• Christian: I’m happy & satisfied with my nose • A girl for Cora Waddell & husband Terence Lloyd

Funny but until Christian Bables started making a name, nobody really bothered with his nose or noticed that it is unusually, well, oversized, making some people call him Pinocchio, the boy in the fairy tale whose nose grows and grows as he tells one lie after another.

Has it been enhanced, tampered with or whatever?

“I was born with it,” Christian told Funfare in a phone interview after the presscon last Thursday for Regal Entertainment’s Recipe For Love in which he co-stars with PBB (Pinoy Big Brother) graduate Cora Waddell. “Bata pa lang ako ganito na ang ilong ko. It’s only now that people have noticed it; I don’t know why. I’m happy with my nose, I’m satisfied with the size of my nose.”

Christian owes nobody any explanation but he told Funfare the “origin” of his nose.

“My three siblings have the same kind of nose and they are okay with it,” continued Christian. “It’s genetic. Our grandfather is Spanish and our mom is half-Spanish while our biological father is Indian. So, Spanish plus Indian equals…Lahat kami matatangos ang ilong. Love ko ang nose ko.”

But sometimes, his nose gets in the way of his work especially when he’s doing a kissing scene.

“Sumasabit, eh,” he laughed. “Natutusok ang mukha ng ka-eksena ko, hahaha!!! Pandagdag sa oras ng shoot. But I have learned how to remedy the situation. Na-practice ko na po.”

With Christian Bables in Regal Entertainment’s Recipe For Love, directed by Joey Javier Reyes due in cinemas nationwide next Wednesday, Nov. 14.

No such hassle during the shoot of Recipe For Love which is directed by Joey Javier Reyes. Christian plays Calix, the chef of an upscale Filipino restaurant who crosses paths with Val (Cora), a food vlogger and aspiring magazine editor. Opening nationwide next Wednesday, Nov. 14, the movie marks Christian’s return to comedy, the genre in which he began making a name as a cross-dressing gay in Die Beautiful that won him three Best Supporting Actor awards from the 2016 Metro Manila Filmfest, the 40th Gawad Urian and the 35th Luna Awards of the Film Academy of the Philippines.

Christian has just been recognized for his drama turn in Signal Rock, directed by Chito Roño, which has been submitted as the country’s entry in the Foreign Language Film category of next year’s Oscars. His performance as Intoy, a poor high school dropout who lives in a remote fishing island, clinched for Christian the Best Actor plum in the just-concluded Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in Vietnam.

“I am a natural comedian,” said Christian who is just at ease in dramatic roles (evident also in the Kapamilya soap Halik).

Working on Recipe For Love was fun for Christian and company. Married last August to model Terence Lloyd, Cora is into her fourth month of pregnancy. It will be a girl for the newly-weds. The movie was shot in March last year, ahead of Signal Rock, so Cora didn’t have any “morning sickness” experience. A cross between Marian Rivera and a young Sandy Andolong, Cora (turning 28) was born in Saipan, Northern Marianas. She was a head-turner during her stint on PBB Lucky 7 with Kisses Delavin, Maymay Entrata, Mccoy de Leon and Edward Barber among her co-housemates.

Has any of Christian’s co-stars taken note of his nose?

“Not that I know of,” said Christian. “I guess they got used to it.”

Doesn’t he plan to “downsize” it a bit?

“You mean, undergo a surgery? No way! I won’t ever touch my nose just to please some people who are ‘bothered’ by it. They can continue being curious about it.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)