The seasoned and esteemed Kapamilya director Lester Ong highlighted Richard Gutierrez’s massive skill set, as one of the biggest assets of the series, in pursuing a sophisticated action drama series.
The director of the top-rating Kapamilya series, The Iron Heart, expressed his gratitude to the stars of The Iron Heart for being instrumental in letting the series fly and become one of today’s most expensive-looking shows on local television. Taking pride in its exquisite locations alone, the series starred by Richard Gutierrez, showcases an ensemble of ultra-talented action and drama stars.
During our two-day visit to the show’s production locations in Cebu last February 6 and 7, Ong took his chance to sharing his thoughts on the exemplary work that the whole production team and the cast members have been able to accomplish since the show debuted on primetime, last November 2022.
“They’re really premier actors, first and foremost, “ he began, referring to not just the lead star, Richard Gutierrez, but the entire roster which includes Albert Martinez, Jake Cuenca, Sue Ramirez, Dimples Romana, Ian Veneracion, and Roi Vinzon.
“So, I’m really fortunate to have worked with them and (that) they were able to give the characters of the TV series more life and zest to it,” he added.
Giving an extra emphasis on Gutierrez’s impressive background in martial arts, Ong noted the ease that the actor’s massive skill set has been providing, since the whole team began the show’s principal photography, last year.
“I am fortunate that Richard is a real martial artist. He practiced martial arts since he was very young—I think 6 or 7 years old—and he continued practicing over the years. Kaya ‘yung proficiency niya sa martial arts, is really good and nagagamit talaga ngayon, because our style of action really needs high proficiency in martial arts,” Ong shared.
The director, who himself, is a skilled martial artist, noted working with Gutierrez being a challenge, that he willingly takes on, every time they do scenes on the set.
“It’s a welcome challenge for me to work with him, because the goal is to really make him shine and to make his skill set shine on the screen,” he said, giving props to Gutierrez.
Ong considers The Iron Heart as a crucial step in penetrating the global market of action entertainment, saying, “Sa international market, hindi kasi tayo masyadong kilala bilang action—over the past several yers, mas kilala tayo sa romcom, sa drama,”.
“So, this time, I wanted to show that Filipinos have good martial artists, that Filipinos deserve good action scenes. We really designed the action with proficient martial artists, as the lead actor,” he added.
The Iron Heart airs on weeknights, right after FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, on A2Z, TV5, Kapamiya Channel, and Jeepney TV. It also streams online via Kapamilya Online Live and iWantTFC.
