Sef Cadayona: Happy to play gay

SEF Cadayona . Rodel Rotoni

Sef Cadayona is having a ball as Harry, a flamboyant gay dancer in the GMA 7 prime time series “Time of My Life.”

He admits, though, that he sometimes gets spooked by his costumes. “Once I had to wear a baby tee with pink cycling shorts. I was too embarrassed to go out of the dressing room.”

But the actor overcame his initial trepidation. “Before I go to the set, I leave Sef behind in the makeup room so I can totally be in character as Harry,” he points out.

He has played gay roles in other Kapuso shows like “Spooky Nights,” “Bubble Gang” and “Andres de Saya.”

Fave comedians

But he doesn’t mind being typecast. “I’ve always admired actors like Dolphy, Eddie Garcia and Tito, Vic and Joey,” Sef says.

To prepare for his role in “Time,” he watched Dolphy in Lino Brocka’s “Tatay Kong Nanay,” along with Eddie Garcia movies on YouTube. “I studied their style and techniques, the way they moved and delivered their lines,” he explains.

Will Ferrell and Steve Carell are two foreign comedians he admires. “I sometimes run out of tricks, so I download Will and Steve’s movies on my iPhone to get a few fresh ideas,” he says.

After watching “Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington,” Sef says he would love to be cast in an indie movie in the future and play a role similar to Martin Escudero’s.

A series of TV commercials demonstrated Sef’s mettle in comedy.

Before joining “StarStruck,” he was cast in a Cornetto TV ad. “I almost didn’t make it because the line at the agency was so long,” he recalls.

His struggles as a commercial model primed him well for show biz. “I was number 2,000 something when I auditioned for StarStruck,” he recounts. “I wasn’t given special treatment.”

The stint in the reality show taught him perseverance and patience, among other virtues.

Now he’s used to staying up late for tapings. His entire week is devoted to Kapuso shows. He usually tapes for “Time” four times on weekdays. On Saturdays, he rehearses for his dance number in “Party Pilipinas” which airs Sunday.

After “Party” on Sunday, there’s more dance practice for the “Time” taping the following day.

The heavy schedule forced him to stop schooling for now. (He was a freshman at San Beda College Alabang). “But I hope to return and finish Media Arts,” he says.