Christian sending the right ‘signal’

“Nasaan ka? Bakit? Ano, nahihiya ka? Ikaw, mahihiya? Ate, ako iyong humarap sa mga tao. Pineke ko iyong papeles, kaming lahat dito. Anong hiya meron ka? Ate, respeto. Respeto tsaka pasasalamat. Ate, iyong totoo kinahihiya mo kaming lahat dito. Oo, ganoon naman talaga iyon, di ba? Umalis ka dito. Tinulungan ka nina Nanay tsaka nina Tatay. Ikaw iyong nakaalis dito, kami iyong naiwan. Lahat kayo umaalis. Kayong lahat. Tapos nahihiya ka pa na umuwi dito. Ikaw, pagkatapos mong tulungan. Kapal ng mukha mo!”

These highly-charged lines came from Intoy Abakan while confronting his Ate Vicky over the phone when she did not show up on her scheduled arrival from Finland. Intoy was livid at his sister’s lack of interest to come home after helping her in a convoluted child custody battle against her abusive husband by involving the townspeople, faking legal documents and setting up false endorsements to prove his sister’s financial capacity.

Christian Bables’ sterling portrayal of Intoy in the movie Signal Rock has cemented his own place in the acting world. He continues to receive critical acclaim here and abroad for his performance as a poor high school dropout who resides in a far-flung fishing island village with his family and who daringly climbs steep and jagged rock formations just to get a cellphone signal.

His awards for Signal Rock include a Special Jury Award for Outstanding Acting at the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Best Actor Award at the Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in Vietnam, Bright Star Award at the Asian Pop-Up Cinema in Chicago and Best Actor Award at the Urduja Film Festival. These achievements are intensified signals that all the forces of the universe are aligned in Christian’s favor.

Christian is ecstatic over the box-office success of Panti Sisters where he shared the spotlight with Paolo Ballesteros and Martin del Rosario. The family movie revolves around the story of three gay siblings whose rich father wants to bequeath his inheritance to a son who can give him a grandchild.

Christian says he has become a proud ally of the LGBT community. It is his personal way of giving back to the LGBT community. “If not for my role as Barbs in Die Beautiful, I wouldn’t be here. Hindi magbubukas ang pintuan ng mga pangarap ko.”

Describing his acting style, Christian shares, “Each actor has his own style. I am an actor who comes from the truth. It is effective for me to use my pain, the shattered glasses and torn ligaments of my life to win my character’s objective.” Christian expresses himself through acting. “I enjoy giving empowerment to every character I portray. I could settle my unresolved issues in life without confronting the real person involved in the issue. I’m able to resolve whatever issues I have through acting.”

Christian always prays for guidance whenever he steps into a certain character. He wants to be remembered as a hardworking actor who inspired other artists. According to him, actors are just as good as their last work. It takes a lot of courage, hard work, discipline and diligence to be excellent in acting. Christian says acting is not a walk in the park. “Do not get into acting if you do not have the heart for it. You must be equipped and you must always be open to learning new things.”

He gives his take on fame. For him, being famous is part of the job. The real measure is the actor’s commitment to his craft.

Christian believes in the importance of teamwork and interaction with fellow actors. “These are essential to build rapport and connection among co-actors. Not only as a friend in real life but in connection with your character to another actor’s character. Para maging buo ang mundong ginagalawan ninyo at mag-meet kayo sa setting kung saan nandoroon ang mga characters ninyo. There should be unity among the characters. As an actor, hindi lang dapat ikaw iyong nagbibigay. Your co-actors should also learn how to give and take. It takes two to tango. There needs to be a good relationship among actors to create a beautiful scene together,” Christian explains.

Christian is gearing up for upcoming projects. Aside from movies, Christian will perform in a CCP Tanghalang Pilipino play adapted by Rody Vera from an F. Sionil Jose novel. After the ABS-CBN primetime series Halik, he is set to return to the small screen in a teleserye starring Bea Alonzo, Richard Gutierrez, Jameson Blake and Rafael Rosell.

Christian is grateful for all the blessings coming his way. “I’m grateful for everything. Sa mga nangyayari ngayon sa life ko. With my relationship with God, my family, myself, my friends and my craft. I’m blessed with good projects. Ang ganda ng turn-out ng Panti Sisters. I believe God is directing me on the right path when it comes to my career. I am praying to God to teach me how to take care of my career and how to use it properly for His purpose. Iyon ang pinagdarasal ko ngayon.”

Bravo, Christian!