Rita Daniela turned emotional as she reflected on her portrayal of Aubrey in the 2018 GMA Afternoon Prime series ‘My Special Tatay’, describing the role as one of the defining highlights of her 20-year showbiz career.
Rita starred opposite Ken Chan in the hit drama, which boosted their loveteam’s popularity at the time.
“Mahirap siyang alisin sa puso ko… Si Aubrey naman napapaiyak ako,” Rita said, calling the character iconic before breaking down in tears.
She added, “Aubrey opened a lot of doors for me. Hindi rin po biro yung nabuo namin ni Ken.”
Looking back on her two decades with GMA Network, Rita cited multiple milestones that shaped her career.
One of her earliest breakthroughs was winning the singing talent search ‘Pop Star Kids’, which aired on QTV.
“Of course, yung nanalo ako [sa] Pop Star Kids. One year din po tumakbo ‘yung competition. Dahil doon, talagang nagbukas ng doors for me. Yung napapanood ko lang si Ms. Regine ‘tapos, nakakasama ko na sila sa stage,” she recalled.
But it was her portrayal of Aubrey that left a particularly deep imprint on her.
“She’s very iconic. Mahirap siyang alisin sa puso ko,” Rita said.
“Of course, Aubrey opened a lot of doors for me. Hindi rin po biro yung nabuo namin ni Ken [Chan]. Of course, deserve din naman ma-mention yung tao kasi ibang klase yung rapport na nabuo namin, yung chemistry, the projects that we did together, and people love them. Of course, I’m very, very grateful for that.”
Even years after the series ended, clips and memes from ‘My Special Tatay’ continue to circulate online—something Rita views positively.
“Masayang-masaya ako. Ang ibig sabihin po nun ay nagampanan ko nang maayos at matiwasay ang trabaho ko bilang artista at bilang aktres. Sobrang happy lang ako. Hindi ko po siya tinitingnan as a negative thing. You know, it’s been a lot of years na ang nagdaan pero yun pa rin ang tawag sa akin, ‘yun pa rin ang kilala sa akin.
“Masaya po ako dahil ang tagal na po siyang hindi napapanood, pero nananatili po sa puso nila si Aubrey. It means na she’s not just a character. She really, really touched the hearts of the people na nakilala siya doon sa palabas na yun.”
Rita also highlighted her time on the Sunday variety show ‘All-Out Sundays’ as another career milestone.
“Of course, my AOS family, they will always be part of the highlights of my career. Sila yung kasama ko sa loob ng ilang taon. Every Sunday kami nagpe-perform. Hindi lang siya work, e, I really gained a lot of family and friendships there. That’s very, very important for me.”
