Philippine Daily Inquirer

How Richard Yap avoids extramarit­al affairs

- DOLLY ANNE CARVAJAL

Let Richard Yap’s charms perk up your lazy afternoons in his new series, “Abot Kamay Na Pangarap” (AKNP). It airs Mondays to Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. on GMA 7. The heartwarmi­ng series also stars Carmina Villaroel and Jillian Ward.

It’s about an illiterate woman, Lyneth (Carmina), who falls for a married doctor, Robert (Richard). They have a genius child, Analyn (Jillian), out of wedlock. The mother and her daughter struggle through life while hoping that fate would be kinder to them someday.

As Lyneth and Robert’s paths cross again and Analyn pursues her dream to become a doctor, will their world change for the better?

Here’s my chat with Richard: What kind of Richard Yap will we see in AKNP?

If viewers have gotten used to seeing me as a very straight guy, this will shock them since my character here is a bit different from the others I’ve played before.

Why is your role as a doctor close to your heart?

I took pre-med. I was bent on becoming a doctor, but my dad had other plans for me. Show biz was never on my mind. It was really accidental. So, portraying a doctor in the series is the next best thing for me. At least I get the feel of it, even if my dream to become a doctor did not materializ­e.

In the series, you have an

extramarit­al affair. In real life, how do you avoid having one?

By not putting yourself in that position, don’t flirt, don’t show any motives and always make sure that you know your priorities. My priorities are my family and my work, so I always make sure that I don’t do anything to harm them.

In AKNP, you have a child out of wedlock and refuse to take responsibi­lity for your child. What’s your advice to men who are in that kind of situation?

If it’s really theirs, then they should take responsibi­lity for their actions. That would be the decent thing to do.

What are you learning from the character you’re portraying?

That everybody gets a second chance in life. You can get redemption for the things you have done, and there’s always a way to reach for your dreams.

Sex as a currency for power in steamy flick

Hot. Wild. Savage. Oh, the things that can happen on an adult media website. And you are invited to see it all in “#DOYOUTHINK­IAMSEXY, which is now streaming on Vivamax. Directed by Dennis Marasigan, its lead stars are Cloe Barretto, Chloe Jenna and Marco Gomez.

Cloe plays Charlize, a student who supports herself by creating content for #DoYouThink­IAmSexy.com as Elle. Marco portrays Trystan, a teacher who secretly subscribes to the adult site. He opens up his sexual fantasies to Elle and asks her to create erotic videos.

When they finally meet, Trystan finds out that Elle may be a topnotch online model, but she’s not a star student. While he takes advantage of her, she plots to get even with him. The battle of the sexes has never been wilder!

Here are quotes from Cloe (CB), Dennis (D) and Chloe (CJ):

D: Our movie shows how sex is used to gain power over another person. It will make you wonder what happens if subscriber­s to an adult site want more.

CJ: We all have our own definition of sexy. What makes me sexy is that I’m comfortabl­e in my own skin.

CB: If I ever have a boyfriend who’s into adult sites, I will ask him why he needs that when I’m around to fulfill his fantasies. If he does not stop watching sex videos, I will stop being with him.

D: Subscriber­s of adult sites and erotic content creators usually keep it a secret because of the stigma. The more repressed we are, the more curious we get. Just because they watch sex videos does not mean they’re maniacs. Some watch them out of curiosity or for entertainm­ent.

CJ: If ever a sex video of me leaks [though I have none], I will take responsibi­lity for it and face the consequenc­es. But if it’s a sexy scene of mine that’s included on an adult website, I would be flattered. I won’t take it personally because it’s not me, but the character I portray.

CB: There’s no rivalry among the sexy stars of Vivamax. We all have different assets, and each of us has our own time to shine.

D: Our movie will show that women are not the weaker sex. It will encourage women to assert their power.

CJ: Even if I’m a woman, I ask Marco his boundaries during our love scenes. At first, he thought I was joking around when I asked him about his limitation­s.

Misplaced sense of adventure in ‘The Escort Wife’

Boredom, wild curiosity and a misplaced sense of adventure can be self-destructiv­e and harmful to others. “The Escort Wife,” a Vivamax movie directed by Paul Basinillo, will show viewers just how.

Janelle Tee plays Patricia, a bored housewife. While stuck at home, she sees a woman having steamy sex in the apartment across the street. That woman is Chrissy, played by Ava Mendez, who wants to quit being a prostitute.

One of Chrissy’s clients is Patricia’s husband, Roy (Raymond Bagatsing). When Patricia discovers their secret affair, all hell breaks loose. Watch how a marriage without lust can lead to lust without marriage.

Don’t flirt, don’t show any motives and always make sure you know your priorities

Richard Yap Actor

Here are quotes from Janelle (J), Ava (A), Raymund (R) and Paul (P):

J: It’s my second time to do a girl-to-girl love scene. It never gets easy. It still feels awkward because I’m into men, not girls. But Ava made it lighter because she’s so bubbly.

A: I get bored in a relationsh­ip if a guy is happy-go-lucky and has no future plans. That’s why I prefer older men because they often have direction in life.

R: I’ve met “escorts” and listened to their sad stories about why they’re doing that kind of work. I never judged them. Our film made me understand the inner workings of escorts.

P: Our movie is about a personal journey of a wife who chose to be an escort. To say “normal wife” is a cliche because wives behave differentl­y depending on their husbands.

J: I refuse to be just eye-candy. Playing sexy is just a phase. I want to keep improving my craft. Bashers will always have something to say. I won’t let them lose my focus as an actor.

A: I don’t use plaster during love scenes. I thought Raymond would mind, but he was game though he respected my boundaries.

R: It was never a “choice” to go sexy. It just comes with my job descriptio­n. I don’t look at our film as a sexy one, but as a masterpiec­e by Direk Paul.

P: It’s an emotional rollercoas­ter for the three main characters. Each of them has malalim na hugot in their respective worlds. Beyond the sex scenes, it’s interestin­g to watch how they become in sync with each other.

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 ?? ?? Raymond Bagatsing (left) and Janelle Tee
Raymond Bagatsing (left) and Janelle Tee
 ?? ?? Cloe Barretto
Cloe Barretto
 ?? ?? Chloe Jenna
Chloe Jenna

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