Richard Gutierrez may seem like a ladies’ man, but in truth, he is a family man through and through.

“Alam mo before, when I was single, laging sinasabi sa akin, ‘pag magkakaanak ka, magbabago ka’. I never understood that until I had my kids and until I had my marriage with Sarah,” he admitted.

Richard is married to actress Sarah Lahbati and they have two sons, Zion and Kai. While he is active in showbiz, Richard still makes it a point to be a hands-on dad to his sons as much as he can.

“Sa bahay, I’m a normal dad to them,” he shared. “I try to be a hands-on parent. I bring them to school, I pick them up from school whenever I’m in Manila. I try to spend as much time with them.”

Despite the difficulties, Richard believes that his family is what completes him. 

“My family completes me as a man,” he declared. “Through all the hardships and struggles, parang at the end of the day, you have a purpose. I found my purpose as a family man and it changes you.

“Ang sarap ng feeling na I have a family who’s very supportive of me, who loves me and who’s there with me,” he added.

Another win to celebrate is Richard taking the lead in ABS-CBN’s newest show, The Iron Heart. It is his first time to be given the lead in a Kapamilya show, but Richard believes it came at just the right time. In the show, Richard plays Apollo, a secret agent with super strength.

“Of course, there were times like I was getting frustrated but also the pandemic happened and because of what ABS-CBN had to go through recently,” he admitted. 

“There were uphill battles, so to speak, but the wait was worth it,” he added. “For me, God has a timing for everything and He gave it to me at the right time.” 

Richard was able to be work with the entire team and also be hands-on with the story itself. 

“I was also involved in developing the script. I was involved in developing the character,” he said. “But it was a collaborative thing from the start pa lang. It was really a team effort to make something like this happen.”

What exactly is an “iron heart”?

“I think it’s going through tough times, being able to fight for what is right, going through all the struggles in life, getting back up again and continuing on your journey or your path,” said Richard. 

While it is also an action-oriented show, Richard promises a different kind of action than what was shown in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. 

“We wanted to change the feel of the action that was established in Ang Probinsyano, which had its own flavor,” he shared. 

One way that they are doing that is by veering away from the typical action scenes and focusing more on martial arts. 

“I wanted to offer a different kind of action by showcasing martial arts,” he revealed. “I am happy to express that in a modern, cinematic way and I am excited to express my martial arts side that I have been practicing all of life.”

Richard revealed that he has been studying martial arts since he was nine years old, and he feels confident that he can shine as an actor in this genre. 

“I feel like that’s my strength eh. I can offer the audience more with action because I’ve been doing martial arts all my life and I’m a big fan of all the action movies and directors. And it’s really my passion as an actor,” explained Richard. “I’m very thankful that this project really pushed through with ABS-CBN and Star Creatives, and they really supported me with my ideas.”

Another plus is the shoot location. It is being shot in Cebu, the hometown of Richard’s mother Annabelle Rama. 

“Cebu is close to my heart. My mom would always bring me here and we would try to visit at least twice or thrice a year before the pandemic,” he shared. “Cebu is beautiful and I think it’s time to showcase the beauty of Cebu, especially after the pandemic.”

Richard shared that they have gone around Cebu already, and they still plan to showcase the rest of the province. 

“We have been filming in Cebu City, Carcar, Dalaguete, Busay, Argao, and more places,” said Richard. “We will go all over and explore more to share with our audience the beauty of Cebu and what the province has to offer.”

Judging from the reactions of the audience, it seems like The Iron Heart already has its viewers hooked. 

“Alam mo, sobrang sarap ng feeling that after the wait and after all the struggles and frustrations and then finally, doing it and working hard and putting on the hours, biglang naging ganun yung reaction ng mga tao,” shared Richard. “Alam mo yung sobrang fulfillment yung naramdaman namin as a team?”

Richard admitted that he has mixed emotions about it. 

“Actually, nakaka-pressure to be honest! At the same time, it excites me,” he said. “But more than anything, I’m just thankful. And I feel humbled and blessed that I’m here in this position.”

There is definitely a lot to look forward to with The Iron Heart, including the return of Maja Salvador. She plays the role of Cassandra, the love interest of Apollo.

Read: Maja Salvador, muling mapapanood sa Kapamilya network

Also part of this action-packed show is actress Sue Ramirez. She and Richard previously worked together on the Kapamilya series La Luna Sangre. 

Read: Sue Ramirez, mapapasabak sa aksyon sa upcoming Kapamilya series, ‘Iron Heart’

Catch The Iron Heart weekdays at 8:45 pm on A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, Kapamilya Online Live on Facebook and YouTube, Jeepney TV, and TFC IPTV, right after Mars Ravelo’s Darna.