As Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial have been putting their action chops to the test in “Blood vs Duty,” the sweethearts have expressed that they’ve wanted to work together for quite some time, and things have been going well so far.
Gutierrez said “Blood vs Duty” is a way for him and Imperial to test the possibilities of sharing the spotlight since they talked about working together, in response to the question of what it’s like for him to work with “the love of his life.”
Imperial, who was seated next to him at the time, was seemingly amused by the question.
“I’ve been wanting to work with Barbie, of course. Kaming dalawa, we’ve been working hard for years and years. It was like a conversation na, ‘what if we work together, what are the possibilities?’” he said.
The actor said he, Imperial, and their castmates have been guided by JRB Creative Production (the action drama’s production house) throughout the process.
“I think it’s an exciting journey. Great creatives and great directors guide us, and the JRB unit loves Barbie. It’s my first with the JRB unit, it’s an honor for me to be part of this group, and it’s been good so far,” he said.
For Imperial’s part, she was informed by JRB head Julie Anne Benitez of the project while she was doing “Sins of the Father.”
At the time, she didn’t know who her co-actors were.
“Wala po akong ideya kung sino ang makakasama ko, and I’m so grateful and thankful,” she said.
“Blood vs Duty” is Gutierrez’s fourth straight action drama with ABS-CBN. It also happened to be released a year after the successful run of the Lester Pimentel Ong-helmed “Incognito,” which, according to him, is “hard” to compare.
“It’s a totally different show. With ‘Blood vs Duty,’ we wanted to focus on the storytelling, the journey of each character, talagang piniga rito ang kwento ng characters, we intensified the storytelling, tapos we elevated in theme sa story ng action,” he said. “Malayong-malayo siya sa ‘Incognito.’ I think we’re gonna kick some a** with this one.”
Joining Gutierrez and Imperial are Gerald Anderson, Bela Padilla, Baron Geisler, Susan Africa, Jaime Fabregas, Rommel Padilla, and Bobot Mortiz.
“Blood vs Duty” is directed by FM Reyes, Bjoy Balagtas, and Rico Navarro, while Erwin Tagle serves as the action director. (Hannah Mallorca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
