Esnyr Ranollo has checked off another item on his bucket list after playing a drag queen in iWant’s new vertical microdrama Half Sisters.
As a content creator, Esnyr is known for comedy skits where he plays several characters and changes costumes often. His role in Half Sisters, however, was his first time doing drag for a project. So how did he feel about it?
Esnyr said he had a great time playing Ramon, a manananggal and the sibling of Bianca de Vera’s character, Emily.
“Ano po, sobrang saya nung ano namin,” he said.
He called the experience fulfilling but admitted it was also tiring. The team had only a few taping days, which meant he had to go in and out of drag many times. He had also never done a full drag look before.
“Ano siya, nakakapagod ‘yung day na ‘yun pero sobrang fulfilling kasi never have I ever. Parang hindi ko po talaga in-expect na mag-full drag ako. Like, hindi ko po siya in-expect na magkakaroon ako ng role na mag-full drag,” he said.
Esnyr said he took the role seriously because he wanted to respect the craft of drag artists.
“Kasi first of all, kailangan po natin respetuhin ‘yung trabaho ng isang drag artist. At ayun po, kabado ako sa araw na ‘yun. Siyempre, nag-search ako,” he said.
To prepare, he watched drag performances and asked friends in the drag scene for help in bringing to life Madeline, Ramon’s drag persona.
“Saka nag-a-ask din po ako ng mga drag friends ko na tulungan ako sa mga ganito para lang mabigyan ng justice ‘yung character ni Madeline,” he said.
Esnyr said his biggest inspiration for the role was Marina Summers, from whom he also sought advice.
Marina is one of the most famous Filipino drag queens today. She was the runner-up in the first season of Drag Race Philippines and later represented the country in the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs the World in 2024. There, she reached the top four and was the only contestant to win three challenges.
“I did my research kasi siyempre hindi po easy ‘yung ginagawa nila. At siyempre, ‘yung pinaka-inspiration ko po talaga doon is si Mami Marina Summers, si Queen, the iconic Marina Summers. Ayun, I talked to her, ganyan,” he said.
“At ayun nga po, parang gusto niya nga rin na gawin ako in full drag na siya ‘yung makakagawa. Kaya ayun po. And also, ‘yung gumagawa rin po sa akin is a drag artist also. So habang ginagawa niya po ako, nanghihingi po ako ng advice sa kanya. At grabe, kinakabahan talaga ako noon kasi baka hindi ko ma-pull off. And I hope na-pull off ko siya,” he added.
Esnyr also admitted he felt anxious about the role because he was afraid of getting bashed online. In the end, he said, he chose to simply enjoy it.
“At ‘yun po siguro ‘yung pinaka-fulfilling for me, na nagawa kong mag-perform na, sobra, nga sabi ni Direk kanina, nakaka-anxiety. Kasi baka i-bash ako, ganyan. Pero ayun, I just had fun lang. I just had fun sa shoots,” he said.
He also thanked his co-stars Bianca and Brent Manalo for cheering him on during the long hours of shooting his drag scenes.
“At siyempre, hindi rin mawawala ‘yung support nila Bianca at nila Brent. Andun po talaga sila. Habang tine-take ko po ‘yun, sobrang tagal po nun. Mga hours din po ‘yun. Pero andun sila, nagsu-support, nakiki-cheer din,” he said, adding, “Kaya thank you, guys. Love you.”
Esnyr, Bianca, and Brent were all housemates in Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition. Brent was later named Big Winner together with his duo partner, Mika Salamanca.
Half Sisters is a comedy-horror series about half-siblings Emily and Ramon, who find out they are manananggal, the creatures from Filipino folklore that split their bodies in half and fly at night. Emily has a hard time accepting what she is. Their bond is tested even more when both of them fall for Pancho, a security guard played by Brent.
The series also stars Xyriel Manabat and Petite. It is the first vertical drama from Star Creatives, the production unit behind The Loyalty Game and The Secrets of Hotel 88.
Directed by Julius Alfonso, all episodes of Half Sisters are now streaming on iWant. The first five episodes can also be watched for free on the Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube pages of iWant and ABS-CBN Entertainment.