Ken Chan reveals Winnie the Pooh was his inspiration for Boyet on ‘My Special Tatay’

Ken Chan received many praises when he played Boyet on “My Special Tatay.” Who would have thought his inspiration for the role was the well-loved childhood character Winnie the Pooh?

In an interview with Paolo Contis on YouTube, Ken said he reached a point where he cried in frustration because he couldn’t portray the character well. 

“Yung mga boss natin, ilang beses nilang pinaulit yung screen test. Kinakabahan ako kasi akala ko ay papalitan na ako kasi ‘di ko makuha kung paano yung tamang timpla ng disorder ni Boyet,” he said.

“Umiyak ako mag-isa. I was very disappointed sa sarili ko nung mga panahon na ‘yon kasi ‘di ko mabigay nang tama sa mga boss, maipakita kung ano yung tamang character.”

Looking to feel better, he decided to watch a movie and “Christopher Robin” happened to be it.

“Pinapanood ko si Boyet, ‘ito si Winnie the Pooh,’” he recalled saying. “Matanda na si Winnie the Pooh pero may puso siya ng isang bata. Masaya na siya sa lobo, sa mga simpleng bagay.”

“’Yon yung mali ko. Nung ginagawa ko yung screen test para kay Boyet, nag-iisip bata ako. Hindi pala. Dapat isipin ko, may puso ako ng isang bata.”

And alas. He did a screen test again and got the approval of everyone for the role.

“Stinudy ko talaga si Winnie the Pooh,” he said. “Binigay namin sa taas sa executives, perfect. Sabi nila, ‘ito ‘yon’ pero ‘di nila alam yung kwento,” he added, laughing.

“My Special Tatay” tells the story of Boyet, who had a mild intellectual disability and became a father. It was shown on GMA-7 in 2018. He starred together with Rita Daniela. — LA, GMA Integrated News