The baby fat is gone and so are the love handles. He has shed more than 15 pounds (down to 150) and now looks fit and fabulous with muscles evenly distributed in his 5’11” frame. And he has matured considerably since he finished second runner-up in the 2012 Ginoong Laguna pageant, the same year he was declared Male Champion of the GMA talent search Protégé (with Thea Tolentino, his townmate in Calamba, Laguna as his female counterpart).
Yes, Jeric Gonzales is in fighting form…ready, willing and able to make up for lost time and to catch up with his contemporaries who have covered more miles than he had.
“I am realistic and I know na medyo naiwan ako,” admitted Jeric, 27, “but I’m determined to prove myself. I’m thankful that GMA didn’t give up on me.”
In a recent presscon for his movie CaraXJagger (with Jasmine Curtis-Smith), Ruru Madrid expressed doubt about Jeric’s victory in Protégé in which Ruru placed runner-up, saying, “People know who really deserved the title.” Or words to that effect.
Jeric is unperturbed.
In the interview with Funfare before the start of the presscon for his forthcoming sexy-drama series Magkaagaw, Jeric said that Ruru was entitled to his own opinion.
“If that’s what he believes, so be it. Magaling din naman si Ruru at malayo na ang narating niya. But I believe that I am the winner. The judges had spoken. Ruru is my friend. Maybe when we meet, he will say he was just joking because I know that he knew that I won fair and square.”
Anyway, even when he was cast in several Kapuso projects (Pari ‘Koy topbilled by Dingdong Dantes; Destiny Rose, the launching series of Ken Chan now starring with Rita Daniela in One of the Baes; and Ika-5 Utos in which he was paired with Klea Pineda), Jeric’s career seemed to have been derailed.
“But I was never discouraged,” said Jeric, a Nursing graduate (who has yet to take the board exams) from the Calamba Doctors College. “I really struggled to keep up with my contemporaries (mga kasabayan ko) and I thought tuloy-tuloy na. I didn’t get tired waiting for the right time. As I’ve said, I know na mahal din ako ng GMA.”
In Magkaagaw, airing soon in the GMA Afternoon Primetime, Jeric finally bags a lead role as a man torn between two women, one older (Sheryl Cruz) and the other younger (Klea Pineda, hailed as the “Ultimate Female Survivor” in the sixth season of StarStruck).
“I really worked hard for it; I really prepared for it. Actually, I started working out even before I was finally cast in Magkaagaw. That was for Rosang Agimat (The abortive GMA action-adventure series that was shelved after Eddie Garcia suffered a fatal accident on the set. —RFL).”
His effort has paid off.
“I trained hard. I’ve been on a no-rice diet for one year now. I’m more into hi-protein and more fiber. For snack, I bring fruits as baon (apple, orange, etc. but not mango which is rich in sugar). I work out regularly. It helps that I am athletic and I play basketball. I also run. I like my body now. I feel lighter, I feel better.”
And he’s ready for his love scenes with both Klea and Sheryl in Magkaagaw (which also stars Sunshine Dizon and Rep. Alfred Vargas).
“I have to look good and smell good,” assured Jeric (who will be launched soon as endorser of a huge clothing line). “We have shot some of the love scenes. I take good care of my leading ladies when doing love scenes. After my shoot with Miss Sheryl, I hugged her and thanked her. I asked her if she was okay and she said, ‘Yes, I’m okay.’ I also did the same with Miss Nora Aunor in Dementia. I was nervous before the shoot and Miss Nora helped me relax.”
Jeric thanks Hollywood acting coach Anthony Bova for bringing out the best in him during acting workshops Bova conducted among Kapuso actors.
“I feel more confident after that,” shared Jeric who also joined “sensual exercises” during similar workshops.
“We were taught that, especially during love scenes, we should be relaxed. Okey lang to be touched in any part of the body, except the private parts. When I did an episode for Magpakailanman as a sex slave, I let my male co-star touched me, pero hindi sa maselang parte ng katawan.”
(E-mail reactions at rickylophilstar@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)