwei, Erwin Romulo, isa-isa. Question and answer portion. I really had to prove myself, hindi siya binigay lang sa akin.

“Actually it’s harder if medyo kilala ka kasi right away people will be like, ‘Ay, you will get him, he’s not gonna work hard naman.’ I think it’s about knowing what you want and working hard towards a goal.”

8. Chard and Mond would...

Spend on?

Chard: “Gadgets and machines.”

Mond: “Clothes and travel.”

Scrimp on?

Chard: “Wala, he’s magastos,” Mond quips. “Going out. I used to spend a lot on bottles,” Chard says.

Mond: “Gifts. I used to be really generous but now that I started investing, naiintindihan na ng friends ko na iba na ang priorities.”

Stress about?

Chard: “Delays and unprofessional people at work.”

Mond: “Everything. I just go crazy with my schedule.”

De-stress by?

Chard: “I have days I stay home and relax with Sarah or with my family. But I also like going out of the city. I ride my motorcycle or I go diving.”

Mond: “Travel. Or when I’m going crazy I just wanna have a quiet night at home.”

Obsess about?

Chard: “With my projects, I get obsessed with every detail. Sometimes I get frustrated when I know things can go smoother or be better, and I would suggest to the director.”

Mond: “Whenever I throw events, I get obsessed with every detail. I make sure everything is going smoothly.”

Ask advice about?

Chard: “Every major life decision, I ask my family’s opinion. Or even the simplest things like what to wear to an event, I would ask Mond.”

Mond: “Finance. I ask Chard and my sister about money and investing.”

9. On their weight issues: “It’s the bane of my existence. It’s the only life struggle I’ve had,” Mond says. They both burst into laughter.

“I’m freaking out about this reality show,” Mond says of their upcoming E! Special, It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez. “In shows and shoots, I know my best angles and I know how to move my body in a certain way that I won’t look as obese as I really am,” he laughs. “But this reality show, walang anggulo. You won’t be at your best angle all the time,” he laughs again. “I do have weeks where I don’t get to work out as much because I’m busy, and I do have weeks where every day I’m in the gym. My weight does fluctuate.”

“When I was traveling for months, I really didn’t care,” Chard reveals. I wanted to enjoy the food and the drinks, I was really enjoying life and gaining weight comes with it. But I know myself, when I put my mind to it, I can do it. Working out for me is the fun and exciting part, it’s the eating right and healthy that is the most difficult. Everywhere I go, ‘Chard, tumaba ka.’ Is it really that bad? I was in denial. When I lost weight, it was gratifying. But people said, ‘o, nagpa-lipo.’ It’s just strange for me.”

“My life would be so much better if I didn’t have weight issues. But I guess life is fair, so di pwede. So, taba is my struggle,” Mond says and they both laugh. “I just have to work a little bit harder.”

10

. On how much of their private life they really owe the public: “You don’t have to divulge everything. You want to keep some things to yourself and you don’t want to overshare,” Mond says.

“When you become more comfortable in your own skin, you become less apologetic of who you are,” Mond says of his realization when they turned 30. “For me, in this reality show, I’m gonna be myself. I’m gonna be how I am and I’m gonna talk the same way. It might not sit well with some people but some people might enjoy it. This is an experiment for us, a great opportunity.”

“Yes, it’s part of my career, my job, but I like keeping some privacy, I like keeping the mystery,” Chard says of people who say they owe him an answer. “For me as an actor, doing my job well, that’s what’s important to me. With this reality show, I think I was the last in the family to say yes. But taking this time off to think about things, I felt, why not share our lives to our audience in this kind of way? Once people get to know us better, I think they’re gonna love us more. We’re not hiding anything in the family, so why not give it a try?”

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With Chard and Mond, what you see is what you get. They may seem like they live the lifestyle of the rich, famous and unreachable, but deep down they are like any other sibling pair who love each other, at times hate each other, deal with issues, insecurities, and family drama, but are ultimately there for each other. (Trivia: their “laugh” count throughout the 50-minute interview was at 40.)

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Email the author at askiamsuperbianca@yahoo.com or message me on Twitter @iamsuperbianca.