Derek Ramsay:
Risk taker, Go-getter
Text by Aedrianne AcarPhotos by Angelo VillegasDesign by Alvin Lacabra
Inside the privacy of his beautiful urban modern home in Muntinlupa City, Derek Ramsay talks about the privileges and pitfalls of being famous, of moving networks, and of choosing to lead a quiet, less-hurried life outside showbiz.
Great actor, bankable endorser, fierce athlete, and one of the sexiest guys in showbiz today.
These are just some of the things that come into mind whenever we hear the name Derek Ramsay. The guy who made every woman's heart skip a beat with his intense gaze and charisma and won over other guys with his intelligence and confidence.
But who knew that this good-looking, well-spoken, Filipino-British moreno stud was at one point of his life very camera shy?
SHY GUY
As March comes to a close, we sit down with Derek Ramsay one sunny day inside his urban modern home in Muntinlupa City to get to know the man behind the name.
Comfortably seated on his vibrantly colored couch in his spacious living space, Derek shares with GMANetwork.com his growing up years in Enfield, England before coming to the Philippines and his reasons for settling in the country.
Born Derek Arthur Ramsay Jr. to a former British detective inspector named Derek Ramsay Sr. and a Filipina-Spanish woman named Remedios “Medy” Paggao from Ilocos Norte and Isabela, Derek admits that being a celebrity was the last thing that he dreamed of becoming when he was a child.
He now recalls those times with a certain fondness. “I think it was about eight years ago. People kept on asking me to get into showbiz. But my parents said, ‘You have to finish school first.’”
It didn’t help that he was a painfully shy fellow back then.
“I was very camera shy then,” he recalls, shaking his head. “Ayoko humarap sa camera kahit magpa-picture lang, ‘Ayoko, ayoko!’
“Pasalitain mo ako sa harapan ng mga tao or pipicturan mo ako, iinterbyuhin mo ako 'ay naku! Ninenerbiyos ako.”
His shyness, however, was limited to conversing with people. When it came to sports, Derek was fearless, unstoppable.
"I realized na mali 'to! Hindi puwede na mahiyain ako nang ganito. 'Pag nasa sports ako, nasa harapan ako ng thousands of people playing sports, walang problema."
When young Derek decided to change his mindset, his competitive side kicked in.
That “competitive side” was brought into play when, on a whim, he auditioned for a role in a play in college in England. Although it was a nerve-wracking moment, he took his chance and aimed for the lead role.
He recalls that moment of his college life with a chuckle, “And I went for the biggest role. Ang kapal ng mukha and I got it!”
His surprise inclusion in the school play got the ball rolling for Derek.
With his newfound confidence, Derek started to reconsider the offers to do commercials in the Philippines.
Derek Ramsay has always preferred living in the south of the metro. He says life here is less complicated, more peaceful. Here is the master of the house, sitting on the steps of the stairs that lead to the bedrooms on the second floor of his modern home.
“So I did that to just give me confidence and then fly to the Philippines, make me do a commercial, or they’d contact me while I was in the UK and then fly me and shoot the commercial. That gave me confidence."
In 2001, Derek decided to try hosting. He joined and won 'MTV VJ Hunt,' a search for aspiring VJs mounted by the music channel MTV.
That VJ stint opened more doors for Derek. One of those doors led to acting.
He fondly remembers the time he was given a big role in a teleserye despite not having prior experience in acting.
Derek tells GMANetwork.com that at the time he bagged that big project, luck was on his side.
No sooner did he realize that being an actor was one serious and challenging job.
“And binigay sa akin kaagad malaking role from nothing—no acting experience and they gave me a big role right away.
“That's why I said I’m really, really lucky kasi 'di ba ’yung mga iba they start with non-speaking lines or they are just in the background.
“Never ko na-experience ’yun. First day ng shooting ko bed scene kaagad on the beach. Sorry for my language, but I was shitting bricks because I’ve never done this before. I’ve never ever acted on TV.”
True to his nature, Derek took on the pressure like a soldier on a mission and gave everything he got to hone his acting skills. He also polished his Tagalog.
“So being my competitive self, I told myself ‘Derek if you’re going to do this, you better do it right.’
“Ayun, talagang nag-tiyaga talaga ako, pinag-aralan ko ’yung Tagalog. Nagbabasa ako ng mga tabloids and then sa lahat ng mga kausap ko, rule was ‘Tagalog lang ang usap natin, hindi tayo puwede mag-English.’
"And I was able to get through it! Natuwa sa akin si Tita Malou [Santos of Star Cinema] and she gave me the opportunity to be the leading man right away of Judy Ann Santos,” he recalls, referring to the 2006 romantic comedy movie Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo.
“I was very, very lucky with my career! I didn't go through those little steps.”
