- Arjo Atayde was praised by the Autism Society Philippines for his portrayal as Elai in The General’s Daughter
- The actor expressed his thanks to the group through Twitter
- Ken Chan was also known for the similar character as Boyet in Kapuso series My Special Tatay
Arjo Atayde felt overwhelming happiness after being recognized by the Autism Society Philippines for his portrayal as Elai or Elijah Sarmiento in ABS-CBN’s primetime series The General’s Daughter.
The non-profit organization which is dedicated to the well-being of persons with autism spectrum disorder expressed their appreciation for the actor on Twitter last September 21, Saturday.
“Arjo Atayde’s portrayal of #autism is sensitive and nuanced. The character was well-developed and avoided stereotypical caricatures. Bravo!”
Arjo Atayde’s portrayal of #autism is sensitive and nuanced. The character was well developed and avoided stereotypical caricatures. Bravo! https://t.co/z4MWSwdvZP pic.twitter.com/lqK79SCK6q
— Autism Society Phils (@autismphils) September 21, 2019
Arjo then expressed his thanks to the organization on Twitter for the unexpected praise.
He posted: “I did not expect this!!! Maraming maraming salamat po. it means a lot..it really does..Salamat po talaga”
https://twitter.com/AtaydeArjo/status/1175295523315576833?s=19
Arjo was also praised online after his heartbreaking scene in the September 4 episode of The General’s Daughter wherein Elai dealt with the death of his father.
The 28-year-old actor revealed that his preparation for the role included researching and watching films about autism. He said, “My assignment to myself, yung pampatulog ko every night, I would watch a lot of videos and I would be just studying the character from head to toe if I can.”
Similarly, Kapuso actor Ken Chan also played the role of a young dad who had a mild intellectual disability and mild Autism Spectrum Disorder in the series My Special Tatay which ended this March 2019.
The two actors recently met each other and re-imagined a scene wherein Elai and Boyet crossed paths. Their video went viral online and elicited positive remarks from the netizens.
https://twitter.com/AtaydeArjo/status/1175757170450632710?s=19
Aside from this, the two actors are both closely related to Maine Mendoza. Arjo is the rumored boyfriend of Maine while Ken is her close friend.
Last January, the Autism Society Philippines condemned ‘The Boyet Challenge’ which dared netizens to mimic the mannerisms of the lead character in My Special Tatay.
This social media trend was discouraged by the group as it “sees this as a thinly-veiled instrument of ridicule for those who live with #autism and intellectual disabilities.”
