LA Santos on portraying teen with autism

LA Santos was one of the celebrity storytellers of the recent 2023 Inquirer Read-Along Festival. —EUGENE ARANETA

Actor LA Santos, who plays a high schooler diagnosed with autism in FM Reyes’ dramatic film “In My Mother’s Eyes,” said the greatest lesson he has learned from playing his character was empathy.

“Tim is a special child. He is someone with high-functioning autism. He grew up away from his biological mother (Maricel Soriano) although he was raised well by his uncle (Roderick Paulate).

The film is all about his journey as he discovers how to live his life and to find out what he really wants to become when he grows up. He also wants to be able to bond with his mom now that she has returned to his life after so many years,” LA told Inquirer Entertainment during his visit to the PDI office in Makati City.

LA was one of the celebrity storytellers during the Inquirer Read-Along session held on Nov. 21. Carrying the theme “Celebrating Life Through Stories of Inspirational People,” the event was the first to be held since the pandemic lockdowns. In order to prepare for the role of Tim, LA said he sought help from members of Best Buddies Philippines, a nonprofit group helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “There, I got to meet the moms of children with disabilities, as well as some of the patients themselves. I interviewed them, tried to learn how they manage their day-to-day lives. I got to see the real them and discovered that their hearts are pure. Grabe sila mag-empathize. I’m thankful for this movie because I became more aware of their struggles,” the 23-year-old actor said.

Understanding oneself

LA also attended an acting workshop with award-winning actress Ruby Ruiz, who is also part of the cast. “She taught me that the best way to act is to dig deep into your heart and make the emotion come out naturally. Actually, that’s what Inay Marya (Maricel) kept telling me throughout our shoot—be natural,” he recalled. “Aside from Ms Ruby, I also learned acting from director Jerry Sineneng and actress Gina Alajar. I’m mentioning them now because I also want to thank them. They’re part of the reason I’m still in this industry.”

Meanwhile, LA admitted that he was diagnosed with “mild autism” (Level 1 autism spectrum disorder) himself. “I had speech delay so I attended therapy for years. I was only able to talk at age 7 or 8. I remember feeling very frustrated whenever I wanted something, but wasn’t able to communicate it,” he said. “I’m thankful to my family because, early on, they were able to make me understand that I’m different from other kids my age. They also taught me independence. I think parents should also treat their kids this way—to not hide their kids’ condition from them. Everything starts from within, from understanding oneself.”

Grateful

LA said he is grateful to his mom, who instead of making him study in a school for special children, opted to enroll him in a “regular” public school. LA, however, pointed out that each child is unique and that what works for one child might not be as effective for another. “Studying in a public school worked well for me because I got exposed to children my age, but with different personalities. I became more aware. I learned how to adapt.”

He continued: “Unlike other actors who got to experience being slapped by Inay Marya, I got to push her to the ground for one scene. I was crying as I said sorry to her after doing it, but we both knew that we couldn’t fake it, that it had to look natural. So I guess it’s an honor to be able to push Maricel Soriano to the ground.”

LA also said he saw for himself how “legendary” Roderick is as a comedian. “I would always ask him questions about acting and request for some pointers. For me, Tito Dick is one of the best actors in the country.”

In the future, LA said he hoped to work with Ian Veneracion or Alden Richards in a comedy project. “It’s really my first love. I want to be a Filipino version of Adam Sandler some day, someone who is able to give happiness to people,” he declared.

“In His Mother’s Eyes,” directed by FM Reyes and written by Gina Marissa Tagasa and Jerry Gracio, is produced by 7K Entertainment. The film will be screened in theaters nationwide starting Nov. 29.