From a trickle that turned into a
flood, the amount of boy’s love media that Filipinos have access to has become
something that cannot be ignored. At first only seeing imported BL programs,
local producers have started churning out their own works too. And as
mainstream TV programming might still be uncomfortable with airing series
featuring guys falling in love, these productions have made themselves at home
with streaming platforms. Shows like “Gameboys” and “Ben x Jim” are freely
viewable on the YouTube pages of their creators, The IdeaFirst Company and
Regal Entertainment, respectively. But critics have pointed out how the media’s
boy-lovers tended to be portrayed by straight guys.
Inquirer.net reports that “Ben x Jim” co-lead actor Jerome Ponce
has something to say about viewers of boys love series who believe that such
love pairings should be played by genuine members of the LGBT+ community. Asked
about his opinion during a recent Regal Entertainment press event, Ponce notes
that he always gives his best in whatever role he plays, even in his “Ben x Jim”
character of Jim Alcantara, and he does not need to be LGBT+ himself in order
to channel the characterization of a gay man properly.
“The reason we are called actors
is that we are capable of not just pretending to be the character, but also of
feeling it and living it,” says Ponce, who also happens to have past gay roles
under his belt. When this was pointed out during the media gathering, the Kapamilya
actor elaborated that he wanted to play as many varied roles as he could during
this stage of his acting career, though he was surprised at how big his latest
show, alongside Teejay Marquez, has become on online streaming. Marquez adds
that there will always be those who will bash how they do things, but that they
can deal as part of their jobs.
Regal Entertainment’s “Ben x Jim”
ran seven episodes on YouTube, premiering from October to November 2020. In a
way, it shares similarities with The IdeaFirst Company’s own BL series “Gameboys,”
in that the lead characters ended up coming together with the COVID-19 pandemic
as a catalyst. In the former’s case, it is about Ben Mendoza (Marquez), who is
stuck at home during the pandemic and unable to graduate college, and his reunion
with childhood friend Jim (Ponce), who returns from living in Davao to wait things
out. Positive reception to the series led to Regal Entertainment announcing a
sequel, “Ben x Jim Forever,” on January 16. It premiered on Regal’s YouTube channel this February 12.
Image from Philippine Entertainment Portal
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