KEN Chan has played a transwoman in “Destiny Rose” and a mentally-challenged man in “My Special Tatay”, but he now faces an even more demanding role as a husband with multiple personalities in the new GMA drama series, “Ang Dalawang Ikaw” that will replace “Babawiin Ko ang Lahat” that ends this week.

“The illness is called Dissociative Identity Disorder, a complex psychological condition caused by severe trauma in early childhood like repetitive physical, sexual or emotional abuse,” Ken says. “Masasabi kong isa ito sa pinakamahirap na roles assigned to me by GMA 7. Sabi ko nga, napaka-blessed ko talaga dahil nabibiyayaan ako ng mga proyektong may advocacy. Sobrang challenging niyang gawin kasi hindi lang isang tao ang ginagampanan ko dito kundi dalawa at hindi natin alam dahil baka mayroon pang ibang mga katauhang lalabas. Sa araw-araw na ginagawa namin ang mga eksena, sobra pa rin ‘yung kaba ko dahil talagang mabibigat ang dramatic scenes at madugo pati ang fight scenes.”

No doubt Ken has really come a long way since he was a struggling newbie in “Walang Tulugan” of the late Kuya Germs. “Hindi madali ang mga pinagdaanan ko sa showbiz pero binigyan ako ng pagkakataon ng GMA para buuin ang mga pangarap ko bilang isang aktor. Proud akong sabihin na dahil sa GMA, nakagawa ako ng mga teleseryeng may mga kakaibang istorya at maraming tao ang sumaya at na-inspire. Talagang minahal nila ‘yung mga proyektong ginawa ko. Na-try ko ring maging host in ‘The Clash’.”

One thing with Ken is he knows how to invest his earnings and does not just squander them. He has put up his own gas station and his own restaurant called Made in Wok.

“’Ayokong sayangin ang blessings na binibigay sa akin ng Panginoon, dahil alam Niyang marami akong mga taong matutulungan through my businesses. Naaalala ko noong mga 10 years old ako, sabi ko sa sarili ko na balang araw magkakaroon din ako ng sarili kong gasoline station at restaurant. Nagdilang-anghel nga siguro talaga ako dahil I am very proud to say na naabot ko ‘yung pangarap ko na magkaroon ng sariling gasolinahan.”

He is also thankful that the viewing public has warmly accepted his unexpected RitKen love team with Rita Daniela after they did “My Special Tatay”. They were later paired in “One of the Baes” and became co-hosts in “The Clash”.

“Mag-asawa ang role namin ni Rita sa ‘Ang Dalawang Ikaw’. Merong mga pagkakataon kami ni Rita na we block our own scenes. ‘O, ganito ‘yung gagawin mo, iaakyat mo ‘yung legs mo dito.’ Tapos sasabihin ni Rita, ‘Then ilalagay ko ‘yung kamay ko sa batok mo.’ Sobrang nakakatuwa lang kasi naa-anticipate na namin ang moves ng bawat isa. Importante ‘yun kasi very mature ang roles namin dito and kailangan talaga namin ipakita sa mga eksena namin ‘yung buhay mag-asawa. The show also tackles mental health issues na makakatulong talaga sa viewers lalo ngayong maraming psychologically affected dahil sa pandemic.”

John Lloyd’s comeback still lack details

MAJA Salvador has put up her own talent management agency called Crown Artists Management or CAM, with her boyfriend Rambo Nunez. They have just announced that they will now be managing the career of John Lloyd Cruz, who will make a comeback in showbiz after lying low for almost four years and siring a son with Ellen Adarna.

As Maja announces herself: “The CAMback is REAL. CAM is now in charge of all inquiries about John Lloyd after a long hiatus. We are sure a lot of his fans are anticipating this and the right time has already come. Yes, THE JOHN LLOYD CRUZ is back!”

No one knows yet what his comeback project with Maja will be, whether it’s going to be a teleserye or a movie. If the comeback would be staged soon, then it wouldn’t be a movie as we all know the current moribund state of the local film industry because of the pandemic. Movies are only being shown via streaming channels and they’re not making as much revenue as movies shown in actual theaters before.

But we know that John Lloyd has actually finished an arthouse film, “Servando Magdamag”, written by Ricky Lee and directed by Lav Diaz, which would be shown first in international film festivals. This is John Lloyd’s second film with Lav Diaz after “Ang Babaeng Humayo” where he played a cross-dresser. But these arty films generally do not make money at the box office.

Of course, netizens have quickly made their own comments about Lloydie’s comeback. They said it’s good he is now resuming his career, where as the guy who replaced him in the heart of his former live in partner Ellen Adarna, Derek Ramsay, remains jobless up to now and is only visible in social media where he posts all his activities and photos with his fiancee.