RICHARD YAP
The Late Bloomer
New Kapuso star Richard Yap shares his thoughts about achieving his goals, shifting careers, growth, and his passion for learning.
Text by Dianara Alegre
Photos by KreativDen and Richard Yap (IG)
For a man who found the stars aligned for him in his later years, Richard Yap indeed has learned a thing or two about life and passion in his almost a decade-long stint in show business.
“I think that tayong lahat, meron tayong sariling mga talents or things that we don’t know that we can do unless we try to do it. It’s not really a matter kung anong age ka,” the 53-year old actor shared in an exclusive interview with GMANetwork.com.
Exploring new interests opened up doors of opportunities for the good-looking Cebuano native.
“I don’t think that age really matters in anything that you do, as long as you have the heart and the passion to do it,” he added.
Asked about his late start in mainstream showbiz, Richard has quite a tight and firm perspective.
“I think it’s just a matter of trying out something new, and parang hindi dapat maging hadlang ang age because there were many people who got successful even in their later years, parang si Colonel Sanders, he discovered KFC in his 60s ’di ba?”
How it all started
Not even in his wildest dreams did he think that at 44, he would be busy with tapings and guestings on TV. Entertaining and eventually capturing the hearts of the masses was not exactly his top priority.
“I never watched any teleseryes,” he admitted. “I had no acting experience. Wala talaga. I had no background. I didn’t have any idea about showbiz and how it worked.”
The showbiz rookie’s path into the entertainment industry was purely accidental. He only tried doing commercials because he needed to earn.
“I was doing commercials for TV, and it was because I needed the money. More for sideline lang talaga. And then, all of a sudden, there was an offer for me to join television.”
Richard had some reservations, and rightfully so. It was his wife and daughter who were the first to encourage him to give showbiz a shot.
“My daughter at that time was very supportive. My wife told me na, ‘Ang daming tao ang gustong mag artista, pagkatapos eto, ino-offer-an ka, ayaw mo.’
“Sabi niya, ‘Subukan mo nalang. You know, if you don’t want to continue, you can always get out. Pero why don’t you just try it? You might like it.’”
In 2011, he decided to dip his toes in showbiz waters, accepting a role in My Binondo Girl, the primetime Kapamilya series starring Kim Chiu.
His big break came a year later, and it came in the form of a daytime teleserye.
Richard took on the role of Richard Lim, a successful family man who falls in love with his kids’ nanny named Maya, the loveable character brought to life by seasoned actress Jodi Sta. Maria.
This project made Richard Yap a household name, and his character “Sir Chief”—the often strict and short-fused father that he played in the series—an enduring character that would stick with the actor and his fans for many years after.
Perfect Timing
While some actors and actresses in the industry would risk everything just to get that proverbial big break, Richard, for his part, had it easy.
It fell on his lap like manna from heaven.
Richard acknowledged that he was just “maswerte” to get roles that were well within his capabilities as an actor.
“May times na may project talaga na bagay sa atin kaya we get good reactions from people, and siguro maswerte lang tayo na we were able to get those awards.”
He may have had lucky streaks during the early years of his showbiz career, but it doesn’t mean his journey has always been a walk in the park.
Richard, for one, hit the ground running.
“I was working with people who were already in show business for years. As in, kinalalakihan nila. They were there since they were in their teens, ’yung iba from their childhood, ’yun na ’yung mga nakasama ko, pagkatapos katapat ko kaagad. So medyo, parang ano talaga ako nu’n, parang ‘Tama ba ’tong pinasukan ko?,’” he recalled.
“The challenge there was really learning how to do all those things in such a short span of time. Kasi sinalang ako kaagad e, walang workshop, wala, nothing."
Despite this “challenge,” he knew that he could not afford to just throw in the towel. So instead of seeing his situation as a handicap, he treated it as an opportunity to act like a sponge ready to absorb the information, tips, and experience that he could to move forward.
“So, sabi ko, sige, subukan ko lang. This may be just a one-time thing pero, subukan ko lang kung kaya natin. But the good thing is, I’m always willing to learn something new, even at this age, I’m still saying to myself that you don’t know everything so you can always learn something new.
What could have been
Richard, a full-blooded Chinese born and raised in the Philippines, has always been full of aspirations and dreams.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a doctor,” he revealed.
“At first, I wanted to be a priest when I was younger, and then as time went on, nagbago ’yun e. Gusto kong maging engineer. And then when I was in my highschool years, ’yun na, I decided I wanted to be a doctor.
“So, I went to PreMed right after highschool. I took up Medical Technology for two years until my father convinced me na mag-shift to business,” he gladly recalled.
Before mall shows, TV appearances, and cameras, endless paper works and business stuff filled Richard’s everyday life. When he joined the entertainment industry, he had to entrust some of his business obligations to his partners.
“Actually, mahirap talaga. The first few years especially I had to leave it to somebody else, to do the day-to-day things,” the businessman shared.
“Buti na lang may cellphones na tayo at that time so you could just contact each other, pero hindi like right now na we have all these, that we can do Zoom meetings and all that.”
