Matteo Guidicelli
In GMA 7’s action film-inspired welcome video for Matteo Guidicelli, the new Kapuso artist is shown riding a motorcycle and fending off goons on his way to the network’s headquarters.
Which begs the question: Is there someone he would like to ride with and bring to GMA 7, and is that someone his wife, Sarah Geronimo?
“Meron ka bang gustong i-angkas papunta dito sa GMA?” the Inquirer asked the 33-year-old actor-television host, who started saying, “Next year! Next year! Next year” before hearing the second part of our question. Members of the GMA Public Affairs started cheering and clapping.
But upon realizing that it was Sarah we were referring to, Matteo took back his earlier reply and quickly said, “Ang mama ko… ang mama ko ang ia-angkas ko papunta dito sa GMA!”
“But yeah, I actually taped [an interview with] Jessica Soho and they showed a VTR of Sarah from years back. So it was nice to see her as a child when she was just starting. As it turned out, her old interviews are here with GMA,” he added.
Of course, he wants to bring Sarah with him “anywhere” and “everywhere.” But as for the possibility of Sarah working at GMA 7, that’s up to their Viva Entertainment bosses and Kapuso executives to decide. “We don’t know [what’s next] but Atty. Gozon (GMA 7 chair and chief executive officer) is good at negotiating,” he said at a recent press conference.
“Maybe,” he added. “We never know, we never know.”
New relationships
True enough, never did he expect that he would one day sign a contract with GMA 7. “I’m excited to build new relationships with new people,” said Matteo, who started out with ABS-CBN, worked for GMA 7 for a year in 2009, and went back to the Kapamilya network the following year.
“I was with ABS first. And then I did ‘SOP’ (GMA 7’s former Sunday variety show) for a while. You don’t know where life will take you. We don’t know who we will end up working with in the future. So it’s always nice and important to build… nurture relationships,” he pointed out.
Guidicelli (left) and Sarah Geronimo with their dogs
Negotiations took almost a year, revealed Matteo, who likened the process to finding love. “[We were supposed to announce it] last year, but the timing wasn’t perfect. It’s like love. Good things happen to those who wait… I’m excited to start this journey,” he said.
Different energy
Matteo starts working on Monday as a regular host of the early morning news magazine show, “Unang Hirit.” It’s a good fit, he said, because he’s a morning person. GMA Public Affairs first vice president Nessa Valdellon added that they were looking for a “younger host” who can bring his type of “energy” to the show.
“I would just go there and be my honest self. I want to have a good time and just try to be positive. I want to make sure that the people are happy when they turn on their screens,” Matteo said. “I hope we can be a source of happiness, motivation and good vibes to our kababayans.”
Matteo is set to do full-length cinematic documentary specials about nature and “tell stories of Filipino people.” His interest in this field was sparked by the 45-day Scout Ranger training he underwent last 2020 at Camp Tecson in Bulacan.
“When I joined the Scout Rangers, Boss Vic [del Rosario of Viva] told me that he had one condition: I had to make a docu. I went inside and did one. That documentary is titled, ‘Ranger G.’ That’s how it started,” said Matteo, who’s a Philippine Army reservist.
Answered prayers
And this career move toward projects related to public affairs is something Sarah is happy about.
“She told me, ‘Love, bagay ka sa public affairs. Your prayers were answered—our prayers were answered.’ She’s very encouraging of this new journey,” related Matteo, who will also start shooting an action series, titled “Black Rider,” with Ruru Madrid.
“I want to choose my projects carefully. Life brings you to certain moments where a new purpose is born; where you realize the meaning of what you really want to do in the industry; where you realize that you can use your platform to tell stories… It’s not about us all the time, but the people around us,” he added. INQ