Ruru Madrid groomed to be GMA’s next big star

His real name is Jose Ezekiel Misa Madrid, but he’s better known as Ruru Madrid. His looks, physique and talent caught the attention of many when he joined GMA’s Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break and emerged as a runner-up in 2011.

He is now under Sparkle, the talent pool of GMA, spearheaded by Johnny Manahan. Ruru will soon be seen in Lolong, a new GMA Public Affairs action-adventure show that takes its name from the world’s largest crocodile to be held in captivity.

I had a webchat with Ruru recently, and here are the highlights of our Q&A.

We are approaching the third year of the pandemic. How did it change your attitude, mindset, lifestyle and work ethic?

“Honestly, at first, it was really tough for me coping with the ‘new normal’ and adjusting to the new protocols in the production of our shows. May mga panahon din that I went through depression na parang nakaramdam din ako ng takot of what’s going to happen to my career and my family. But what I realized is that in these situations, you should be strong and resilient and yung mga nangyayari should not let you down but rather you should rise from (them) and show your true character as a person. I know this is just a test for all of us and we should learn how to adapt to the situation. There will be a lot of changes but you should keep an open mind and see how these changes can work for you and the people around you. Sa panahon ngayon, hindi lang sarili mo iniisip mo kundi yung mga taong nakapaligid din sayo, pamilya mo, mga kaibigan mo, pati mga taong kasama mo sa trabaho. Lahat sila dumadaan sa pagsubok at pagbabago. Ang mahalaga ay sama-sama niyo itong pagdaanan at malagpasan.”

Did you have to reinvent yourself to adjust to the new normal?

“Yes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during the pandemic, it’s the importance of having time to reflect and think of how I want my future to be. Dati kasi busy sa tapings, events and other work kaya wala kang time mag-isip. You just go with the flow. But when the pandemic hit us, suddenly nag-stop lahat ng ginagawa and we all paused for a while. So, I said to myself, I need to do some soul-searching. Marami akong na-discover, hindi lang sa sarili ko kundi sa maraming bagay. Kung dati, nakatingin lang ako sa pag-aartista, ngayon nakita kong marami pa palang bagay na pwede kong gawin sa buhay. I went into some businesses na sa tingin ko ay makakatulong sa akin at sa pamilya ko.

“I also started my own YouTube channel where I can freely express my true self and learn from the success stories of other people. Yun kasi yung magiging theme ng channel ko, ‘What R U made of?,’ inspiring other people by learning what successful people are made of. Nakakatuwa kasi ako mismo ang dami kong napupulot sa magagandang bagay from the interviews I did. So please watch out for my YouTube content.”

You are now one of the actors GMA is grooming to become its next big star. How do you feel about this and what are you doing to meet the network’s expectations?

“I feel blessed and thankful for the opportunity that GMA and Sparkle are giving me. It’s also a humbling experience for me kasi alam ko naman na marami ring deserving na mga artists to be given a break. But sabi nga nila, you should never take for granted the opportunity that is being presented to you. As for me, I always give my best in every project I undertake, and I am also willing to learn and do whatever it takes to improve my craft as an artist. I think one way of showing gratitude is by giving your best performance as an artist. Yung makita mong masaya ang lahat sa nakikita nila sayo bilang artista on- and off-cam.”

How does it feel to be under the tutelage of Mr. Johnny Manahan?

“Of course, we, Sparkle artists, are so honored to be mentored by Mr. M, who is known as a ‘star maker.’ Isang taong tinitingala at hinahangaan pagdating sa paghubog ng careers ng maraming sikat na artista ngayon. At syempre, sino ba naman ang hindi nangarap na mapabilang ka sa hanay ng mga artistang iyon? Kaya napaka swerte namin na kasama na namin siya at tiwala kaming magagabayan niya kami ng tama upang maging mga mabuti at magaling na artista.”

Your thoughts on Valentine’s Day? If you had a special someone, how would you spend the day?

“This Valentine’s Day will be spent in our lock-in taping for Lolong, so work lang muna. Of course, if I have someone special, I’ll make this day memorable for her. We’ll probably do something we can both cherish for the rest of our lives.”

What can we expect from you in 2022?

“I want to claim that it will be a better year. I want to prove to myself that I can do more and learn new things that will help me in my career and as a person. I’ll be more visible and more active and hopefully, I can give back to my fans and supporters the kind of performance they expect from me. Watch out for Lolong, one of the biggest projects of GMA this year. Maybe a movie is forthcoming and of course, my YouTube channel.”