Nathan Lopez is happy, but not gay

NATHAN LOPEZ has four sisters and a twin brother. Why is this fact so significant?

By Aprylle Liabres (Contributor)

Published: Tue 16 Jan 2007, 11:06 AM

Last updated: Mon 17 Apr 2023, 9:00 AM

Well, it’s because the 15-year-old actor, who distinguished himself in the internationally-acclaimed indie film ....

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), says he turned to his four sisters for inspiration on how to convincingly portray a gay teenager.

Nathan is straight, but he was so good in his role as Maxi that people speculated he was gay. “I’m not,” says Nathan. “But fortunately, I have four sisters, and everything I needed to know about acting like a girl, I learned from them.”

A story about a homosexual teen torn between his love for a young cop and his loyalty to his family, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros has been screened in various film festivals abroad, including the Berlin International Film Festival (where it won a trophy for Best Feature Film), the Las Palmas Film Festival in Spain (where Nathan won Best Actor honours), the Montreal World Film Festival (where the film bagged the Quebec Golden Zenith Award for Best Picture) and the Asian Festival of 1st Films in Singapore, where it was named Best Film.

There are reports that the film will be the official entry of the Philippines to the Oscar race for Best Foreign Film in March 2007.

At first, Nathan’s family had second thoughts about him playing a gay teen. But when they read the script by Michiko Yamamoto, they relented. As it turns out, it was the best decision they ever made as far as Nathan's career is concerned. The excellent reviews he earned for Maximo Oliveros catapulted him into the public eye, and got him the attention of ABS-CBN bosses. Late last year, ABS-CBN offered him another gay role, this time as Kim Chiu’s best friend, in the primetime drama Sana Maulit Muli.

While there are worries that he might get typecast in gay roles, Nathan says he doesn’t mind. “Besides, the gay role I’m playing here [in Sana Maulit Muli] is different from the one I played in Maximo Oliveros.”

His role in Sana Maulit Muli called for him to be more gay than he was in Maximo Oliveros. Nathan had to up the intensity of his acting at times. “Our director would tell me, ‘Nathan, your acting isn’t gay enough. Give me more!’ So I had to try harder. The fact that I have four sisters certainly helped.”