‘Drags to Riches’ director feared jokes wouldn’t land but audience delivers laughs

Director Victor Villanueva recalls nerves, cast chemistry, and pushing Elijah Canlas into comedy for his first queer-coded film.

Award-winning filmmaker Victor Villanueva admitted he was running on nerves ahead of the premiere of his first queer comedy film, “Drags to Riches,” largely because, by his own account, he “just played around” while making it.

“I was really nervous,” Villanueva said. “Because, for this film, I tried something different. I wasn’t too serious. I just played around. That’s what I was worried about. Will my ‘play’ translate to the audience?”

In this exclusive interview with radar Entertainment, Victor said he said he found himself praying, before the screening at SM Megamall on Tuesday night, that the film’s loose, playful energy would land. We saw that it actually did. The theater filled with laughter and squeals, exactly the reaction Victor had hoped for.

“After tonight, I was like, at least they got the jokes. At least, they’re happy,” he said. “Because that’s my intention. I just want it to be entertaining. I wanted to show the energy of my cast, and their happiness. I just wanted it to be that fun.”

“Drags to Riches” marks Villanueva’s first queer-coded film, something he described as both exciting and challenging. “I’m also lucky because this ensemble is amazing. They were really committed to this film.”

Much of that commitment translated into an atmosphere of spontaneity on set, especially among the film’s leads Christian Bables, Elijah Canlas, and Inigo Pascual. “All the scenes with the drag artists were fun, too. I like their combination,” he said. “Even off-set, between takes, it’s like the three have known each other for a long time. They’re just very playful.”

So playful, in fact, that not everything made it into the final cut. “There’s a lot of banter in the film, but I had to edit them out because it would become too long,” he said, laughing. “So yes, it’s true—there are deleted scenes.”

For Villanueva, that sense of joy was the whole point. “They’re just having fun. That’s the important thing. They just went along with this craziness of the film.”

The film also marks his first collaboration with Bables, something long in the making. “We’ve been planning to work together for a long time. He’s also Bisaya like me,” he shared. “When we planned this film, I was like, it’s perfect. He and his character suited each other.”

Villanueva had high praise for Bables’ emotional depth. “Christian is such an empath. He talks very in-depth about the character. When he read the script, he cried,” he said. “We talked a lot about how we’re going to do the character. He makes suggestions, and I really appreciate that. In the scenes, he’s very emphatic. He cries easily, he cries fast—because he understands the character.”

Working with Canlas, on the other hand, meant pushing the Gawad Urian-winning actor into unfamiliar territory: comedy.

“I was shy at first,” Villanueva admitted. “This is a Gawad Urian winner, and I made him dance funny and sexy in the film. I told him, ‘I’m sorry if this will ruin your career.”

Canlas, he said, was initially hesitant. “It’s his first comedy. He’s always nervous,” Villanueva said. “But I told him, ‘I’ll take care of you. I’ll mount the scene  in such a way that it will be really funny.’ And I think it worked.”

To ease him into it, Villanueva leaned into humor—even off-camera. “I told him they might take his Urian award after this,” he joked. “But seriously, I said, just push. Feel the scene. Seduce Bables, and he was game.”

Pascual, meanwhile, brought a different kind of energy—one marked by constant self-checking. “It’s my first time working with Inigo. He’s always nervous. He’s always worried,” Villanueva said. “He would message me, saying sorry for this or that.”

His response was simple: reassurance. “I told him, ‘You don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of it. I’ll look out for your performance.’ And he’s effective.”

Together, the trio formed a dynamic Villanueva believes deserves more screen time. “Elijah and Christian have a good tandem,” he said. “I really hope to see these three in more comedy projects like this. I don’t know—but they’re fun to watch.”

“Drags to Riches” is now streaming in all SM cinemas nationwide.

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