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Richard Gomez is back on the primetime block, and he’s playing a character that he’ll surely make his own.
Richard Gomez is back on the primetime block, and he’s playing a character that he’ll surely make his own, as he has done in all of the roles he has previously portrayed. For this stint, he will be Renato Santibañez, father of Sergio (Dingdong Dantes) and husband of Angelika (Katrina Halili). It’s not Goma’s first time to work with Dingdong, as they have been together in Encantadia in 2005, as well as in various SOP Sundays. Says Dingdong, “Si Goma, siya 'yung mentor ko rin sa Encantadia, siya si Raquim. Ngayon, parang mentor (din), siya tatay ko ngayon, na medyo may hidwaan kami. May sama ako ng loob sa kanya, na malalaman niyo kung bakit.” Goma explains, “I’m a nice man here, except that when Sergio comes back home, parang there’s a strain in our relationship, simply because my wife, Angelika, (played by) Katrina Halili, used to be a lover of Sergio.” According to Goma, the whole telenovela will basically be patterned after the original 1996 Mexican hit, the conflict of which he finds very meaty. “So the story will mature, it actually depends on the writers -- they can make my role really bad, or they can make it really good.” Aside from Dingdong, Goma has also worked with Joyce Bernal, who directed the TV series Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw (2002) where he starred with Christopher De Leon and Alice Dixson. “She’s quick; I like the way she works; mabilis kaming matapos. It’s very tiring kasi when you work beyond twelve, one o’clock in the morning -- it’s very draining. It’s hard to recover the following day. I like directors whose working habit is to finish early.” "I’m really excited about the three main casts. Dingdong, Marian (Rivera)and Katrina. (For) Katrina, (it’s my) first time (to work with her); (si) Marian (Rivera), first time (din).” Another co-star whom Goma has collaborated with is Manilyn Reynes. “Actually, kami ni Manilyn Reynes, we basically started (in showbiz at) the same time. In Regal Films. (That was) twenty-two years ago!” If one will notice, Goma has been portraying father roles lately, and iGMA asked him if he has a preference for this type of character. “It really depends on how good the role is, regardless of whether it’s a father role or not. I’m one guy who really looks at how juicy that role can be,” he imparts. Still fresh from the elections, Goma focuses on his acting career once again as well as some new extra-curricular activities. “Now, I’ve been doing a lot of baseball with my friends (at Rizal Memorial) – I retired from fencing already. I took a two month break after (the) elections, so eksakto lang.” Catch Richard Gomez as Renato Santibañez in Marimar, on GMA Primetime! -- Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio.