Richard Gutierrez on producing his own projects: We want to go global

Richard Gutierrez

Actor Richard Gutierrez, who renewed his three-year management contract with ABS-CBN on Thursday, said he intends to take more control of and steer his career in a fresh direction by producing his own shows and movies.

“Yes, that’s something I’m working on right now. What I did for ‘The Iron Heart’ was something similar to what producers do, but from now on, I want to make it official. I think that’s going to be my natural growth as an artist,” he told Inquirer Entertainment shortly after signing his three-year contract with Star Magic, ABS-CBN’s talent management arm.

“I did some research and realized that everything I’ve learned on the set, my experiences in acting from since I was a child, are enough for me to say that I know the ins and outs of how we do things here.”

The successful run of the second season of the action series “The Iron Heart,” with Richard as lead, ended early this October. However, Richard hinted on the possibility of the show having its third season later in 2024.

Comments in Bahasa

“We’re open to having what they call a season break. Direk Lester (Pimentel-Ong, the show’s lead director) and I were just discussing that. If production studios are doing it in different countries, especially in Hollywood, then we should start considering it. It’s never been done here, so why not be the first to do it. As of now, we’re still conceptualizing and discussing what will happen to our next project,” Richard said, adding that he is more inclined to work with the same team that did “The Iron Heart.”

Gutierrez (fourth from left), with mom Annabelle Rama (third from right), sits down with ABS-CBN executives to renew his three-year management contract with Star Magic. —PHOTOS FROM STARMAGIC INSTAGRAM

The action series, which also features Jake Cuenca and Dimples Romana, is currently airing in Indonesia and carries the title “Apolo.” Richard said he didn’t expect that it would be well-received. “I’m thankful. I’m now starting to receive more comments (on Instagram) in Bahasa. I should start learning the language now. Hopefully, we can send it to more countries in the future,” the actor said.

Steady climb to the top

Richard then shared the secret to turning “The Iron Heart” into a successful series. “We had to be fans of our own show. It was not easy to do. It took a lot of hard work to create it. We sacrificed many things because we believed in the project. The show didn’t start big. It was more of a slow and steady climb to the top. “We’re happy with the results. It meant that people were interested in what we showed to them. I’m proud to have had the chance to work with talented actors and an awesome production crew,” he declared. “However, we’ve decided to end with a bang, to end high, for the audience to miss it or crave for more of it.”

The three-year contract also signified that Richard’s mother, Annabelle Rama, who has long managed his acting career, is now relinquishing the task to Star Magic. “Even before the pandemic, my mom was already semiretired as a talent manager. She was focusing on just me, actually. Now, she is just my guiding light in all of these. I appreciate her being by my side and helping me with everything. Officially, I will be with Star Magic,” he said.

When asked what his fans should expect now that he is beginning a new chapter in his career, Richard said: “A bigger, better action series and, hopefully, movies. We want to conquer global platforms. No matter how difficult the trials were for ABS-CBN, it was able to pivot successfully. It wasn’t easy, but I’m glad that it was able to start a new journey as a content provider. I’m happy to be part of that journey.”