Rodina Singh challenges ‘Die Beautiful’ casting choice: ‘Cast trans people in trans roles’

Casting storm hits “Die Beautiful” musical: Rodina Singh questions trans roles, sparks authenticity debate.

The highly anticipated stage adaptation of the 2016 film “Die Beautiful” has sparked a heated online debate following the reveal of its lead stars.

In a recent announcement by IDEAfirst Live!, “Drag Race PH” alumni Maxie Andreison and Viñas Deluxe were cast to alternate as Trisha Echevarria, a trans character famously portrayed by MMFF Best Actor Paolo Ballesteros in the original film.

Discussions erupted on X (formerly Twitter) after trans director Rodina Singh openly questioned the casting decision in a now-deleted Facebook post. “Interesting. So hindi na trans si Tricia at drag queen na siya, tama ba?” Singh wrote.

She expressed deep frustration over the squandered chance to cast a trans actress, especially in the theater scene—an industry she noted rarely produces material specifically centered on trans individuals.

Driving her point home, she likened the casting to getting Journey rock vocalist Arnel Pineda to play “Mamu” in a musical, referencing the titular role played by trans trailblazer Iyah Mina in the 2018 film “Mamu; And a Mother Too.”

Singh also actively dismantled online arguments defending the production’s choice. Responding to a claim that a trans woman shouldn’t necessarily be cast because the character of Trisha wasn’t “fully transitioned,” the director teased at the logic.

“Half transition pa lang pala pag suso pa lang napakabit,” she tweeted, appearing to sarcastically apologize to those who cannot afford gender-affirming surgeries, noting that they are apparently not considered “trans” under that metric.

“We never stop transitioning. Transness begins as a commitment, and sadly, it’s costly,” Singh wrote in a later Tweet.

When another netizen challenged Singh to name a trans theater performer capable of pulling off the emotionally and vocally demanding story of Trisha, she quickly shut down the doubt by naming trans theater actress Lance Reblando.

“Played Julia in “Walang Aray.” Starred in “Huling El Bimbo.” A f*cking belter. Starring in a Cinemalaya film. An actress,” Singh fired back.

The call for authentic representation was amplified by Akbayan Party-list Representative Perci Cendaña. In a statement reposted by Singh, the lawmaker declared: “Pride is casting trans people in trans roles,” alongside a plea to end trans exclusion in the industry.

Despite the heavy frustrations, the “Dreamboi” director offered a message of comfort to her peers in an earlier tweet: “Hugs to theater dolls. One day makukuha din natin ang pangarap nating trans character ✨.”

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