Almost a year after his hit primetime series “The Iron Heart” bade adieu, Richard Gutierrez goes back in action as he’s about to make a major return to television as he headlines the upcoming ABS-CBN Studios series entitled “Incognito.”
And recently, ABS-CBN News showbiz correspondent MJ Felipe had the chance to catch up with him at the airport, as he and his co-stars left for Italy to shoot some scenes for the series. But prior to that, we got to see online photos and videos of them during their lock-in taping in El Nido, Palawan, which the seasoned actor described as “amazing”.
“It was great filming there. Napakita natin ang ganda ng Pilipinas sa El Nido sa Palawan. Hindi naging madali ang shoot namin dahil tinamaan tayo ng bagyo. Unfortunately, tumama rin doon during the time that we were filming, so nagkaroon din kami ng cancellation days. Overall, it was a great experience; it was our first lock-in [taping]. Nagkaroon talaga ng bond and camaraderie ‘yong mga cast and crew. It was a good first lock-in for us,” he related.
He might have done several action-themed series in the past, but what makes “Incognito” different according to him is that it’s a great ensemble cast composed of some of the biggest actors in the country. This serves as the first-ever venture in the action genre for some of his castmates, so he enthusiastically welcomed them and supported them whenever they got exhausted or challenged.
Richard also feels great to work with some of the actors with whom he’s working for the first time and to work on a different and exciting narrative, which they’re trying to take to another level from “The Iron Heart.” So, he promised that audiences are going to expect more action, more excitement, and an exciting storyline.
“No’ng pinitch pa lang nila sa akin ‘yong project, talagang na-excite na ako and I really prepared myself for this project. It’s an exciting project na dapat talaga abangan ng maraming tao,” the 40-year-old actor stated as he confirmed that it’s the exact project pitched to him several months ago by the management, led by ABS-CBN Head of TV Production Laurenti Dyogi.
He then went on to talk about working with his co-stars, starting off with Daniel Padilla. “Si Daniel, as usual, masarap kasama, masaya kasama sa set. Nagtutulungan kami, we try to help each other, pull each other up. Hindi magiging madali ang shoot namin, sinabi ko na sa kanya ‘yon. Alam niya ‘yon. At nandito kami para magtulungan at lalong pagandahin pa ang project.”
On the other hand, he also described the MaThon tandem, comprised of Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings as exciting and fun to be with and playful off-cam. He looks forward to more opportunities to bond with them, especially that they would shoot in Italy.
Speaking of Italy, it’s not the first time that Richard would shoot a series there since it can be recalled that he and the “The Iron Heart” team also shot several sequences in Rome for its season finale. However, this time, for its opener, they would shoot in the southern part of Italy, specifically in the Puglia area, which is considered a cradle of Italian mafias.
Since he’s working with the same team that he worked with in “The Iron Heart,” Richard has already established a collaborative and harmonious relationship with the creatives. This allows him and other cast members to share or pitch his suggestions or ideas to them, which he truly loves.
With regard to the reaction of his family, especially his beloved parents, Annabelle Rama and Eddie Gutierrez, about his latest project, he said that they’re actually very excited and very supportive of him always.
Aside from physical conditioning, which is already a standard part of preparations for actors, he imparted that they actually underwent rigorous trainings for this project as a group and individually. According to him, they did tactical training and drills for muay thai and pekiti tirsia, which is considered a Filipino blade martial art that they will try to promote by incorporating it in the fight scenes.
Are you as excited as us to see what Richard Gutierrez and the Team Incognito have in store for us? Well, you better stay tuned for the next updates!