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'Why not?' Richard Gutierrez on saying yes to working with Barbie Imperial
'Why not?' Richard Gutierrez on saying yes to working with Barbie Imperial
Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial have gone from real-life partners to on-screen co-stars, joining forces for ABS-CBN’s highly anticipated new series, “Blood vs. Duty.”
Richard plays Marcus while Barbie takes on the role of Jamilah. So what convinced him to share the screen with his real-life partner?
"Why not? I've been wanting to work with Barbie. Kaming dalawa, we've been working hard for years, and I think it was like a conversation, ‘What if we work together? What are the possibilities?’ And I think it's an exciting journey, and we're guided by great creatives and great directors," Richard said.
For Richard, the project also marks his first collaboration with JRB Creative Production — a milestone he doesn’t take lightly.
"The JRB unit loves Barbie, and it's my first with the JRB unit, and it's an honor for me to be part of this, and it's been good so far," he added.
Barbie, for her part, still remembers the moment she was offered the role — she was in the middle of filming "Sins of the Father" when the opportunity came.
"Actually, I was still in 'Sins of the Father.' Patapos na po kasi ’yung sabi sa akin ni Ms. Julie. Lumapit siya sa akin; sabi niya, “May show tayo ulit. Wala pa akong idea that time, and I'm just so grateful ako sa JRB unit kasi after Batang Quiapo ang tagal ko hindi nagwowork sa teleserye (Actually, I was still in ‘Sins of The Father. It was about to end. Ms. Julie came up to me and said, ‘We have another show.’ I had no idea at that time, and I'm just so grateful to the JRB unit because after ‘Batang Quiapo,’ I haven't worked in a teleserye for a long time.)," Barbie shared.
Beyond the excitement of working with Richard, Barbie expressed deep gratitude toward the show's creative team, directors, and fellow cast members.
Barbie said, "Grabe po nila ako i-guide, kasi kinakabahan po ako, kasi siyempre sina Richard, Bella, Gerald (Anderson) and Baron (Geisler) ang gagaling po nila. So, ako po talaga yung pinakakabado, but I'm so happy kasi kami ni Richard, mahilig siyang manood ng films na kung ano-ano, and ang dami niyang ideas and plano every time we watch a movie. Kaya, we wanted to work with each other matagal na (They really guided me, especially since I was so nervous—of course, working alongside Richard, Bella, Gerald (Anderson), and Baron (Geisler), who are all incredibly talented. I felt like I was the most nervous out of everyone. But I’m so happy because Richard and I have always shared a love for films. He watches all kinds of movies and always comes up with so many ideas and plans whenever we see one. We’ve actually wanted to work together for a long time)," she added.
Head-to-head with Gerald Anderson
Richard also had plenty to say about sharing the screen with Gerald Anderson, praising the actor for bringing an infectious energy to every scene.
Gerald said, "So far so good, parang meron akong partner in crime. There are two of us, and napaka ganda ng story ni Marcus, and same with Jalil, and kung paano magclash yung story namin. But working with him personally, we had a fight scene na medyo pa madaling araw na kami natapos, pagod na rin kami na whole day. Naghahabulan at takbuhan kami on set, akala namin hindi naman matatapos, but yung energy ni Richard was the same nung eight am in the morning, (So far, so good—I really feel like I’ve found a partner in crime. There are two of us at the center of the story, and Marcus’ arc is compelling, just like Jalil’s, especially with how our paths collide. On a personal level, working with him has been great. We even had a fight scene that stretched into the early morning—we’d been exhausted from chasing and running on set all day and thought it would never end. But even at eight in the morning, Richard’s energy never faded.)"
As for Richard, "Gerald is energetic, he was saying that we were doing a fight scene madaling araw diba? Of course, he is athletic. I have to up my game as well, and we're guided by Erwin Tagle, who's also very energetic, so pag fight scene action talaga kahit anong oras pa. It's great working with Gerald, he is such a team player (Gerald is energetic, he was saying that we were doing a fight scene early in the morning, right? Of course, he is athletic. I have to up my game as well, and we're guided by Erwin Tagle, who's also very energetic. So the fight scenes are really action, no matter what time it is. It's great working with Gerald. He is such a team player.)"
In the series, Richard, Bela, and Baron play Marcus, Lara, and Felix — government agents tasked with curbing rampant gun violence. Gerald plays Jalil, a fierce protector of a local fishing community, devoted brother to Barbie’s character Jamilah, and beloved son of Datu Rahman, portrayed by Jaime Fabregas.
Also joining the action-drama series are Ejay Falcon, Rommel Padilla, Susan Africa, Bobot Mortiz, Bodjie Pascua, Malou Crisologo, and many more.
The series is directed by FM Reyes, Bjoy Balagtas, and Rico Navarro, with Erwin Tagle as action director. The screenplay is by Dindo Perez, Cenon Palomares, Jann Kayla Mendoza, and Shania Vonzel. “Blood vs. Duty” is produced by ABS-CBN’s JRB Creative Production — the team behind “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin,” “Darna,” “Nag-Aapoy na Damdamin,” and “Sins of the Father” — led by Julie Anne R. Benitez, with Dindo Perez as creative head.
“Blood vs. Duty” premieres on Netflix on April 3 (Friday), followed by its iWant debut on April 4 (Saturday). It will then air in primetime, beginning April 6 (Monday) at 8 PM, across ABS-CBN platforms, including ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Kapamilya Online Live.