MANILA, Philippines?It?s seldom that we hear Eddie Gutierrez talk about his son, Richard. When we chanced upon the veteran actor recently, the former matinee idol remarked: ?We were one big, happy family at Sampaguita. We were taught how to behave in public?and Doc Perez, who was like a father to us, guided us well. Disiplinado kaming lahat?and we were penalized every time we arrived late. Parang metro ng taxi na tumataas ang multa depende sa tagal ng aming pagiging late, and those penalties were deducted from our weekly salary.

?Professionalism and discipline were the most important things we diligently observed. We were constantly reminded that, as movie stars, people looked up to us, so we needed to set a good example. I taught Richard the values that Doc Perez instilled in me. If Doc were alive today, he would be proud of this!?

Hard work

There are parallelisms between the careers of Eddie and his son: Both actors didn?t find stardom overnight. Richard attained it as a result of hard work, patience and pakikisama. Eddie started out as a teen star who liked copying his idol, Elvis Presley?s hip-swaying.

Richard started as a child star, with twin brother, Raymond. When he was older, he stood out in the youth-oriented GMA-7 show, ?Click,? and the movie, ?Mano Po 2.?

Unfortunately, neither actor finished college: Richard finished high school at La Salle-Zobel. For his part, it took Eddie some time to be recognized as an actor?especially after he shifted to contravida roles. After Eddie, screen baddies no longer looked like goons.

Just like his dad, Richard dreams of winning an acting award, and he?s willing to work hard and wait for the perfect role. Meanwhile, he?s happy that moviegoers have embraced his team-up with KC Concepcion, ?For the First Time.?