Richard Yap’s family stands by him amid paternity claim

Whenever I text Richard Yap, I always address him as “Sir Chief.” Even if it’s been years since he played that role in the defunct series “Be Careful with My Heart,” the impact remains.

Call it “RicharDisma.” Get ready to be enYaptured este enraptured by the Chinoy actor’s portrayal of Tonito in GMA 7’s “I Left My Heart in Sorsogon” (weeknights after “24 Oras”).

Since the location of the romantic drama series is in Bicol, he’s bound to have a new moniker, Oragon (“Astig” in Bicolano). Richard has his ways of making viewers forget that he’s already 54.

Richard Yap

Here’s my chat with Richard:

How would you compare your roles as Sir Chief and Tonito?

Both roles are similar in a way that the characters are father figures with kids who have a new relationship, but that’s where it ends as they have different personalities. Both are good similarly, but Tonito is more giving and more of a people pleaser to the extent that he will sacrifice his own wants.

Do you think that Tonito will be as endearing as Sir Chief?

I’m sure people will also fall in love with Tonito as he is everything you’d want in a knight in shining armor. I had to study his traits and find out what makes him work and how he thinks because he is not as formal and stiff as Sir Chief was.

Please share any interesting off-cam anecdote about your leading lady, Heart Evangelista.

Off cam, Heart is very cowboy and can relate to everyone. People have the impression she’s maarte, but in reality, she’s not. She is one of the nicest persons I have worked with and my respect for her grew even more after doing the show. She’s very caring and generous that, at one time, she even had someone cook her food for us to share.

What was the reaction of your family to Joshua Paolo Jensen’s claims that you are his father?

I would rather not discuss that as this should be addressed in the proper venue such as the court since the claim really has no merit. My family stands by me and believes that this is a purely political smear campaign. Tell us how you conquered COVID-19 and your biggest realization as a survivor.

I would attribute it to the support of my family. Without them and their unceasing prayers, I don’t know if I would have made it. I realized that we don’t hold our own life in our hands, so we have to be thankful for each day we are alive and do the best we can to be a blessing to others because, in the end, that is what matters most.

JC Santos (left) and Yassi Pressman

Yassi and JC in ‘happily never after’ tale

Friendship is indeed the best kind of love. That’s the case of Cream (Yassi Pressman) and K (JC Santos) in yet another well-loved Korean movie, “More Than Blue,” which gets “Pinoyified.” Its local adaptation, written by Mel del Rosario and directed by Nuel Naval, is now streaming on Vivamax. The romantic drama tells the bittersweet story of soulmates who live happily “never” after.

Here are quotes from Yassi (Y) and JC:

Y: I’ve closed many “boxes” in my life which I had to open for this movie. The role I portrayed gave me so many realizations. To unload the heaviness of some scenes, I had to shout it all out.

JC: I was intimidated by the requirements of my role. It’s one of the hardest I’ve ever portrayed. But Direk Nuel was able to make me do things that I never thought I could do on-cam. He took me to a different realm as an actor. I was so nervous, but Yassi made it easier. She was performing with her soul. Her intensity rubbed off on me.

Y: I’ve done so much in the name of love. But I don’t think of it as a sacrifice. If it’s for love, it must not feel heavy. Besides, all those things brought me to a place where I want to be, so my efforts paid off.

JC: Our movie is a tearjerker. So, when I had to internalize, I read the letter I wrote for my daughter and, pronto, my tears overflowed. The “sad songs” playlist that Bela Padilla shared with me also helped me get into “emo mode.”

Y: I made a conscious effort not to imitate the portrayal of Cream by the Korean actress in the original version of our movie. I brought Cream to life the Yassi way.

JC: After watching our movie, it will make you want to tell someone you’ve loved secretly about your true feelings. To love freely is the way to be.

True Faith

True Faith’s ‘Sentimental’ now on vinyl

COVID, COVID, go away, I want to watch my fave band, True Faith (TF), play live onstage. But until the gig scene resumes, the next best thing is to listen to TF’s 2018 album “Sentimental,” which is now on vinyl. Released by Backspacer Records, the collection includes the singles, “Paano Ka Magiging Akin?,” “Kahit Na,” “Uwian Na” and the group’s collab with American rock band, MGMT, “Ako at Si Michael,” which was mixed by legendary rock producer, Dave Fridmann (who’s worked with The Flaming Lips, Mogwai and Tame Impala).

Order via Backspacerrecords.com or Plaka Planet’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. TF’s music serves as my daily “good vibes” provider. Let it be yours, too.