The multi-awarded artist also expressed his gratitude to his business partners who have been loyal and helpful to him, especially when he became too busy with show business.
“Buti na lang I have good partners who could take care of the business. So, that was very helpful that may partners ako na who were taking care of the day-to-day running of the business.”
Disciplined mind
Richard credits his disciplined mindset to his parents, who made sure that he would learn the value of kindness, patience, good manners, and responsibility early on in his life.
“Inaano rin kami ng parents namin para mag-behave din kami, para hindi ’yung pasaway.
Even though we had a happy childhood, we were still taught to be good people, taught to be nice, taught to have all the manners and all that, so there was a balance. But it was a very happy childhood for me.”
His younger years, Richard said, are worth reminiscing, because those years taught him to appreciate the beauty of the simple, quiet life.
“I can remember all those times na maliligo ka pa sa ulan, nagbi-beach pa kami nung bata pa kami and all that together with the family, so I don’t think that I could ask for more because we had a very good times then,” he gladly shared.
There is one lesson from his father that Richard would like to carry throughout his life.
“My father always said this. He got this from Mother Theresa. He said that people will forget the good that you do today but always do good anyway. So that is something that has stuck to me until now, that kahit na walang nakatingin, kung may magagawa kang kabutihan, gawin mo.”
Strong support system
Far from everything they expected from the young businessman, Richard’s sudden turn in the world of showbiz became a piece of breaking news for his whole family. They were utterly taken aback about his big step, yet head over heels proud of their man.
“They were very supportive actually. Wala namang nag-ano ng violent reactions na ‘Woah oh oh! Wag kang pumasok dyan!’ and all that. Nu'ng nalaman nila, parang nagulat lang sila because I was never the type na…medyo introvert kasi ako in a way, medyo shy ako kaya ’yung iba akala sa akin suplado, pero actually medyo shy ako, I don’t really talk to people right away. So, parang ang layo sa akin na magiging artista,” he shared.
His brothers and sisters gave him the support that he needed, just enough to boost his confidence.
“When they found out, they were very supportive, especially my family, my brothers, and sisters. They were quite proud naman. Hindi lang naabutan ng parents ko,” the star added.
Since Day One, Richard’s loving and ever-supportive wife, Melody, became his bridge to success. And Richard knows how instrumental his wife has been in his success in showbiz.
“My wife, she was with me all the way. Kasi, when I started, wala akong PA, wala akong stylist, wala akong driver, so siya ang kasama ko everytime that we go on shoots. Siya ang kasama ko, siya namimili ng damit ko, siya nag-aayos ng gamit ko. Minsan, ’pag kailangang ilipat ng kotse, siya ang naglilipat.”
She also served as a reliable shoulder to lean on when the actor felt down and demotivated.
“She was with me all the way. she went into it wholeheartedly. All the support was there and I am very thankful for that, kasi kung hindi, hindi ko makayanan. I almost gave up actually one time, pero buti nand’yan siya, siya ang kumausap sa akin.”
There’s one thing that he had a hard time getting used to. Richard was at first not comfortable with the sudden fame and attention.
“And when we got to be known, dun lang medyo naano ako, kasi medyo nawala ang privacy ko and I’m really a private person.
“E dati nga, hindi ako mahilig magpa-picture. So here I am now, kailangang magpa-picture with so many people,” he shared as he remembered his first fan encounters.
“Doon ako medyo na-culture shock, and I was thinking na bakit ba gusto nilang magpa-picture sa’kin? Dati wala naman silang pakialam pag nakikita ako and all that.
“Pero I guess it really comes with the job, so we got used to it along the way pero it took some time for me to accept it and to embrace it.”
Singing Career
What many do not know is that Richard loves singing. In fact, he has a talent for it. He was once part of his high school choir.
“I’ve always like singing, although hindi ko alam, bakit? Well, I was in the glee club. Glee club ang tawag do’n nung high school kami. I was in a choir in a glee club when I was in highschool.
“Mahilig talaga kaming kumanta, although sa family namin, my brothers and sisters, they were never into singing. So, parang ako lang. So, secretly, I wanted to be a singer, a lounge singer, kahit na sabi ko sa lounge lang, sa mga hotel and all that.”
He liked being recognized for this talent, but he also admits that nerves would still get the better of him at times.
But when an opportunity to have his own album presented itself sometime in 2013, Richard did not hesitate to take it.
“Mababaw lang ang pangarap ko dati. Siguro, nung binigyan ako ng chance na kumanta, I took it na din kasi gusto ko din naman talaga, e.
“But it took a while for me also to get used to singing before a crowd because when I started really young, hirap talaga ako because you don’t know, ’yung nerves mo, nanginginig ka pala, hindi mo alam. ’Yung mga gano’n. Mahirap din pero when I started doing the album, at least medyo nasasanay na nang konti. Doing an album is as hard as doing it live,” he stated.
The TV heartthrob has two albums under his belt, his self-titled album Richard Yap, released in 2013, and his collaboration with his namesake, Richard Poon, Richard X Richard: The Chinito Crooners, released in 2016.
Richard sees singing more as a way to diversify his skill set than anything else.
