Check out Francine Diaz’s transformation as Thea for “Bola Bola”

Before iWantTFC’s original series “Bola Bola” premieres this March 26, lead star Francine Diaz tickled fans’ excitement with an exclusive look into her transformation as the obese Thea.

In a recent vlog entry, Francine shared the arduous process of making and having to wear a prosthetic fat suit to portray her character, who is mocked for her size but later on shocks everyone with her glow-up.

As seen in the video, the fat suit is a three-dimensional prosthetic makeup, which requires covering Francine’s entire body and the whole face even. The team started by protecting her hair with a bald cap, followed by making the face cast. Only the nostrils weren’t covered, so the only thing she could do was breathe through her nose. “Bawal na ako magsalita sa part na ‘to para hindi masira ‘yung hulma kaya in-instruct ni Ate Chona na mag-thumbs up and down kapag sasagot,” she says in the caption.

The material felt cold on the skin and the team said other artists usually panics, especially those who are claustrophobic. But Francine was calm throughout. “Na-enjoy ko ‘yung experience and na-feel kong safe ako sa buong process dahil sa pag-alaga nila, kaya thank you po sa buong team,” she adds in the caption. After molding her face, the same process was repeated on her body.

But that doesn’t end there. The video cuts to Francine now wearing the fat suit underneath her costume. The artist put the prosthetics on her face using a special adhesive to create an illusion of chubbier cheeks and double chin. It was then polished by makeup. Francine said it was the same artist who did her fake wounds in Kadenang Ginto and The Blood Sister.

Her co-stars seem impressed with her transformation. There has to be some playful bullying between her and Akira Morishita, of course. We also got to see the other cast members KD Estrada, Ashton Salvador, and Analain Salvador throwing lines with her.

The young actress got a birthday surprise on the set, and a few days later, it was Ashton’s turn to celebrate.

Make it a summer to remember with “Bola-Bola,” based on the book by Anna Geronga, starting March 26 on iWantTFC.