SINGAPORE — Actor Tay Ping Hui is widely known as a manly man. But what’s a manly man to do when he can’t lift a child? Feel awkward, that’s what.

In the current MediaCorp TV Channel 8 drama World At Your Feet, Tay plays the father of two boys, one of whom is played by 2012 Young Talent Star Award winner Tan Jun Sheng, 11, who is celebrated for his adorably rotund physique.

In a scene where the boy falls ill, Tay’s character rushes him to the doctor’s. But our manly man admitted that he might have underestimated his strength — or rather, the boy’s weight.

“Initially, I was like, ‘All right, lah. How heavy could he be’?” Tay told us as his face darkened. “He’s damn heavy, lah. He’s seriously heavy. He’s like Moses Lim. You zap Moses Lim back 40 years — that’s what you get. I wonder if Moses Lim was like that when he was young.”

Back to the point: “For me to not be able to carry a boy is a big deal. My arms were literally trembling. But it’s like, Mr Macho sh*t, right? So I had to tahan,” Tay said. “In the end, I ended up carrying him on my back because I just (couldn’t carry him in my arms). I (lasted) maybe 30 seconds. So, it was quite awkward because, while he was really heavy, I couldn’t show weakness. And I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

Well, now we know Mr Macho’s Achilles heel: A cherubic child.

Catch World At Your Feet on weekdays at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.