Kim on Ryan: Game siya!

MANILA, Philippines — Kim Chiu is back on the big screen several months after The Ghost Bride, her solo starrer which made good at the tills. Moviegoers get a different kind of scare as Kim is paired with Ryan Bang in Star Cinema’s adventure-horror-comedy film, Da One That Ghost Away (DOTGA), opening today in cinemas nationwide.

Kim and Ryan, both Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition alums, are working together for the first time. This is Kim’s first horror-comedy film, while it features Ryan in his first leading man role.

“Ryan deserves the role and he really did his best. Being a leading man feels so surreal for him. I’m so happy for him that he got this break,” Kim says, adding, “This is his movie and he is passionate about this. I know that he has been waiting for this moment and this is it, hindi siya nag-fail. He really gave his all because he wanted to show people what he could offer as an actor. I still remember Ryan’s eagerness to memorize his lines and his willingness to make this a successful movie.”

Kim relates a funny moment with Ryan: “We were the best in doing ad-libs. Direk Tony (Reyes) would sometimes get surprised when we said something that was not in the script. Minsan nasasampal ko si Ryan, pero go pa rin siya, minsan natatawa na lang ako sa hitsura niya parang sinasabi niya, ‘Kim, sandali lang wala kasi sa script yun e!’ It was fun. Game naman si Ryan and he never got mad.” 

But Kim assures Kimerald and KimXi fans that her movie collaboration with Ryan doesn’t mean the end of her team-up with Gerald Anderson and Xian Lim, respectively.

“I don’t think so. I believe that it still depends on the project. We may never know who they would want to pair me up with. In this particular movie, I think Ryan’s role is perfect for him and hindi magiging ganito kakwela yung movie if the cast is different.” 

Kim, who has been in show business for almost 12 years, believes that for celebrities to have staying power, they should not be confined in one box.

“In my case, I’ve already been in different love teams so okay lang that I explore. Ikutin mo kung ano pang pwede. I’m very lucky na napagdaanan ko yun in every stage… yung may ka-love team, ibang ka-love team and being solo,” shares Kim. “Okay ako with any project kasi sa dami ng artista natin swerte ka na if you are chosen. Let’s not be picky but be thankful and happy instead because not everyone is given this kind of opportunity. What’s important is you do your best to make a project successful regardless of who you are working with. I feel lucky that I was able to work with comedians and veteran actors.”

The movie — also starring Maymay Entrata, Edward Barber, Enzo Pineda, Pepe Herrera, Matet de Leon, Cai Cortez, Chocoleit, Moi Bien, Lassy Marquez, Marissa Delgado and Odette Khan — revolves around a paranormal expert wannabe named Carmel (Kim), who teams up with her best friend Jeje (Ryan) in forming a squad of ghost busters with their misfit friends to save the house of her grandmother from being sequestered. Carmel meets a rich architect and dashing eligible bachelor who hires her and her squad to exorcize his house from real malevolent ghosts. Despite their fear, Carmel, Jeje and their squad accept the job. Little do they know that this will entrap them inside the house with extremely pesky and spiteful ghosts, which will send them screaming and running for their lives, and with Carmel ultimately facing the horror of a truth long hidden from her.

“I really enjoyed doing this film and I’m so happy that I’ve been given this project,” says Kim, whose character Carmel is bubbly, a far cry from the serious Mayen in The Ghost Bride and from her doppelganger role in The Healing, which were both horror genre.

DOTGA showcases the versatility of Kim as she excels in almost every genre — from drama to horror to romantic comedy. Kim, however, still feels the pressure and gets butterflies in the stomach whenever she accepts a new project.

“I always get nervous at first, thinking if I will be able to pull it off. But then I always take it as a challenge and I really want to prove that I can deliver.”

The movie also serves as Kim’s departure — albeit temporarily — from the dramatic projects she is known for, most notably the recently concluded Ikaw Lamang ang Iibigin.

Working with comedians like Pepe, Chocoleit and Lassy is a refreshing experience for Kim.

“After this film? Yes, I think I can call myself a comedian,” muses Kim, “Lalo ngayong sinamahan ako ng isang dosenang komedyante. Sa dami nila, ang dami ko ding natutunan na iba-ibang humor.” 

Kim herself is no stranger to doing comedy after having portrayed wacky characters in her past rom-com films like Bride for Rent, Past Tense and Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo.

When it comes to her comedic style, Kim says, “Wala naman. Masayahin lang talaga akong tao at natatawa naman sila sa akin. I just do it on-the-spot.”

“But actually,” she stresses, “doing comedy is more difficult than drama because you have to consider the timing and delivery.”