The Trailblazer

Last year, Wendell Ramos became part of a show that changed the afternoon drama landscape. And with his return in Dramarama sa Hapon, what should people expect from the trailblazing actor? Text by Jason John S. Lim. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. It's not a secret that Wendell Ramos started with sexy roles—in fact, it was one of the reasons why he quickly became a household name. But he is one of the few actors who managed to move away from the sexy genre to make a name in the dramatic world of television. And to whom does he attribute this to? No one else than his Una Kang Naging Akin director: Joel Lamangan! "Like nung launching movie na ginawa ko, 'yung Hubog with Assunta [de Rossi]. That's way, way back. Si Joel Lamangan 'yung nagdirect sa akin." Wendell says that since he came under the director's tutelage, he's been constantly learning—"So ngayon, meron na naman akong matututunan sa kanya." After the record-breaking Sine Novela, Sinasamba Kita, Wendell is reuniting with Direk Joel for the television remake of Laurice Guillen's masterpiece, Una Kang Naging Akin. And he is definitely excited to be back under the director's guidance. "Everytime na gagawa naman ako ng drama, lagi akong excited," the actor explains. But there is definitely a difference when he's working with this particular director. Wendell compares it to being back in Grade School. "Di ka dapat nagmamagaling agad," he clarifies, saying he doesn't want to take it easy just because he's used to being directed by Direk Joel. "So kailangan talagang magpe-prepare ako for the character. Kailangan bago na naman ‘to." Even though he is part of the pioneer cast of Sine Novela, Wendell humbly denies any part in the sky-rocketing ratings of GMA-7's afternoon block of programming. He credits it all to their director. And for their new project together, he prefers to keep the expectations low. "Pag inisip mo ['yung pressure], baka mawala ka na doon sa character. Ako hindi ko na iniisip 'yun— "And of course, siyempre, lahat naman ng bago na ginagawa mo, dinadaan mo sa dasal; which is good [dahil] nagiging maganda 'yung shows mo." Speaking of shows, what does Wendell think of his latest show? "It's different from [the movie]," he begins. "Although naging magandang pelikula 'yun, iba pa rin 'yung TV. Mas lalaliman siguro namin 'to; dahil nakita na namin 'yung outcome nung movie, kumbaga sa sasakyan mas se-set up-an pa [namin] siya lalo para mas lalong maging maganda—and magagaling lahat [ng nandito]." "Simple lang: maganda 'to," he concludes. Una Kang Naging Akin airs every weekday afternoon after Daisy Siete, part of GMA's Dramarama sa Hapon. Talk about the show at the iGMA Forums! Or learn more about the show from Wendell through Fanatxt! Here's how: just text WENDELL to 4627! Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, and TALK 'N TEXT, and PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers. (This service is exclusive to the Philippines.)