Paolo Ballesteros on Philippines drag community: ‘We are world-class’

Paolo Ballesteros is feeling both proud and pressured to be the host of the very first Drag Race Philippines, the local spin-off of the Emmy-winning US show RuPaul’s Drag Race, where drag artists compete for the honor of being named first Filipino “Drag Race Superstar.”

The series, which is co-produced by World of Wonder and Fullhouse Asia Production Studios, Inc., airs Wednesdays on WOW Presents Plus, Discovery+ and HBO Go in the Philippines, Crave in Canada and WOW Presents Plus in other parts of the world.

“I feel honored and proud to present to the world our amazing and talented queens. I do also feel a bit pressured because I am tasked to fit a rather big shoe but that only makes me and everybody strive for the best,” the host, actor, comedian and drag artist told The STAR in an exclusive e-mail interview.

The show, which is now on its fifth episode, started out with 12 prominent names in the Philippine drag circuit — Minty Fresh, Precious Paula Nicole, Brigiding, Corazon, Eva Le Queen, Gigi Era, Lady Morgana, Marina Summers,  Prince, Turing, Viñas DeLuxe and Xilhouete.

No spoilers here, but as of the last episode, the number is now down to the Top 7 after the drag queens battled it out in a beauty contest extravaganza and channeled beauty queen archetypes because Drag Race is “not a contact sport but a pageant,” as the show put it.

The weekly competition is replete with funny moments and antics, but the elimination and farewell segments can get very emotional. After all, the drag artists aren’t just in the show to fight for the crown, but also to fight for their dreams.

Besides being a host, Paolo is also the head judge on the show. He is joined on the judging panel by what he called as the “best of the best,” namely Jiggly Caliente, who’s best known for competing in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 6, and writer, presenter, producer and impersonator KaladKaren. The show also features celebrity guest judges, including Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach in the latest episode.

“This is our premiere season and we want to showcase the Philippines’ finest,” Paolo added.

Meanwhile, speaking more about the most exciting and challenging parts of hosting Drag Race Philippines, Paolo shared, “The challenging part would be the language, of course. It’s how to translate a Pinoy thought or humor or joke into English, but still make sure it’s funny. We don’t necessarily have to speak English the whole time but of course, it’s much better if we do. And we try to as much as we can.”

A regular host in the longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga, Paolo also revealed that he tries to inject Eat Bulaga humor into his hosting style.

“As for me, the intros and closing, of course, have to be in English but I insert Eat Bulaga humor here and there, and that’s what makes it exciting. I have fun with the queens and the judges as much as I have fun with my Dabarkads. It’s just like Eat Bulaga na may English haha!” he added.

He believes the timing couldn’t have been more right for the arrival of a show like Drag Race Philippines.

“It’s time for the world to see not just how talented and amazing our queens are, but also our culture and artistry. We are world-class, matagal na and we are grateful for this show,” he said.

For him, all the drag queens in the first Drag Race Philippines are ready for the international stage. “Just like our drag community in general. There is so much passion and artistry that is just waiting to be tapped and recognized worldwide,” he said.

In the show, Paolo gets to explore and exhibit his creativity as a drag artist as well by flaunting different looks in each episode.

Asked if he was going for a signature style throughout the series, he said, “With the looks for the show, I chose to wear dark-colored hair. I actually veered away from using blonde or white or any light-colored hair kasi napanood ko in other franchises like España, Holland, magkakamukha kami pagnaka-drag haha (translation: we all look alike when in drag).

“Not really a bad thing because they are really great in their shows, it’s just my personal preference. We also have lots of talented fashion designers, established ones and some up-and-coming ones that will be worn in the show.”

In case you don’t know, Paolo comes from a family of artists. His great-grandfather is the Philippines’ first National Artist and painter Fernando Amorsolo.

Paolo’s artistry first gained public attention and media mileage not only locally but also internationally, after he posted on Instagram, starting in 2015, his makeup transformations to the likes of Angelina Jolie, Mariah Carey, Julia Roberts and other international celebrities.

1. This led him to playing the lead role in the film Die Beautiful, where he also expressed his take on the art of drag. The 2016 film went on to gain local and international acclaim, including the Best Actor award for Paolo at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

When asked about the kind of fulfillment he gets out of makeup transformations and the art of drag, Paolo said, “For me, it is more like a superpower. It allows me to be bigger than life itself. I can do things that I normally couldn’t, and it makes my creative and artistic juices flow.”

As a host, Paolo is expected to deliver inspirational messages and give pep talks to the Drag Race Philippines contestants. Asked what advice he can give to them about nurturing creativity and achieving success in showbiz, Paolo stressed, “Host or not, I will be of help to our queens as much as I can. Because we are a family. I always tell them to be yourself and have fun. Show the world what you can do. Let it all out, because we are limitless.”

(To watch the pilot run of Drag Race Philippines, you can download and subscribe to discovery+ available across multiple platforms, as well as HBO GO at https://www.hbogoasia.ph or the mobile app via App Store or Play Store. HBO GO is also available via Cignal, Globe and Skycable.)