‘Semi-retired’ from showbiz, Derek Ramsay fully supports brother’s acting career
Derek Ramsay is not turning his back on showbiz for good, but it’s definitely not a priority in his life right now. He disclosed that he and GMA 7 have mutually agreed to cut short his contract with the network.
“If the right script comes along, and I won’t be away too much from my family, malamang gagawin ko ‘yan. But for now, like sa GMA contract ko, out na ako sa contract ko. I was able to part ways with GMA,” he told The STAR during a recent interview.
“I had one and a half years more but GMA understood and really respected my wishes na for now, ayoko na and nakakatuwa because they granted it. So, we cut na my contract short and we both have much respect for one another. That’s where I am now.”
Though mum on the details of his discussions with GMA that led to the end of his contract, he said, “It’s not that I have anything against them or they have something against me. There’s none of that.”
“They can really see how happy I am with my life and we can really see that my priorities have changed. I have a family and that’s what I want to take care of. It’s not just me anymore, I now have Ellen, I have Elias,” he added, referring to his newfound family life with wife Ellen Adarna and her four-year-old son, whom Derek treats like his own child.
The actor might be “semi-retired,” as he himself mentioned in interviews, but he’s throwing his full support behind his younger brother Andrew’s decision to pursue an acting career in the country.
While not exactly a newbie actor as he had some acting stints in London and Los Angeles, Andrew was “officially” introduced to the local film community and the public via his lead role as an impoverished boxer who dreams of making it big in the Cinemalaya Film Festival entry Ginhawa directed by Christian Lat. He also runs a production company with some friends called CutAway Productions.
For Derek, his younger sibling is the much better actor between them two. “Sabi ko nga sa kanya, sabi ko sa mga nag-i-introduce sa akin, siya talaga yung magaling na artista sa pamilya. Ang galing niya umarte,” the proud kuya said.
He further noted that Andrew is more cut out for the craft because he was schooled in it, whereas he studied other things that “the last thing I ever thought I would do was acting.”
“But I guess, he was exposed to seeing me doing all these movies and TV shows that at a very young age, he was already very passionate about it. He was singing, he was dancing, he was playing different musical instruments and then he dug into it deeper by studying in really good professional schools like the New York Film Academy (where he graduated with a Fine Arts degree in Acting for Film), Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts,” Derek said.
His brother also did ballet, opera and theater, “you know, Shakespeare and all of that,” after all, he was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA).
“Ako naman yung ugali ko na ayoko mapahiya, ugali na ‘pag may naumpisahan ka, gawin mong tama, always being a sponge, learning and soaking in all this information from veteran actors, child actors, talents, your director, everyone on the set. That’s how I got to where I am.
“But you know, my brother really, he developed the skills through the years like, he can do really crazy impersonations, he can do like 30-minute monologues. I explained if I had to do a monologue for 30 minutes… ‘di ko yata kaya yun.”
Right now, Derek revealed, Andrew is in Baguio filming for Aga Muhlach’s boxing-themed series Suntok sa Buwan on TV5.
“Before he left, he asked me for advice. Medyo naku-culture shock din siya (laughs). Nasa-shock sa sistema kasi galing America, di ba? Nag-aral sa America. Sabi ko, the way they do it there, the way they do it here, it’s very, very different so, natutunan na rin niya. Pero nagkwento siya sa Mommy, na na-shock daw siya.
“Parang gusto niya mag-rehearse ng mga fight scenes. Sobrang perfectionist kasi si Andrew, so sabi niya konting oras lang daw nabigay sa kanila mag-rehearse ng fight scenes. Sabi ko, you have to understand, may hinahabol lagi, kasi TV eh, may hinahabol tayo. Yes (he’s still adjusting).”
Nevertheless, Derek is more than willing to give his younger brother some advice on acting as well as navigating showbiz.
He shared with The STAR: “Sobrang dami (advice), first off he has to be patient… he wants to get to where I got my career, it’s really gonna take time and you really have to be patient about it. You have to put in the hard work.
“There’s going to be a lot of disappointment. And when you go through those disappointments, don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t let that consume you. It’s part of it and that’s what will make you a better actor and better person.
“And really focus on not trying to please everybody. Focus on what you want to do. But at the same time, be a team player when you do a project. It’s like basketball, it’s a team effort. Yung mga Best Actor, it’s just a bonus. You have a better chance of winning Best Actor, if you actually are a team player.”
Derek is happy that his brother doesn’t just seek his counsel but also listens. “He really listens a lot,” he said.
“He always asks me questions, like what should I do? Even for who should manage him, he asked me for advice on that (he has the same manager as Ellen’s). So, it makes me happy that he opens up to me and asks me for advice.”
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