He first played a supporting role as Marian Rivera’s younger brother in “My Lady Boss”. He then did “Above the Clouds” with Pepe Smith for young director Pepe Diokno. He now plays one of the leads in his manager Maryo de los Reyes’ entry in Sineng Pambansa, “Bamboo Flowers”.
Ruru, whose real name is Jose Exequiel Madrid, is turning 16 on December 4. His idol when it comes to acting is Phillip Salvador, who was his mentor in “Protegee”. His crushes are Julie Anne San Jose with whom he appears in “Sunday All Stars” and Barbie Forteza with whom he did the afternoon soap, “Paroa”.
He’s excited with his dramatic role in “Bamboo Flowers”. “Anak ako rito ni Irma Adlawan, a tourist guide in Bohol,” he says. “Mahirap ang buhay namin, tapos nagkasakit pa ang lolo ko, si Spanky Manikan. So gusto kong huminto sa pag-aaral at tulungan na lang ang mother kong maghanapbuhay. Lumayas ako’t nagpunta sa siyudad para magtrabaho, pero hindi naging maganda ang kinahinatnan ng pagtatrabaho ko roon. Maraming dramatic scenes dito’t napasabak ako sa matinding iyakan.”
On TV, he’s lucky to be in the cast of two new GMA shows. He’s with Lovi Poe in “Akin Pa rin ang Bukas” on primetime as the younger brother of Charee Pineda and he’s with Lauren Young in the Sunday afternoon drama, “Dormitoryo”.
