"Sir Chief" will play as Action Star

Can you imagine reserved and gentle Richard Yap (a.k.a. Sir Chief) roughing it up ala Bruce Willis on TV or in the movies? You might just get the surprise of your life.  

Sir Chief of the phenomenal ABS-CBN drama series “Be Careful With My Heart” is open to playing an edgier role – if opportunity comes his way.

After seeing how his presence can make fans as young as two happy, the then-reluctant Richard Yap is no longer wary about showbiz.

“Success is  not something you  should be resting on,” he said at the launch of his newest endorsement, Amigo Seguardo Spaghetti and Macaroni. “You  should always try to improve yourself.”

Improving himself means going out of the heartthrob image he didn’t expect to find himself in. 

“I don’t see myself as a heartthrob,” he admits. More of self-effacing, perhaps.

Richard admits he can be moody “pag pagod o gutom.”  

He’s human, after all.  The big difference is, he sometimes finds it hard to mask these moods.  And now that he’s way up there, people sometimes make a fuss about it and call him aloof.

“Even before, hindi  ako warm,” he owns up.  “It takes a long time for me to get to know people. Hindi ako mabilis makipagkaibigan. I’m not the type who’d ask, ‘Kamusta na kayo?”

The emotional cautiousness might stem from the  conservative Chinese side of  him. But whatever, Richard is trying his darndest best to march to the beat of his more extrovert showbiz peers. 

“I try to be as outgoing as possible,” he relates. “But I also try to be myself.” Take it or leave it.

Many people are taking it.  At the arrival area of  the airport in Manila, Richard relates how he was just standing there, waiting for someone to fetch him, when a female fan hugged him and slapped his behind.

Hazards of the trade

It’s just part of the hazards of the trade. The ups outpace the downs.

Richard’s Sir Chief character has taken him places. He and his leading lady,  Jodi Santamaria, just came from Dubai, where  a lot of people welcomed them with open arms. 
And Richard is tickled pink.

“We’re here for a reason,” he explains.  “If you make people happy, that’s very   satisfying.”

Satisfying as it is, Richard doesn’t delude himself into thinking fame will last forever.

“Flexible ako,” he goes on. “If I’m no longer in showbiz, I can go back to business I don’t have to pressure myself na kailangan maging as successful ang next project ko.”

Now that “Be Careful with My Heart” is as hot as ever (he and Jodi are scheduled to go to the  US and Canada on May 9), Richard doesn’t have to think about what’s next. “I take things one day at a time,” Yap says.

If the shelved movie version of “Be Careful With My Heart” pushes through after the series winds up and Richard and Jodi have the time to shoot it,  that’s fine.  If not, Richard will be just as happy for the chance to try showbiz and even do a cameo in Vilma Santos’ first indie film, “Extra.”

Closer family ties

Most of all, this family man will forever be grateful at how showbiz strengthened his bond with his wife, son and daughter. “Mas naging close kami,” Richard says with pride. 

“My wife (Mama Chen in showbiz circles) prepares my things and acts as my make-up artist and stylist when I’m out of town. I used to have time to work out in the gym and play billiards with friends.  Ngayon, trabaho-bahay na lang.”

The guy does know how to keep himself out of trouble in the temptation-full world of showbiz,where beautiful faces and beautiful bodies abound.

“I’m here for work. Tapos na ako sa mga bar,” Richard explains. No wonder the endorsements keep coming; the fans keep multiplying. The guy sets a good example for men, woman and children.  And that, the reserved image notwithstanding, makes him as attractive as ever.

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