Like many Filipinos, Bretman Rock had also dreamed of becoming an artista.
The 24-year-old social media superstar revealed that he had imagined himself auditioning for Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) and Star Circle Quest, two popular ABS-CBN reality shows, before moving to Hawaii when he was seven years old.
"I was always auditioning in PBB in my head… And I also have that Star Circle Quest era, too," Bretman Rock recalled.
He continued, "I was like watching all of that. I feel like every Pinoy dreamed of being an artista one day in their life so obviously [it was the same for me]."
While he wasn't able to push through with the auditions, Bretman already felt that he was an artista growing up.
"I was such a delusional kid so honestly, to answer your question, I’ve always thought I was an artista even though I wasn’t."
But now that he's achieved social media superstar status, who would he pick to play him in a biopic if an opportunity comes?
Bretman answered, "Girl, you know, my Leo ass would say, 'I'm gonna cast myself. F*ck! 'Coz who gonna play me?'
"This is truly what I mean by representation. I truly can't even think of any queer Filipinos in the industry in Hollywood right now."
The Internet personality quipped, "Maybe Dolly de Leon. She'll play me, girl!
"Miss Dolly de Leon, girl, I'm hiring you to play Bretman Rock."
Read: What's Bretman Rock's tampo against Philippine showbiz?
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) and select members of the press caught up with Bretman at the launch of his first memoir You're That Bitch: & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself on March 1, 2023.
The event, organized by W Talent, was held at XO 46 Heritage Bistro in S Maison, Conrad Hotel, Pasay City.
BRETMAN: MORE REPRESENTATION
Bretman is serving as an inspiration to the younger generation, especially for representing Filipinos—and even Southeast Asians—in western media.
Throughout recent years, Bretman has achieved several noteworthy accomplishments, such as becoming the first gay male to grace the cover of Playboy, featuring in the YouTube series 30 Days With: Bretman Rock, and starring in his own reality program titled MTV Following: Bretman Rock, which has been one of his most significant undertakings thus far.
In December 2022, he received the Digital Influencer Award during Character Media's Unforgettable Gala for being "his true self and outspoken for the API and LGBTQ communities as he encourages his millions of followers and beyond to be their best selves without fear of judgment."
In his acceptance speech, Bretman talked about Filipino representation and growing up watching shows on TFC.
He said, "I was gonna stand here and lie to you guys that I never saw myself on TV. But that would be a lie because my mom only really watched TFC growing up.
"So everything I absorbed on TV was Filipino people. So, I was always seeing myself on TV.
"So yeah, that's why when people say like, 'I never saw myself on TV.' Girl, change the channel!'
Bretman recalled this at his recent press conference and said he continues to stand by his statement.
He told the press, "I really do genuinely mean it when I said change the channel when you can because my mom did not let me change the channel, girl.
"It was always on TFC so I know what’s up."
Asked about his favorite shows on TFC, Bretman revealed, "I watch a lot of… my favorite ones were Mara Clara, duh?!
"Both of the versions actually, with Judy Ann [Santos] and the one with Kathryn Bernardo.
"And then, my favorite one before I moved to America, this is so random ya’ll, Super Inggo was really in at that time.
"Mind you, I was 8 years old so yeah… Like, bear that in mind.
"So yeah, I was obsessed with Super Inggo and also obviously, with Showtime at that time. ASAP, all that girl! I watched all of them."
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