In the acclaimed movie, “Quick Change”, they had real transgenders and transwomen like Mimi Juareza and Kevin Balot. Why didn’t they use them in the show? “May balak kaming gawin yan,” says the show’s director, Don Michael Perez. “Mahaba pa naman ang itatakbo ng show.”
“I talked to some of them at yung iba sa kanila, mas mukhang babae pa kaysa tunay na babae. And I learned a lot from the experiences they shared with me,” says Ken. “Kasi ang character ko rito, alam na niya since childhood na he’s a woman trapped in a man’s body. So ang acting and projection ko rito, hindi basta bading lang, kundi babae talaga. I had to wax off all my body hair to be credible in the role. I also underwent a sensuality workshop with the guys I will be working with in the story: Fabio Ide, JC Tiuseco, Jeric Gonzales and Ken Alfonso. Mga touching-touching exercise so we’d be more relaxed with each other. No kissing, no touching of private parts dahil hindi rin naman puede as this is an afternoon show, not a gay movie.
How does his non showbiz girlfriend react to him when he’s in drag? “Natatawa siya. Sabi niya, mas maganda na raw ako sa kanya.” “Destiny Rose” starts airing this Monday after the hit “Buena Familia”. It also stars Manilyn Reynes as Ken’s supportive mom, Joko Diaz as his dad who can’t accept he’s gay, Sheena Halili as his kind elder sister, Fabio Ide as the foreigner who falls in love with him, Michael de Mesa as a rich old gay who’ll help him transition to become a woman, Jeric Gonzales as his first love, Katrina Halili as his ambitious cousin who’ll steal his boyfriend, Jackielou Blanco as Katrina’s mom, JC Tiuseco as Katrina’s BF, Irma Adlawan as Michael’s villainous sister and Ken Alfonso as her son who also falls in love with Destiny Rose.
