Richard Gutierrez: ‘The Iron Heart’ elevated PH’s primetime scene

CEBU, Philippines — When Richard Gutierrez was in Spain last April with his wife and two kids, Filipinos living there who recognized the actor would call him either Apollo or Tisoy – the name of his lead role in the ABS-CBN series “The Iron Heart”, which is concluding this Friday, October 13, after debuting in November 2022.

“Nakakatuwa na pati kababayan natin abroad ay nakakapanood,” Gutierrez had told the Cebu press during the last cycle of their shoot in the province. Such has been the impact of the action drama even to viewers outside the country that the production labored to present no less than a strong finale shot in Japan.

“It’s very fulfilling. I’m very happy with the show. With the amount of time that we were given to prepare for the show, for the airing, and for everything that has happened, we were able to deliver a show that we can all be proud of. A show na masasabi kong elevated somewhat the primetime scene,” he said of the series that was initially shot on location in Cebu, before moving base to Iloilo, and eventually featuring international locales.

“We started using the cinema lenses, cinematic lahat yung shots. We don’t go by the usual television rules and we elevated the action. I think that was one of our main objectives. At the same time, we have a nice storyline. It’s not just a visual spectacle. The storyline is maayos, maganda yung mga setup ng plots, and we are surrounded by great actors. Wala akong masasabi sa show. It takes a lot of hard work, patience, and late hours but it’s all worth it in the end when you watch it.”

Gutierrez feels “The Iron Heart” solidified what Filipinos are capable of in terms of the action genre. With the limited budget and time to shoot before airing, it was all about maximizing what they had the best they could.

Unable to pinpoint specific fight scenes that he considers the most challenging throughout the show’s more than ten-month run, he explained, “Every fight scene is hard because we try to outperform the last one. We always have to push ourselves and our creative juices and come up with different ideas.”

But if pressed for a favorite, the 39-year-old star cited his first few fight encounters with Jake Cuenca’s Eros. “I think that really established the action and the characters of the show. Hats off to Jake because he’s really willing to learn, to go beyond his limits to give the show and the character justice,” he said.

As he tells it, the Apollo-Eros tandem was supposed to be short-lived, but since viewers liked that direction and ratings spiked, the collaboration between the characters who began as foes was prolonged.

“I think it was also something fresh kasi kami ni Jake, huling nagsama kami was 20 years ago sa GMA,” recalled Gutierrez, referring to the teen series “Click.”

Told of Cuenca praising him because he emerges unscathed in their fight scenes no matter the intensity, Gutierrez said, “Binanggit nga niya sa’kin na previous action show niya lagi daw siyang pilay, lagi siyang injured. I’ve been doing martial arts for a long time so I know how to control my body and my movement. I’ve been doing action series for a long time. And I work with a great stunt team, so safety is our priority.”

“Kasi once may ma-injure o masaktan sa amin, made-delay yung shoot. So for me, number one is safety, paano kami hindi magkakasakitan. Syempre minsan di mo maiiwasan yung konting sakit pero basta walang ma-injure, yun yung importante. A little bruise or scratch, it’s okay. Minor pain lang, not major accidents,” he added.

“Kami ni Jake, okay yung tandem namin. Kasi nga si Jake very focused and very willing to learn. Kapag may mga fights kami, we are able to do the movements pero safe, and we also rehearse it paulit-ulit bago namin gagawin talaga na full power. We practice it slowly. It takes a lot of time and effort, and it takes a great team also to be able to do that na hindi kami nasasaktan.”

Gutierrez – whose dream action stunt is Tom Cruise’s motorcycling off the edge off a cliff in “Mission Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning” – is more cautious now on set compared to when he was still a bachelor.

“Mas maingat na ako than when I was younger. I have to be able to go back home and that is my priority. Pag may stunts talaga na sobrang delikado, kahit na willing akong gawin, yung mismong director ko magsasabi sa akin na huwag mo ng i-risk. Like high jumps, falls na matataas, even just climbing the side of buildings and stuff like that,” he said.

“My director and producers tell me na huwag nalang kasi pag ma-injure ako, tigil yung taping and masa-sacrifice yung buong show. So I have to be responsible and look at it now in the bigger picture.”

Now on its last week, “The Iron Heart” airs 8:45 pm on A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, Kapamilya Online Live on Facebook and YouTube, Jeepney TV, and TFC IPTV.

BINI sets the pace in new single ‘Karera’

Members of the female pop group BINI kickstart their new era with the release of their comeback single “Karera”, now streaming in various music platforms. It also serves as a preview of their upcoming EP which will be released this November.

The upbeat track highlights the importance of enjoying the moments of life as everyone has their own time and phase. FlipMusic’s Gianina Camille “Nica” Del Rosario, Julius James “Jumbo” De Belen, and Jose Miguel Cortes composed the song while BINI members Colet, Mikha, and Stacey wrote its rap parts.

Dubbed as the Nation’s Girl Group, BINI has captivated the hearts of listeners with their empowering messages that transcend through their music. Last year, they released their sophomore album “Feel Good” which has earned more than five million streams on Spotify and also topped the iTunes albums chart Philippines. Their single “I Feel Good” was also nominated in Brazil’s BreakTudo Awards for Music by International Music Artist. — (FREEMAN)