Seb Castro Explained

Sebastian Castro
Birth Name:Benjamin Brian Castro
Birth Date:22 December 1989
Birth Place:Oceanside, New York, U.S
Other Names:Seb Castro, Brian Castro
Occupation:Actor, singer, online personality
Years Active:2013–present

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.

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

Born 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

On 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.

Castro has landed several major product endorsements in SouthEast Asia, including Jollibee, Pantene Hair, and Sun Cellular.[14] He was featured among the Philippine Cosmopolitan Bachelors of 2012 and is currently an endorser of Fujifilm, Durex, Cathy Valencia, and Blued.[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

Film

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tuazon. Neil Darius. Cosmo Hunk Sebastian Castro 'Comes Out' on Youtube. Pep.ph. April 14, 2013.
  2. Web site: Pumaloy. Rey. Youtube Sensation Sebastian Castro: I am Gay. Pep.ph. April 14, 2013.
  3. Web site: Ignacio. Alwyn. Sebastian Castro: Out of the Bubble. The Daily Tribune. April 14, 2013. March 20, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130320041557/http://www.tribune.net.ph/life-style/item/11229-sebastian-castro-out-of-the-bubble.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Pumaloy. Rey. Youtube sensation Sebastian Castro: I'm Gay. GMANetwork.com. February 28, 2013 . February 28, 2013.
  5. Web site: Chika. Lex. Ryan Chua at Sebastian Castro, nag-out bilang lovers. pinoyparazzi.com. April 28, 2014 . April 28, 2014.
  6. Web site: Espiritu. Jeffrey. Ryan Chua: Pinoy reporter in London. Yahoo! News. January 16, 2014.
  7. Web site: Acar. Aedrianne. Actor/Internet sensation Sebastian Castro confirms split with TV reporter Ryan Chua. GMANetwork.com. October 6, 2017.
  8. Web site: Paolo Ballesteros in a relationship with Sebastian Castro. Philippine Entertainment Portal. January 1, 2018.
  9. Web site: Have Paolo Ballesteros and Seb Castro broken up?. Inquirer. January 1, 2018.
  10. Web site: Paolo Ballesteros's alleged reason of keeping his relationship quiet with rumored bf Sebastian Castro. NewsFeed. January 1, 2018.
  11. Web site: Paolo Ballesteros and Sebastian Castro end their 3 month relationship. PageOne. January 1, 2018. June 28, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180628140525/http://pageone.ph/paolo-ballesteros-and-sebastian-castro-ends-their-3-month-relationship/. dead.
  12. Web site: Yu. Allen. The Rise of a Filipino Gay Icon. Bakliterati. April 14, 2013. March 17, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130317192140/http://bakliterati.net/2013/03/the-rise-of-a-filipino-gay-icon/. dead.
  13. Web site: Sablan. Mark. Tutorial: Sebastian Castro Demonstrates How To 'Bubble Pop'. Coconuts Manila. April 14, 2013.
  14. News: San Diego Jr. Bayani. Meet the Boy in a Pink Bubble. Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 10, 2013 . April 14, 2013.
  15. News: James Reid's experimental style in photography. The Philippine Star. January 1, 2018. July 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180730210033/http://manilastandard.net/lifestyle/young-life/271532/james-reid-s-experimental-style-in-photography.html. dead.
  16. Web site: Faicol. Beatrice. Get woke to Sebastian Castro on Blued Live. teammag.ph. October 3, 2017.
  17. Web site: Alvarez. Mark. Sebastian Castro: The Hunky Pastelist. RPA Style. April 14, 2013.
  18. Web site: Tamayo. Frank. "4 Days"- A film on fumbling through first love in the closet. teammag.ph. August 27, 2017.
  19. Web site: Ilaya. Felix. Pelikula ni Mikoy Morales na '4 Days' magkakaroon na ng commercial release. gmanetwork.com. October 12, 2017.
  20. Web site: Macarayan. Macky. The Waiting Game: A review of Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.'s "4 Days". cinemuralla.wixsite.com. August 21, 2016 . August 21, 2016.