“Siguro, to diversify rin that I can also do singing aside from acting, and since it’s one of my interests din. I wanted to see how far I could go. That’s why we accepted doing that album,” he explained.
Drive and motivation
Richard longs to open every door of opportunity to learn new things and develop new talents. He values self-discovery and self-development.
“Ang dami nating hindi alam, e. We can never say that we know everything. There will always be something that we don’t know, so I try to keep myself as open as possible to learning new things because sometimes it really helps in our lives.
“Sometimes, mayroon kang hindi alam sa financing, hindi ka alam sa business, hindi mo alam sa acting din also. There are so many things that, like 'yung sa acting, if I didn’t go into a workshop where I had a very good teacher, I wouldn’t have known that there were basic things that you should learn before you go on to other things. Parang gano’n. Kasi wala akong basic na training dati, e. So, akala mo na gano’n lang,” he further added.
Richard himself learned to correct common misconceptions about acting—a profession that people often underestimate.
“Sinasabi ng mga iba na ‘Oh, acting is just reacting,’ pero it’s not that, e. It’s learning how to harness your emotions, your environment, your co-actors. There is never a time for us to stop learning.”
What matters is how honest one has to be with his capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
“There are some people who make it because marunong silang sumipsip or marami silang connections di ba?
“But I think it’s really being able to harness your talents, being truthful, being honest, and being able to deliver what is expected of you. For me kasi, it’s more of kung ano ang pagkatao mo, dapat ipakita mo. Not being plastic and being transparent,” he proudly shared.
“For me, I want to show the real me to all the people I deal with. I don’t want to be plastic. I don’t want to be just friends for show. If you’re a friend of mine, then you’re a friend of mine.
“To make it in showbiz, I guess you really have to show your worth. Ipakita mo na kaya mo to bring in the advertisers, to bring in the people who want to watch your show, I think to have the charm to be able to all these people siguro.”
Richard wants to take showbiz a step at a time.
“I always try to think of it as one project at a time. Pero of course, we want to do more things that will impact more people na hindi nila makalimutan na ginawa mo ’to. That project will be watched by people even though… Those are the projects that I want na parang hindi makakalimutan ng mga tao. It doesn’t matter really kung sino ang kasama mo basta as long as magagawa n’yo ito [nang mabuti] and you have that spark.”
He also desires to leave a mark in the business and be remembered as the actor who gave his all.
“I don’t know how to explain e pero I want to do things that will be passed on to generations, like the projects I’ve done before, meron 'yung lola lang ang nanonood, nagiging kasama n’ya ang mommy pagkatapos 'yung mga bata, tapos ’yung mga batang ’yun, teenagers na, so they grow up with you, they grow up watching your show and they will not forget ’yung mga ganun na shows.”
While he’s grateful for the projects that made him a bankable romantic leading man, he is also open to trying other genres, like action and comedy. He even considers himself ‘kengkoy’ at times.
“’Yun nga e! Medyo na-stereotype ata ako as a rich businessman na gano’n, rom-com. But actually I’m willing to try comedy and action because I think those are things that bring a lot of joy to people also especially ’yung comedy.
“There’s a side of me that’s also medyo kengkoy, although some people don’t know it. So I’m quite willing to try other genres also,” he admitted.
The big shift
Truth be told, Richard had already been receiving offers from other networks, including GMA Network, for years. But due to his contract and other circumstances in his personal life, he did not have the time to entertain such offers.
“There were few offers for me already and I was really curious to try it out, but it just so happened na medyo hindi lang nagtugma ’yung mga schedule. I have friends also in GMA.
“I was really curious because they were so happy with me being a Kapuso. That’s what got my interest na we could find another home na pwede pala nating mapuntahan. Siguro that’s what happened.”
Richard is just grateful that GMA welcomed him with open arms.
“I actually can’t believe it kasi parang a few years ago or a few months ago, parang this was not even possible, I think.
“Pero now that it’s already here, I’m really very thankful and very grateful for GMA 7 for betting on me na when at this time na it’s a pandemic na ang daming ibang stations na are letting go people. There’s so many people losing their jobs that I guess I am still lucky to be accepted and to be a part of GMA 7 right now, to be a Kapuso.
“So, I’m overly grateful and I’m really eager to start working with all the Kapuso stars and the Kapuso family,” he said.
Coming from a different network, Richard assumed that Kapuso fans would not know him. To his surprise, the actor was overwhelmed with greetings and congratulations after signing the contract with GMA Artist Center.
“Actually I was surprised kasi akala ko hindi ako kilala ng mga Kapuso fans. It turns out na kilala din pala nila ako. Kasi, you know, coming from another network, you’re expecting that hindi sila nanonood sa’yo and all that. So it’s really a welcome surprise na kilala din pala ako ng mga fans. So it’s very heartwarming actually.”
Now, as a new member of the Kapuso family, he is willing to do everything that he can to meet his fans and new home network’s expectations of him.
“Well, I think you’d expect me to do a lot of other genres aside from the romcom if given a chance, and of course, I give everything my all for the Kapuso fans and the Kapuso family,” Richard concluded.
The page was built with Mobirise