Derek is particularly proud of the fact that he was able to pull it off without giving up or giving in to the pressure.
“I was just put up there and credit to myself, I pat myself on the back for this, I didn’t fold and that's because of how I was brought up na if you are going to start something, you have to do it right. I was able to get through it, but it was hard. Grabe! Sleepless nights mini-memorize ko rin ’yung lines nung kasama ko.”
“So, now it’s gone full circle. This is how I really want
my career to end. I want to be with Channel 7.
I want to end it here.”
WHEEL OF CHANGE: Derek's decision to move to the Kapuso Network may be influenced by good friend John Estrada, but it's also about his drive to take on new challenges.
Big, Bold Leaps
In 2012, Derek Ramsay made a bold move that shocked many in the local entertainment scene. He left the network that gave him his break and took a chance in another that was just beefing up its operations.
Why would someone risk so much, especially when he was already an established star of a major network?
Derek’s reason was simple: he didn’t want to stay in a place where he was already comfortable. He needed to challenge himself and see what he could accomplish in a new environment.
“I like to take risks.
“With respect to ABS-CBN, they are a big part of who I am now. I wouldn’t become Derek Ramsay, the artist if it wasn’t for the help of ABS-CBN. It would have been impossible.
"They gave me projects, they honed my skills. But I felt it was time for me to make a move. My father said ‘Would you be more proud to help something this small grow (TV-5) into something this big or just stay with something this big and yeah you will be more famous and you will be more sikat?’”
Looking back at that particular career crossroads, Derek says that he never regretted his decision to leave ABS-CBN. He wasn’t even bothered by those people who said that his star would dim as soon as he leaves the network.
Speaking in a low voice, Derek recalls that moment: “Ang daming nagsalita, 'Malalaos ka diyan.' That didn’t affect me. That stuff didn’t affect me.
“Did it have anything to do with my decision making? No.”
He is quick to clarify that he was not being “mayabang.”
“I'm comfortable with who I am. It’s not yabang. It’s just that I think everybody should be comfortable. This is what God has given you. You should be comfortable with who you are.”
This 2019, Derek has once again made a bold move as he signed up with GMA-7. He now joins the network's star-studded roster, which includes such big names as Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, Jennylyn Mercado, Carla Abellana, Maine Mendoza, and Alden Richards.
Derek sees this as a full-circle moment since his first stint on TV was with GMA-7 noontime show 'Eat Bulaga.' He couldn’t help but smile remembering his days as a Dabarkad.
“My first stint on TV was with 'Eat Bulaga' many, many years ago, bago pa ako naging MTV VJ.
“I started as a guest and they liked me. They later asked me to be a regular host. I was hosting a segment called ‘Pool Watch’ [laughs].”
He recalls one unforgettable incident: “May sumali nga na contestant. Hindi pala marunong lumangoy, so I had to jump in to save her.”
At this point in the interview, Derek’s mood suddenly turns serious.
Speaking mildly and carefully, the Fil-British hunk says that he sees himself retiring as a Kapuso.
“So, now it’s gone full circle.
“This is how I really want my career to end. I want to be with Channel 7. I want to end it here.”
“It is the most painful
experience of my life.”
Derek jests that if he could have things his way, he'd prefer his tapings be in Alabang. "Kung pwede lang 'no?" he says, chuckling. "But I think that would be unfair to my co-stars. Imagine they would have to travel all the way here?"
Derek’s decision to sign with GMA-7 was also influenced in a way by his good friend (and golf buddy) John Estrada. The former Kapamilya star and now 'Kara Mia' actor, who transferred in 2018, has only good words about how the Kapuso network treats its talents.
“Pati si John (Estrada), you know I’m close to John? He keeps saying ‘Derek, iba talaga ang trato sa iyo dito.’
“It’s a great experience to be working in this network. ’Yun din naman ang natatandaan ko when I was working in 'Eat Bulaga.' So I’m excited to start with a teleserye and everybody that I’ve encountered so far has been so nice and so kind to me. I’m really, really excited!” Derek adds.
The newest Kapuso leading man is also eager to take on the challenge of fleshing out unconventional roles. The network, after all, is the first to put together the groundbreaking 'My Husband's Lover,' a drama series that had a same-sex love story, and 'Destiny Rose,' the first soap to have a transwoman as the protagonist. The network has also featured a father with a mild intellectual disability in the family drama 'My Special Tatay.'
Derek’s eyes beam with excitement as he talks about portraying offbeat characters that will put his acting mettle to the test.
“I like a challenge,” he says, grinning. “It gets boring if you just keep doing the same thing. I think you’ve seen in my entire life that I’ve taken risks left and right. That’s what you have to do.
“You have to take risks, you can’t say na, ‘Hindi ’yan ang gusto ng tao, hindi handa ang tao.’ That’s what I’ve noticed with GMA, they take risks and it’s what I like to do.”
