He was the playwright behind "Bawal Tumawid, Nakakamatay", one of the plays selected to be produced on stage in the seventh edition of Virgin Labfest (VLF). His rise to fame started in the movie scene when he played the lead role in the film Last Supper Number 3 which received the MTRCB Awards Best Comedy Film for 2010 and Cinemalaya 2009 Best Film.[9]
Paras was involved in arts since age 12, when he began writing stage plays and scripts, particularly for school plays.[12] As he later revealed in an interview, at that age, he once auditioned to be part of the group Smokey Mountain.[13]
Paras later admitted he knew being gay as early as age 4.[10]
Before becoming an actor, he used to be an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) as a HOTEL LOUNGE SINGER in a lounge group named CICADA where they used to perform in Grand Hyatt Seoul, South Korea and Grand Hyatt Beijing, China. He worked abroad for several years until they disbanded.[14]
Career
Music career
Paras was the vocalist of the band, The Groove. Later, he had his own, Dash, which performed even abroad.[10]
Theatrical career
Paras had his theater career since his college years; at age 17, he was accepted for a theater course in Tanghalang Pilipino (TP),[10] the theater guild of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.[2] At that time as well, Paras worked as an acting coach and a workshop facilitator for children in TP and the El Niño de Salambao Academy.[12]
Prior to entering the film industry, Paras began his acting career as a stage actor from TP.[2][5] He later joined numerous productions,[10] eventually being noted with his performance in the 2006 rerun of the musical version of a comic character entitled Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal.[2][4][10][11]
In the Aliw Awards of 2008, he was named Best Stage Actor in a Straight Play[5] for Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao at ang Habal-Habal sa isang Nakakabagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte, a Virgin Labfest play. He wrote another play, Bawal Tumawid, Nakakamatay.[2]
After doing so in theater plays,[7] he also wrote and directed films and had joined local film festivals;[12][1] he reportedly created about three full length films and almost thirty short films.[6] His works include:
Wala na Bang Ibang Title?, a full length[6] indie socio-political film which he first wrote and directed,[7] and was a 2014 Quezon City International Pink (Film) Festival entry.[7][6] For the film, his mentors, fellow directors Deramas and Soxie Topacio, played the lead roles.[7]
Ang Kaibigan ni Imaginary F., in 2020,[12] was the first to join five international film festivals, claiming awards, prior to being an entry for Sinag Maynila film festival.[6]
Igib, in 2020, was also eventually featured in various film festivals. It was featured in India and in North Macedonia, where Paras won his first best director award in the FilMay International Short Film Festival.[12]
Television career
Paras had been in the entertainment industry; at age 12, Paras first appeared on television through GMA-7Bulilit Show and an episode of Dear Teacher on IBC-13.[7]
An advocate for local theater and film actors, Paras founded the Teatro Expedicion de Filipinas,[17] an organization supporting new young actors from underprivileged areas,[17] providing free acting workshops,[10] and staging original theater works;[2] as well as the Powerhouse Ensemble which offers free production training.[17]
Later life and death
In 2016, Paras revealed in an interview having a heart condition,[18] which he said in another interview in 2020 his main reason to temporarily leave the entertainment industry.[1] He underwent his first angioplasty operation by then.[1]