Art imitates life for Christian
Christian Bables
Christian Bables has come a long, hard way. From playing cameo roles, he is now the main star. Industry insiders now have faith in Christian, who has bagged awards for “Die Beautiful.” So, shall we call it “Christianity” a la show biz?
The breakthrough actor topbills “Signal Rock” (“SR” by CSR Film PH Production, and distributed by Regal Films). The simple yet realistic screen drama is one of the entries in Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Aug. 15 to 21 in theaters nationwide).
Christian was the personal choice of ace director Chito Roño for his passion project.
“There have been many movies about OFWs [overseas Filipino workers],” Roño points out. “‘SR’ tells the story of the people left behind in remote provinces (aka “Bagtik”) by their loved ones who went abroad to seek greener pastures.”
The movie is inspired by true events that happened in Biri, Samar, in the 1990s.
Christian says he has so much of his character, Intoy, in him. Just like Intoy, he weathered many storms to get to where he is right now. Talk about art imitating life
Here’s my chat with Christian:
What did you learn from Direk Chito Roño? To believe in myself more. To come to the set with my homework done. During our 15-day shoot in Samar, I only got to sleep for two hours nightly. So there were times I thought I could not deliver because I was physically exhausted. But Direk Chito egged me on.
What unforgettable experience did you have in Samar? Blending in with the locals, getting a feel of what island life really is and, most of all, having found an instant family in my costars, Direk and the crew.
If your family disapproves of the girl you choose to marry, how would you handle it? I will fight for her. Love for family and love for a fiancée can’t be equated. I will do whatever it takes for my family to accept her.
Choose just one: love or career? Love. I can’t afford to lose the one I love. Even if I give up my career for it, I can always start from scratch in case my love life doesn’t work out.
I’m a fast learner so no matter how hard the task is, I’ll accomplish it.
What do you remember most about the days when you were still struggling in show biz? A series of rejections. Nobody believed in me. That’s why I can relate to my character, Intoy. Because once upon a time, I also wanted to prove myself. I strived to show everyone that my passion for acting will take me to where I want to go.
How do you keep yourself grounded? I stay true to my core. I refuse to let the show biz system eat me up. I live by the values instilled in me by my parents. I’m in the biz to satisfy my hunger to act. Just because I’m in show biz doesn’t mean I have to change who I am.
What has fame taught you? Fame is temporary; family is forever. So fame taught me to value my family even more and thank the Lord for my talent.
My upbringing helped me a lot because my parents taught me to relish simple joys. Now, I’m not blinded by fame and power. I don’t exactly feel famous. I just happen to be in a high-profile job where I get to bring out the passion in my heart.
