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Arjo Atayde praised for portrayal of autism in ‘General’s Daughter’ scene

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/09/05/20190905-arjo-atayde.jpg"/><figcaption>Arjo Atayde, according to fans, captured how a young man with autism would react when confronted with the idea of death. <em>Dreamscape</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>It&#x27;s a difficult thing to do, to portray a man with autism. There are a lot of pitfalls actors can fall into, some of which could possibly reinforce negative stereotypes about those with the disability.</p><p>But it&#x27;s clear that star Arjo Atayde did his research and put in the work needed to nail the role of Elai in &quot;The General&#x27;s Daughter&quot; when, in Wednesday&#x27;s episode, as his character, broke down and mourned the death of his father. </p><p>Many were touched by Atayde&#x27;s performance in the scene, where he belatedly realizes that his Papang (Emilio Garcia), who was shot at repeatedly by a mystery assailant, had died. </p><p>It was at this point when Elai was first confronted with the idea of grief, and the delay --perhaps brought about by his unfamiliarity with the situation-- only made his meltdown (&quot;Gising na, gising na,&quot; he tells his Papang again and again) more sincere. </p><p>(A summary of the praise for Atayde can be viewed in the video below. To view the actual scene people have been talking about, skip to the 11:23 part of the video)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/epPMY_aZZiI?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>On Twitter Thursday, Atayde wrote that he has read the positive comments fans have been making over the scene. </p><p>&quot;I can&#x27;t explain how much I appreciate it. I love you all. Thank you so so so much. I am humbled and because of your love. I will not stop learning! Cheers!&quot; he said. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Your comments are overwhelming! Got emotional as I read through comments last night.. I can’t explain how much I appreciate it.. I love you all thank you so so so much. I am humbled and because of your love, I will not stop learning! Cheers!</p>— Arjo Atayde (@AtaydeArjo) <a href="https://twitter.com/AtaydeArjo/status/1169527083015344130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2019</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Prior to the airing of the teleserye early this year, Atayde had spoken about how he went and <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/01/22/19/he-breaks-my-heart-arjo-atayde-earns-raves-for-nuanced-portrayal-of-autism">visited people with autism</a> to learn how to properly portray them onscreen.</p><p>He also said that it became his nightly habit, before going to bed, to watch videos and movies about the disability. </p>

<p>Arjo Atayde, according to fans, captured how a young man with autism would react when confronted with the idea of death.</p>

Arjo Atayde, according to fans, captured how a young man with autism would react when confronted with the idea of death.