Richard Yap aminadong late bloomer

Ni ARCHIE LIAO

Turning point para sa actor-businessman na si Richard Yap ang edad na 40.

Aniya, sa nasabing edad ay wala pa raw malinaw na direksyon noon ang kanyang karera.

“I prayed ‘Lord, at the age of 45, I will resign from my job. I don’t know what I will do after that but I surrender everything to you,”pagbabalik-tanaw niya.

Hirit pa niya, hindi raw niya inakalang pagdating niya ng 45 ay doon mamumukadkad at aarangkada ang kanyang career.

Ito raw iyong time na nag-quit siya ng kanyang corporate job at nag-pokus sa acting.

“At the age of 44, I got my first acting gig. At the age of 45, I was cast in ‘Be Careful With My Heart.’ I couldn’t go back to my old job,” pagbabahagi niya.

Bago maging pamilyar na mukha sa telebisyon, si Richard ay napanood sa commercials at sa kanyang kauna-unahang drama series na “My Binondo Girl” noong 2011.

2012 naman nang naging patok at bukambibig ang kanyang karakter na Papa Chen sa “Be Careful With My Heart,” kung saan nakapareha niya si Jodi Sta. Maria.

Dito na raw siya nagulat sa naging malaking pagbabago sa kanyang acting career.

“They were absolutely surprised. People were asking to take pictures of me. I don’t even take pictures of myself. I consider myself a very private person. I don’t really attend social functions. Until one day I realized that there were people who were sick who wanted to see me. It made me realize that maybe God put me here …this is my purpose in life,” sey niya.

Para sa kanya, ang pag-arte ay isang unexpected career na natutunan niyang mahalin.

“I felt like it opened many opportunities for me. And then it’s a good path because we’re able to give back to others in return,” ani Yap.

Kahit ilang taon na sa showbiz, patuloy pa rin daw siyang natututo sa kanyang craft.

Nagbahagi rin sya ng kanyang natutunan sa pakikisalamuha niya sa mga nakatrabaho sa industriya.

“For me, never stop learning, even when you’re older. There’s still so much to discover. That’s why I like spending time with people who are older than me. Most of my friends are older because you can learn a lot from them, whether in business or in life. Our experiences aren’t the same. They’ve gone through things we haven’t yet So if you listen to what they share, you’ll really learn a lot,” paliwanag ni Richard.

Dagdag pa niya, marami rin daw siyang napupulot sa karanasan niya sa pakikipagtrabaho sa younger generations.

“Also, from the younger ones, you can learn from them also. They’re the ones who know about the latest advancements in technology. So whether someone is younger or older, there’s always something valuable to learn. Don’t think you’re the best,”pagtatapos niya.