Benjamin Brian Castro (born December 22, 1989), better known by his stage name Sebastian Castro, is an American actor, singer, and YouTube sensation. He is an internet celebrity with a sizeable following in Southeast Asia.
Sebastian Castro | |
|---|---|
 Castro in 2018 | |
| Born | Benjamin Brian Castro December 22, 1989 Oceanside, New York, U.S |
| Other names | Seb Castro, Brian Castro |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer, online personality |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Castro is most widely known for his viral gay-themed music video "Bubble," which garnered over three million views. "Bubble" brought Castro fame across Southeast Asia, most visibly in the Philippines and Indonesia.[1][2]
Early and personal life
editBorn on Long Island, New York, Castro was raised in both New York and Georgia. At age 17, he was disowned by his parents (both of them Jehovah's Witnesses) for being gay, leading him to finance his education independently in the Savannah College of Art and Design.[3]
Sebastian Castro came out as gay on a Philippine podcast Beki Nights shortly after releasing his viral music video. When asked why he chose to come out on the GMA Network show H.O.T. TV, he responded, "I know there are lots of people out there that are scared to be themselves."[4]
In 2014, Sebastian Castro and former ABS-CBN Reporter Ryan Chua publicly acknowledged their relationship over social media.[5] Castro made the announcement during a trip to London where Ryan was undergoing a masters program from City University of London.[6] After a public four-year relationship, the two separated in September 2017.[7]
In April of the following year, several showbiz outlets romantically linked Castro to actor and TV host Paolo Ballesteros after photos of them together surfaced. Neither ever publicly commented on the rumors. In June, Castro acknowledged that a relationship had ended, but never identified who it was with.[8][9][10][11]
Career
editOn February 14, 2013, Castro's first music video "Bubble" appeared on YouTube, quickly garnering over 3 million views. Bubble further popularized the dance crazy "Bubble Pop," particularly in the Philippines.[12][13] The music video was Sebastian Castro's "coming out." Prior to releasing the homo-erotic Bubble music video, Castro was not publicly open about his sexuality.[2][3]
Castro has landed several major product endorsements in SouthEast Asia, including Jollibee, Pantene Hair, and Sun Cellular.[2][14] He was featured among the Philippine Cosmopolitan Bachelors of 2012 and is currently an endorser of Fujifilm, Durex, Cathy Valencia, and Blued.[2][15][16][17]
After being cast in several minor and supporting roles on TV and Film over the course of five years, Sebastian Castro appeared in his first lead role in full feature film 4 Days (2017), an independent film by Filipino director Adolfo Alix Jr.[18][19]
PLM Film Society heralded the film as "one of the more inventive films of the genre in recent memory," adding "Mikoy Morales and Sebastian Castro complement each other onscreen, Morales with his tough and heartbreaking take on Mark, and Castro filling Derek full of reservations, doubts and an unspoken multitude of feelings."[20]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Voyage | Sebastian | ArtWalker Studios |
| 2015 | Mrs. | Sonny Boy | Independent, FLT Films International |
| 2016 | 4 Days | Derek Hernandez | Independent |
| 2017 | Bar Boys | Atty. Victor Cruz | TropicFrills Film Productions, Quantum Films |
| 2018 | Bakwit Boys | Oscar | T-Rex Entertainment Productions |
| 2018 | Urban Legends | Leon | Independent |
References
edit- ^ Tuazon, Neil Darius. "Cosmo Hunk Sebastian Castro 'Comes Out' on Youtube". Pep.ph. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Pumaloy, Rey. "Youtube Sensation Sebastian Castro: I am Gay". Pep.ph. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ a b Ignacio, Alwyn. "Sebastian Castro: Out of the Bubble". The Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Pumaloy, Rey (February 28, 2013). "Youtube sensation Sebastian Castro: I'm Gay". GMANetwork.com. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ^ Chika, Lex (April 28, 2014). "Ryan Chua at Sebastian Castro, nag-out bilang lovers". pinoyparazzi.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
- ^ Espiritu, Jeffrey. "Ryan Chua: Pinoy reporter in London". Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ Acar, Aedrianne. "Actor/Internet sensation Sebastian Castro confirms split with TV reporter Ryan Chua". GMANetwork.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "Paolo Ballesteros in a relationship with Sebastian Castro". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Have Paolo Ballesteros and Seb Castro broken up?". Inquirer. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Paolo Ballesteros's alleged reason of keeping his relationship quiet with rumored bf Sebastian Castro". NewsFeed. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Paolo Ballesteros and Sebastian Castro end their 3 month relationship". PageOne. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ Yu, Allen. "The Rise of a Filipino Gay Icon". Bakliterati. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Sablan, Mark. "Tutorial: Sebastian Castro Demonstrates How To 'Bubble Pop'". Coconuts Manila. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ San Diego Jr, Bayani (March 10, 2013). "Meet the Boy in a Pink Bubble". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ "James Reid's experimental style in photography". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ Faicol, Beatrice. "Get woke to Sebastian Castro on Blued Live". teammag.ph. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ Alvarez, Mark. "Sebastian Castro: The Hunky Pastelist". RPA Style. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Tamayo, Frank. ""4 Days"- A film on fumbling through first love in the closet". teammag.ph. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- ^ Ilaya, Felix. "Pelikula ni Mikoy Morales na '4 Days' magkakaroon na ng commercial release". gmanetwork.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
- ^ Macarayan, Macky (August 21, 2016). "The Waiting Game: A review of Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.'s "4 Days"". cinemuralla.wixsite.com. Retrieved August 21, 2016.