It’s not easy to pull off a gay role as a straight actor. It takes a lot of talent and passion, which Christian Bables is blessed with, hence his believable portrayal of the three-dimensional role of Charlie aka Bubbles Lacroix in the iWantTFC series “Drag You And Me.”

In this episode of “Ready, Get Set, Drag,”  Christian showed his transformation and shared his thoughts about playing a drag queen.

Alongside Andrea Brillantes and JC Alcantara, Christian is part of “Drag You And Me” where he plays the bashful Charlie, who becomes fiercer once he dons his drag persona, Bubbles Lacroix, a mother drag to Shanaia Lacroix portrayed by JC.

Asked how he relates to his character, Christian admitted that he’s more like Charlie – the introverted one. “’Pag meron akong nararamdaman toward a certain person or situation, I keep it to myself. As much as possible, I don't want to burden the people around me with my feelings, with my emotions. As much as possible, inaayos ko siya all by myself.”

But, through acting, he’s able to release his pent-up emotions by adding a part of himself into the character her plays. “I see to it na makahanap ako ng common denominator between my character and myself.”

That’s why he understands why some gay people find freedom and joy in doing drag. “I saw how important it is for people who are into drag. Kagaya ko, kung ang release ko ay acting, sila, drag. Sobrang laya nila. Naramdaman ko yun as a character from Charlie to Bubbles Lacroix.”

“It is for everyone who chooses to be on that track, who chooses drag as an outlet.”

Though he’s played gay characters in the past, Christian didn’t know that drag would immerse him in robust challenges. It’s certainly a different territory. And it gets even more challenging with you have Andrea as a co-star and lip-sync rival on stage.

“Ang hirap pala sumayaw nang naka-heels. Tapos itong si Andrea ayaw magpakabog, ang taas ng energy. Ibang level pala ‘yung Andrea Brillantes, ang hirap pantayan, so kakapantay ko, nagsugat ‘yung mga tuhod ko. Kung nag-dive siya, nag-dive din ako.”

Of course, the “beauty” preparation is just as intense, since he must wear a complete queer look for his scenes. He said that he’s open to enrolling in a makeup class since he often plays gay characters. He tried to learn about makeup during the pandemic, scared to hire a makeup artist at the time, but he admittedly struggled with putting on a full glam makeup look that he ended up looking like a panda or a raccoon, he shared. Christian laughed while refreshing his first memory with makeup when he pushed the whole lipstick out of its tube for a scene in the movie "Die Beautiful." Now, he knows how to apply the basics – foundation and powder – for quick touch-ups when he has guest appearances.

Apart from the physical preparations, Christian would dive deep into his character’s psyche. The good thing is that his previous projects have already introduced him to queer concepts like the importance of knowing one’s sexual orientation and gender identity. “Mas ma-identify mo ‘yung skeleton ng character mo. Ano yung bumuo doon sa character mo, ano ‘yung identity, orientation?”

In playing such characters, Christian takes inspiration from Boy Abunda “dahil ang pananaw niya in life and about the community, napakalawak, napaka maunawain.” There’s one lesson from Tito Boy he takes to heart, and which he uses to inspire his portrayal: “No one can tell you who you are except for yourself and your God. Always believe in your choices kasi walang ibang makakapagsabi kung tama ‘yan o mali kundi ikaw at ang Diyos mo.”

He’s also glad to work with professional drag queens, who help them in their portrayals and at the same time provide them with loads of happy energy on set. “Walang moment na nag-shoot kami na hindi ako sumaya. Ang saya ng paligid when they are around."

Being surrounded by gay people at work, Christian has learned to imbibe their sense of humor, which he now considers his gayest attitude. “’Yung bilis nila mag-isip ng mga nakakatawa,” he smiled.

The “Dirty Linen” actor is glad that the LGBTQIA community is slowly receiving the acceptance and inclusivity it deserves. “Ako, I’m an ally,” he said. “Ang laking improvement pagdating sa pagtanggap. Rumerespeto, umuunawa, lumalawak yung pagtanggap pagdating sa diversity ng society natin at kasama nga doon ‘yung LGBT community.”

“Mas ramdam ngayon ang love and acceptance.”

“Drag You and Me,”streams every Friday at 8 PM on the iWantTFC app (iOs and Android) and iwanttfc.com.