“Nagdi-dinner kami nina Mother Lily. Ang daming tao at ang gaganda nila. Lalo na yung katapat ko. Then natapos yung dinner, lumabas na kami. Sabi ko kay Douglas, ‘Ang ganda naman ng babaeng ‘yon. Sino ‘yon?’ [Natawa siya sa akin at sinabi niya], ‘Ano ka ba? Hindi mo kilala si Vilma Santos?” recalled Richard in StarStudio Magazine’s cover story about the making of Mother Lily’s empire and the “Regal babies.” A former crewmember of a famous fast food joint, Richard was first introduced in the Maricel Soriano-William Martinez starrer Inday Bote (1985). It was a role originally intended for Gabby Concepcion who turned down the project.
In the same interview, Richard attested to Mother Lily’s legendary temper especially when things don’t go her way. Being a hands-on producer that she is, he shared that the way she runs the studio is very different from how movies are made nowadays. “Before, everything talaga was centralized kay Mother Lily. She makes everyone run, she makes everything work. All orders come from Mother Lily. Hanggang sa style, sa look ng artista, Mother Lily will take care of that. ‘Pag sinabi niya sexy ka, kailangan nakakamison ka ha, kailangan puti, kailangan nababasa ha, standard sa kanya ‘yun.”
Other showbiz icons who talked about their heydays back in the ‘80s in the magazine include Maricel Soriano and Snooky Cerna.
StarStudio Magazine’s January 2013 issue is now available in leading bookstores and newsstands nationwide.