Andrea takes new acting challenge

By cHristina alpad ManilaTimes.net

THOUGH she has been in showbiz for more than a decade now, young actress Andrea Brillantes is still eager and energized to take on roles she has never done before. Enter digital series “Drag You and Me” where she plays a ‘drag queen’ for the first time.

“In accepting projects, I always aim to do roles that are different and challenging,” the 20-yearold said in Filipino at a media roundtable.a

“I love watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I find drag queens fascinating so I got excited when they told me I’ll be doing this series. It’s also my first time to hear of this concept in the Philippines with a young cisgender woman in the lead so it was an easy yes for me when they asked if I want to do it,” she added.

A modern family rom-com drama about drag culture that celebrates love in all of its forms, Drag You and Me revolves around the life of the fearless and fabulous Betty (Brillantes), also known by her drag name Valentine Royale.

Because of her family’s financial situation, Betty ends up joining

Manila Queen Supreme, the grandest drag competition in the country. Her fellow competitors are unaware that she is a woman and not a real drag queen.

Her drag queen dreams get complicated when her friendship with Jason/Shania (JC Alcantara), a male-bisexual drag queen and her fiercest competitor, blossoms into something more. Their journey as young individuals will get even more interesting because of their drag sister and Jason’s mentor, Charlie (Christian Bables), and his indifference towards Betty.

As certified drag fan and follower of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Brillantes said she’s already aware of the difficulties of dressing in drag, which include sitting for hours on the makeup chair.

“I also grew up wearing heels and performing on stage so I kind of knew what I was getting into. But when we did my first lip sync battle for the show, I realized how different it is from just watching.”

Along the way, Brillantes learned that it takes guts to be a drag queen.

“You have to be witty to entertain people. You have to be explosive on stage but don’t do it

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