In the second run of the original PETA musical “Carepas,” Thou Reyes said he was lucky to land the role of the ill-tempered but loyal drag queen Joni.

“They didn’t offer me this role. I auditioned to be part of the pas. But after the callbacks they offered me the role of Joni. During the auditions ang daming magagaling sa teatro. For them na ikatiwala sa akin itong role na ito, it’s really something. i’m a guest artist here in PETA and they already have so many good artists here. Pero para ibigay sa iyo yung certain character na puwede pa sana nila ibigay sa PETA member pero they entrusted it sayo. Of course if there’s an opportunity like this that comes along you have to jump on it and then do your assignment and work hard on it,” he shared with Push.

Not a stranger to gay roles, Thou said he embraced the role of a gay caregiver working in Israel almost immediately.

“Actually I was really hoping to get something like this. Kasi if I’m going to do drag I want it to be all out. I want it to be something really significant. I want to touch someone’s life. Kung gagawa kasi ng character dapat ganun eh. Yung tatatak sayo, tatatak sa puso, tatatak sa mga taong manunuod sayo,” he revealed.

During the musical, one of the challenges for Thou was having to wear one piece spandex suit, stockings, and even panties onstage. The Star Magic artist admitted he had to make some sacrifices for the role.

“I think pumayat ako just because of the show. Pumayat ako all throughout. I was really working out even when were doing the workshops. Because I knew it was going to be sexy. Pag showgirl ka, dapat babae yung makikita sa iyo. Kilos babae, mukha kang babae, pero ikaw yung parang cartoon. Drag queen is art. So when they said na drag queen, na we are caregivers in the morning and showgirls sa gabi, I had an idea already kasi drag queens are like that. but it wasn’t easy because I’m very hairy (laughs).

“I’m Fillipino-Espanol so yung preparation sa akin, pagkagising ko pa lang everyday especially kung dire-diretso yung schedule ko for the entire week, I needed to shave everyday. It’s not frustrating pero ganun pala yun, nagkakaroon ng damage yung skin mo and you need to take care of your body. Pag two shows in a day, after the first show I need to remove all the makeup and then ibabalik na naman yung makeup sa susunod na show para lang maalagaan yung skin,” he explained.

The actor will also have his hands full this year with incoming projects after Carepas.

“What I know is I’m part of the new movie of Bela Padilla and Jericho Rosales called ‘Luck at First Sight.’ I think it’s going to be shown in May. That’s directed by Dan Villegas so that’s something new. First time ko makakatrabho si direk Dan. Aside from that I’m still waiting for a final confirmation on a new teleserye. I can’t tell anything about the details first kasi wala pa naman siyang nilalatag pa talaga, wala pang kontrata. But I know after doing ‘Carepas’ iba naman yung gusto kong gawin. Kahit na sabihin mong I’ve been doing different gay roles, walang magkakapareho dun sa mga roles na yun. It’s always something totally different,” he said.