For the most part of Gabby’s showbiz career, he played the role of the kontrabida. Hasn’t he grown tired of being always the bad guy?
“Sometimes dumadaan ‘yan, naiisip din natin ‘yan but I really don’t get tired; actually I enjoy being the kontrabida, the bad guy, the antagonist,” the actor said in an interview during the photo shoot of ‘Mundo Mo’y Akin,’ an upcoming primetime series on GMA-7 which he is a part of.
“Nag-joke ako before sa ‘Broken Vow,’ sabi ko that I wanted to do something different – gusto kong maging mabait naman pero hindi naman leading man kasi hindi ko naman hinangad na maging leading man. Fortunately, nabigyan ako ng opportunity to be the good guy during the first four weeks of the series although after that binalik din ako sa pagiging kontrabida. Natuwa naman ako,” he recalled.
Actors portraying as antagonists in films and television series are usually the least recognized but Gabby is happy that this is changing.
“When I was nominated sa Asian TV Awards (for ‘Munting Heredera’) na-realize ko na yung kontrabida pala could also be noticed. Natutuwa naman ako. Ito kasi ang naging prinsipyo ko pagdating sa trabaho: kung anuman ang ibigay sa akin, it will always be a challenge for me,” he said.
Gabby is certainly now a veteran and an expert in kontrabida roles. Among his characters in previous shows, his portrayal of Desmond in ‘Munting Heredera’ is the hardest to top so far, he says.
“Actually halos nagawa ko na lahat e: pumatay, mang-rape, magpakamatay, etc. Ang masasabi kong talagang nakaaangat sa lahat ng mga ginawa ko ay yung sa ‘Munting Heredera’ kasi it showed the softer side of Desmond na kahit gaano siya kasama may malambot na side pa rin pala siya,” recalled Gabby.
Outside of showbiz, Gabby is a proud husband and father. He says that his bad guy roles in television have never been an issue at home.
“Minsan ‘pag may bago akong proyekto tapos sinasabi ko sa mga anak ko, sasabihin nila ‘So you’re bad na naman?’ Pero wala namang effect sa kanila kasi I’m sure ang mga audience naman ngayon nag-ma-mature na,” shared Gabby.
“People get amazed because they see me as a bad guy on TV pero when they get to know me in person iba, malayo talaga sa character ko sa TV. Natutuwa ako kasi unti-unti nilang (viewers) natatanggap ang artistic side of being in the business; they distinguish between the character in the series from the real character of the actor portraying the role,” he added.
“Mundo Mo’y Akin” is a come-back project of teen stars Alden Richards and Louise delos Reyes after their hit primetime series ‘One True Love’ ended in October 2012. This time, though, Alden will be in a love triangle with Louise and new kapuso star Lauren Young. The series is also a come-back project for actress Sunshine Dizon, who took a respite from showbiz for close to four years. Also starring in “Mundo Mo’y Akin” are Angelika dela Cruz and Jolina Magdangal.
The series, which is set to air its pilot episode on March 18 is directed by Andoy Ranay.
