You’ve seen his videos as Boyet, a young man with mild intellectual disability, making rounds online. Perhaps, you or one of your friends have tried acting like his character when you’re horsing around.
Boyet, apart from superheroes and scorned women, is one of the most interesting characters we’ve seen on the small screen this year. The audience loves the character not just because of his innocence but also by the way Ken Chan breathes life into this TV charmer.
Behind his effective and engaging screen acting, which best describes Ken’s portrayal of the young man, is hard work and dedication. In fact, the actor admitted that he even imbibes the nuances of his character even he’s no longer on the set.
It’s not the first time that it happened to Ken. When he played Destiny Rose, he admitted that there were instances that he was still in character although he was no longer taping.
“I guess it’s normal. It only means one thing, it means that you care about and love the character you portray,” he told Manila Standard in an interview.
But between Boyet and Destiny Rose, Ken was sure that both characters are difficult to portray but he exerted more effort on the latter.
“When you play a transgender character, it requires physical changes. You need to look and move like a woman. Boyet, the mentally challenged character I’m playing now is more difficult. As an actor, it would be much easier for you to play the character if there will be physical changes,” he shared.
“They made me wear wigs and high heels in Destiny Rose, they made me look sexy and beautiful. It helped me internalized that I was a woman. But in Special Tatay, walang changes including my hair. I didn’t have an outlet to show the audience that it’s a different character I’m playing. I have to deeply internalize. I have to convince the audience that I have a mental disability by simply acting like one, which is really difficult,” he added.
In our conversation with the actor, he shared that he had to sit down with GMA executives, the creative team and the director of the series several times to perfect their way of presenting Boyet.
One of their challenges was to make Boyet a believable character, a young man who is mentally challenged — mild intellectual disability to be exact.
“Hindi kami pwedeng lumagpas sa severe, or bumaba sa mild. We have to be precise in depicting a person with such condition,” he said.
He further added that they were worried because they didn’t want to be bashed online or hurt any parents who have children like Boyet. Hence, they consulted professionals to ensure the character is not misrepresented.
“Napaka sensitive ng role, we have to sit down to talk about the character and do screen test several times, too, to study Boyet. My journey in portraying Boyet is really difficult compared to the challenges I had to face playing a transgender woman in Destiny Rose,” he revealed.
But with the feedback Ken is getting from the critics and the viewers of the series, the hard work is all worth it. The character has made him a better actor, too.