Young male star and Squad Plus Batch 3 member Renshi de Guzman reacted to people who typecasted him as gay or bisexual because of his roles from BL-related projects.
In the media conference for the launch of Squad Plus Batch 3, de Guzman admitted having reservations at first when portraying gay or bisexual characters.
“Nung una po meron eh. Nandun yung iisipin mo na, ‘Ano kaya ang sasabihin sa akin ng ibang tao kapag ginawa ko ito.’ And then, tinanggap ko sya, kasi gusto ko sya gawin.”
However, as he worked on BL-related projects, de Guzman had a realization and gained a better understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Narerealize ko na okay lang. Kahit sabihin man nila na gay ako or bi ako. Okay lang sa akin. Kasi first of all, wala namang mali kung ganon ka eh.
“Walang mali kung gay or bisexual ka. Hanggat wala ka namang ibang tinatapakang tao okay lang yun go lang.”
As time went by, de Guzman grew more secured and comfortable with his identity as a cisgender male.
“And, yun habang tumatagal po narealize ko na okay lang. Kahit anong sabihin nila pagkakakilala nila sa akin. As long as alam ko kung sino at ano ako, okay lang sa akin yun.”
When asked about his interest in portraying intense scenes in BL projects, de Guzman answered, “Open naman po ako sa kahit anong role, as long as napagkasunduan naman po ng management. Okay po sa akin yun. May tiwala naman po ako sa management.”
Although new to the industry, de Guzman already has a plethora of indie and BL projects under his belt, with Bakwit Boys, Class of 2018, In Between (Sa Pagitan ng Kamusta at Paalam), and the 2020 Metro Manila Film Fest entry–The Boy Foretold By the Stars.
Later on, de Guzman became a cast member of Kapamilya teleseryes such as La Vida Lena and Huwag Kang Mangamba.
More recently he was launched by Dreamscape Entertainment and Star Magic via the teen barkada, Squad Plus.
Present alongside de Guzman in the launch event are other Squad Plus members Keann Johnson, Angelica Lao, Danica Ontengco, Margaux Montana, and Raven Rigor.
Follow the teen barkada’s latest vlogs on their YouTube channel.
