Christian Bables is excited in his upcoming movie, Signal Rock, his first collaboration with Direk Chito Roño. It was a dream come true for him to be working with the A-list director.
He is all praises of Direk Chito. “Ipapakita at ipaparamdam talaga niya sa iyo kung gaano ka niya pinapahalagahan bilang isang aktor at kaibigan basta ipakita mong you deserve his admiration and trust. I will forever be grateful to him. I worked so hard noong makapasa ako sa audition. I put myself into my character’s shoes so I would know kung anong emosyon ang aking paghuhugutan. I imagined my character – the way he speaks, walks, how he closes his eyes – para mabigyan ko ng magandang interpretation ang role ko. I have to be on my toes kasi andyan sina Direk Chito and the staff.”
In the film, Christian plays Intoy, a poor high school dropout who resides in a remote fishing island. Intoy has good communication skills and he is always invited to be an event emcee in fiestas, parties, and election campaign rallies. He helps his sister in Finland in a 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.
“This is a coming of age story of Intoy. Isang taong puno ng pagmamahal para sa kanyang pamilya and how his love will succeed in saving his family most especially his sister. Intoy will do everything to keep his family intact,” describes Christian of his character.
Intoy is a deviation from the gay roles Christian played in the past. “It’s easier for me to play Intoy because I no longer need to alter my way of thinking, the way I feel and my physicality. The challenge for me here is to truly define Intoy’s personality and try to relate it to me as Christian Bables.”
Signal Rock is based on a true story of people living in a small town in the beautiful island of Samar. Direk Chito recounted the story of one of his friends named Nonong to screenwriter Rody Vera. Nonong’s life story left a remarkable impression on Rody because it is based on the realities of life like work migration and how this changed the lives and relationships of the people they left behind to support.
The film was shot in the picturesque island of Biri where Christian stayed for 15 days.
Christian is now busy going around the country for the movies’ promo activities which include mall shows, radio and studio interviews, campus tours, among others.
Signal Rock is part of the week-long celebration of Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. It will open in theaters beginning August 15 and also stars Nanding Josef, Ces Quesada, Arnold Reyes, Daria Ramirez, and Domingo Cobarrubias.