What MMK taught Arjo about gays

So far, 2014 has been very good to Arjo Atayde. After his latest guesting in the long-running drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) where he played a gay man who took on the task of raising several kids who were abandoned by their biological mother, he was showered with praise from critics and fans alike.

That was something the young actor didn’t expect. For most of the two days he spent taping that MMK episode, he felt that he wasn’t doing a good job as he could have. It was his first time to play a gay character, and in his desire to do so convincingly, he started overanalyzing everything he did — including his own gestures and facial expressions. That made him more self-conscious, making the whole experience more difficult for him than it normally would have been. Arjo was also hesitant about accepting the role because he was unsure about his ability to deliver and he was wary of the negative feedback that he might get. “I was scared kasi lalaki talaga ako and it’s hard to portray a role like that na may mga movements, nuances and tingin na hindi dapat lalaki ang dating,” he explained.

Luckily, he didn’t turn it down because of conflict in his schedule. Through a strange twist of fate, the script eventually made its way back to him. Realizing that he was probably meant to play the role, he finally came on board but made sure he would be ready. As it turned out, Arjo didn’t have to worry too much about his co-actors because he had the good fortune of working alongside two very talented ones on that episode. Assunta de Rossi was cast as the biological mother of the kids adopted  by Arjo’s character while Felix Roco was tapped to play his love interest. The scenes in which they had to be sweet to each other went smoothly because Arjo found it easy to work with him.

“Walang reklamo si Felix. By the time he arrives on the set, alam na niya dialogue niya. Ako kasi, kapag nag-memorize ako the day before, nawawala pagdating ko sa set kaya sa tent na ako nag-me-memorize. Siya, mabilis mag-memorize at hindi nawawala. Very professional siya,” Arjo shares. “Ako naman, may ilang factor pa rin in a way, pero kapag take na tinatanggal ko na yun. Iniisip ko talaga na bakla nga ako. Kakaiba yung pag-internalize ko nun. Hindi kasi pwedeng isang scene lang, you have to internalize the whole time para hindi mawala yung nuances.”

That MMK episode taught Arjo a lot about acting. He learned that sometimes, all it takes to nail a particularly difficult scene is to focus — albeit lots of it — and that hard work and perseverance in the face of a challenge really does pay off. “Solid yung comments ng mga tao. When I checked my phone after the episode had aired, I got a lot of texts from everyone. Nung nakita ko lahat ng messages nila, naiyak talaga ako kasi worth it pala yung pagod. Even my mom (veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez) texted me to say ‘Ang galing mo.’ I got surprised.”

It also taught him a lot about relating to gay people. He now says doing gay roles is something every straight male actor should do because the experience can be rewarding. “After I did that episode, mas minahal ko ang mga bading. Mas naunawaan ko yung struggle nila and what they go through.”

Next for Arjo is a remake of the popular Koreanovela Pure Love where he will be paired with Alex Gonzaga. “I really admire Alex’s personality, to be honest. She’s very fun to be with. Hindi pa naman kami masyadong nagkakasama pero minsan magka-text kami,” he says. But before rumors of a romance between him and his future leading lady can spread, Arjo clarifies, “Puro hi and hello lang kami sa text. Nothing too personal. But as far as I’m concerned she’s a very kind person so I want to build a friendship with her because of that. I’m looking forward to forming friendships with all the people I’ll be working with on this new show.”