And what would his first project as a newly signed Kapuso be?
Without giving away too many details, Derek says that his first teleserye would bank on his strong suit: drama.
“This show that I'm going to start, a lot of drama. It’s very different from all the soaps that I’ve done in the past.”
He is also looking forward to taking on a telefantasya project, something that he misses doing. If you would remember, Derek once played a superhero character called Kidlat.
Derek explains, “I also like na GMA does a lot of telefantasya. I enjoyed telefantasya so that’s something I would like to look into later on after this teleserye that I am doing.”
Derek is never one to rest on his laurels, and this is proven, time and again, in his career decisions. As he mentioned during this interview, "never be complacent."
Health Scare
Living an active lifestyle is a norm for a fitness enthusiast like Derek. Aside from going to the gym, the actor plays competitive golf and ultimate frisbee.
But all that changed after he experienced a terrible pain in his lower back that scared the hell out of him early this year.
Turned out, Derek was suffering from a bulging disc.
A bulging disc is a common spine injury that can affect the spine or neck area. According to physioworks.com, this condition can also “potentially press or irritate the nerve” and can cause “pain, spasms, cramping or numbness.”
The movie actor vividly remembers the excruciating pain he felt one morning he woke up.
“It is the most painful experience of my life kahit ito,” he says, pointing at his forearm, “walang sinabi ’to. Putok ’yung mata ko, wala.
“I woke up one morning and I felt like I was 101 years old. I couldn’t move! Konting move ko lang parang sinasaksak ako and I was screaming in pain.”
When the pain got unbearable, Derek was taken to the hospital. He was given muscle relaxants and pain killers. It gave him relief, but only for a little while. When he could not take it any longer, doctors had to administer morphine to alleviate his pain.
Rehabilitation for Derek also proved to be a humbling experience. He confesses to GMANetwork.com that his bulging disc injury made him depressed. He could not believe how this condition could make a fitness buff like him feel so powerless.
“And then nag-rehab ako do’n sa hospital, kasama mo ’yung mga na-stroke, ’yung mga hindi na nakakalakad dahil sa stroke they’re trying to bring back the muscles and the nerves. I was just so depressed because mas nakakagalaw pa sila kaysa sa akin.”
“Ang daming nagsalita,
'Malalaos ka diyan.'
That didn't affect me.”
Just for laughs, we ask Derek, "Meron ka ba abs ngayon?"
Smiling, he answers, "Oo naman."
We ask him if he can do a topless photo for our shoot. In a teasing tone, Derek answers, "'Wag na muna. At saka na 'yun. I-save ko na lang 'yun para sa teleserye. Para may pasabog pa tayo!"
Growing frustrated at his slow recovery, Derek tried numerous ways to get rid of the pain. He went to a chiropractor, and then turned to acupuncture and dry needling. He later realized that “there were no shortcuts” and recovering from this injury would have to take some time.
“So, I was really, really depressed. But I told myself, ‘Okay, this is not gonna stop me. What am I going to do?’”
Derek consulted a personal trainer to help him in his recovery. He is now focused on strengthening his core to support his spine. He doesn’t take stretching for granted anymore and does it religiously especially when he is about to do some strenuous activity.
“Stretching is the best thing to do, which I hate. But at this age, hindi na puwede ’yung tulad ng dati na after ng laro, uwi na agad,” says Derek, who is now 42 years old.
“Hindi na dapat ganon. Warm up muna for 30 minutes, tapos 40 minutes laro, and then cool down after. Stretch again for another 40 minutes so that I can play the next day.”
With all that Derek has done, what’s next for a highly accomplished actor like him? Giving back.
Derek’s genuine heart to help others inspired him and friend John to put up their talent management agency DJRE Entertainment.
People may think that this is just another money-making venture for the Kapuso actor.
He clarifies that DJRE Entertainment is not just about that. It was born out of their passion to lend a hand to those potential actors—big or small—and help them hone their skills by sharing with them what they learned in their careers.
Derek stressed, “I just really want to help and make the talents feel that they are respected.
"We want to teach them what we’ve learned so when they are put in a situation na bibigyan sila ng opportunity kahit speaking lines lang or something small they can nail it right, they can be confident, they won’t be worried.
“We want to help those potential talents go out there and give them a chance to hone their skills and allow them to find out if they really want to enter this type of industry.”
Derek, indeed, is a risk taker and a go-getter.
His achievements are a testament that one of the best ingredients that you need for success is “never being complacent.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, Derek constantly steps out of his comfort zone, doing the things that enrich him and scare him. He is a living reminder that you don’t win in life by just going with the flow.
Sometimes you have to swim upstream to discover that you are more than capable of hitting new milestones.
