Mike with daughters Priscilla and Victoria
Mike Tan couldn’t quite put into words how fatherhood changed his life. But if there’s one thing it has taught him, he said, it’s selflessness.
“There were big changes in my life and my priorities. It’s no longer just about me. When I go out [to work] I think about other people. I’m not only providing for myself, but for my growing family,” he said in a virtual conference for his ongoing afternoon soap opera on GMA 7, “The Seed of Love.”
Mike and his nonshow biz wife, Cris, have two daughters: Victoria, 4 and Priscilla, 3. “I’m constantly thinking about them… I think about their future. I wonder about the right way to raise them. I think about the values I want them to have as they grow up,” he said. “They motivate me. They’re the ones I always look forward to after working.”
“I also think about which school I have to send them to in the future… about their tuition!” the 36-year-old actor said, laughing.
Mike Tan
Not his first time
Mike is no stranger to playing father roles. But actually being one, he said, added depth to his performance in “The Seed.”
“I have been doing this for a while—even back when I didn’t have a family yet. At first, I couldn’t fully relate to the father roles I played. I had to draw emotions from somewhere else. But now, I feel like there’s more depth to my portrayals because I’m now a family man,” he said.
“It’s different when you have actual personal experiences—you can just tweak them a little for the role,” he added. “You have a more nuanced understanding of the character. You have more experience, a bigger inventory of emotions to tap into.”
And his improvement didn’t go unnoticed. The show’s director, Ricky Davao, couldn’t help but admire Mike’s growth.
“I have worked with Sir Ricky as a director and a coactor. My goal was to show him the improvements I have made. I’m really thankful that he appreciated my efforts. This time, I was able to relate to each scene I did,” he said. “I feel like I have matured a lot.”