Ronnie R on young stars in intense action scenes in 'Batang Riles': 'Hindi justifiable 'yun'
MANILA, Philippines — Ronnie Ricketts said that one of the key factors in his decision to accept his TV comeback, "Mga Batang Riles," was its depiction of intense action scenes.
The ‘90s action star is currently playing the role of the mentor of the titular teens in the nightly action-drama series that premiered last Monday. The newly premiered show goes head-to-head with Coco Martin’s wildly popular action-drama “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” which celebrates its two years on air with the revelation of Tanggol’s (Coco) paternity by his secret nemesis Olga (Irma Adlawan).
In "Mga Batang Riles," Ronnie plays maestro Bayani Salvacion, a proficient martial artist who will help the five underprivileged teens wrongly accused of a crime. The teens are played by Miguel Tanfelix, Raheel Bhyria, Antonio Vinzon, Bruce Roeland and Kokoy de Santos.
“Tinanong ko sila (GMA-7), ‘Papatay ba ‘yung mga bata?’ That’s the first question I asked. Parang hindi magandang makita ng mga nanonood na mga bata na ganun sila. I asked the roles ng mga bata. 'Papatay ba ‘yang mga ‘yan?' Kasi hindi justifiable ‘yun. From my mind ha. ‘Yan kaagad,” Ronnie said to Philstar.com
Philstar.com sat down with Ronnie in an exclusive interview after the show’s press conference last December 20 held in GMA-7’s Studio 7 in Quezon City.
Violence in an action show cannot be avoided, Ronnie conceded, but he set his foot down when it comes to young people inflicting violence on TV.
He would rather teach them Martial Arts, he said.
“Pwede kung sinuman ibang character, pero ‘yung mga bata, I don’t think so. Baka makasira. So, kinausap ko sila. Wala naman daw.
"Pwede sila mag-Martial Arts. Turuan natin sila mag-Martial Arts,” the action star stressed.
Apart from his role in the show, Ronnie is also co-directing its stunts and fight scenes. He is quite comfortable in this aspect, which he said is his forte, since he is a proficient martial artist himself.
Ronnie started training in martial arts at the age of five with his late brother, grand master Christopher “Topher” Ricketts.
He studied Karate, Kung Fu, Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. He also did kickboxing, arnis and knife fighting. The actor is also one of the seniors and first generation members of the martial arts association Bakbakan International.
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