Thou Reyes, meant to play a gay role

By Rachelle Siazon

Source: ABS-CBNNews.com

Prayers and ample preparation paved the way for Thou Reyes to play the role of Hugo, the gay designer in Betty La Fea.
Prior to his audition for this upcoming series of ABS-CBN, Thou already researched on the possible roles that he would be tested for. "Walang black sa original. Ang pinaghandaan ko ay si Nicolas, one of the officemates, and si Hugo. So yun na kaagad ang naisip ko. Kasi ganun naman eh. Pag a-attack ka sa giyera dapat may bala ka."

And when he came to the casting interview, he was asked to try-out for a character which he studied beforehand. "Nakakatawa si Direk Jerry Lopez-Sineneng. Nanonood siya ng Kapitan Boom so kilala niya ko as Bukol. So tawa siya ng tawa. So sabi niya try nga natin mag-act ka ng gay designer. Ayun na."

Luckily, Thou was able to impress Direk Jerry with his acting piece. His secret weapon was his familiarity with the original version of Betty La Fea from Columbia and more importantly, his knowledge of the gay lingo. "Masarap kasi sa Kapitan Boom yung staff dun puro babaeng bakla. Dun ko hinugot. Kaya heto, yung successful audition ko, galing yun sa production ng Kapitan Boom."

At the same time, his petitions alongside his family and friends’ prayers helped him get the part he is waiting for. "Sila yung may alam na nag-audition ako. They all prayed for me. Tapos yung audition piece ko sa screen test nilagay ko sa altar after nung audition. Sabi ko nun bahala na Siya. Lahat kay God talaga."

Now that he landed a part in Betty La Fea, Thou is determined to give it his best shot. "I’m excited kasi it’s different. Ang sarap paglaruan. Lalo na yung pwedeng ibigay ng director tsaka pwede kong ibigay. I’m very thankful kasi binibigyan ako ng chance ng ABS-CBN to play different roles-from Kung Fu to Kapitan Boom and now Betty. So gagalingan ko nalang talaga."
Looking back, the former ‘Ang TV’ child star never imagined that he would be able to act again when he had his comeback exposure as a contender for U Can Dance Version 2. "After I finished my studies, tinanong ako ni Mr. M kung anong gusto kong gawin. Ang una ko talagang nasabi, ‘I wanna dance’. So napunta ko sa ASAP Full Circle and then U Can Dance. Hindi talaga ako naghahangad ng sobra pa. Pero because of the opportunities…so tanggap lang ng tanggap, tapos gawin na lang yung best."