Paulo Avelino has always made sure that he and his co-stars are comfortable with each other before taking on daring, intimate, and other scenes that are hard to pull off – as seen in his latest series ‘The Alibi.’
In ‘The Alibi,’ Avelino stars as Vincent Cabrera, a journalist and an heir to a news empire who was accused of murdering his rival Walter Cunanan (Sam Milby). This leads him to seek help from Stella Morales (Kim Chiu), a highly-paid escort to clear himself from the accusations.
Since the crime thriller includes Avelino and Chiu doing daring scenes, the actor said that both of them would still get embarrassed doing it, despite the fact that they’re comfortable with each other.
‘Maraming ilangan moments because when you enter a set as a professional actor and you have scenes na medyo delicate, lagi mong iniisip ang co-actor or co-actress mo kung komportable sila like with Kim and Sofia,’ he said at a media con in Quezon City, while also referring to Sofia Andres who stars as his onscreen wife.
‘Minsan, ‘yung sumasayaw si [Kim], medyo naiilang at natatakot ka para sa eksena and para sa sarili mo. Pero kung scenes namin ni Sofia, natatakot ka kung nasasaktan dahil ‘yun ‘yung instruction sa director and nakasulat sa script,’ he continued.
(There are a lot of awkward moments because when you enter a set as a professional actor and you have delicate scenes, you would always think of your co-actor or co-actress if they’re comfortable around you – like Kim and Sofia. Sometimes, if Kim would do her dance, you would feel embarrassed and scared for the scene and for yourself. But for my scenes with Sofia, I’m worried if I might hurt them because it is the director’s instructions and it is what we’re asked to do in the script.)
This is why Avelino makes it a point to engage in a conversation with his co-stars to break the ice between them.
‘D’un ako naiilang kung along the way sa proseso kung nae-alienate, nasasaktan, or kung nararamdaman ng ka-eksena ko kung nababastos ko sila. As much [as I can], I try my best to talk to them first a bit or show them what I do,’ he said.
(That’s where I get awkward in the process if I might end up alienating, hurting, or making my co-star feel that I’m taking advantage of them. As much as I can, I try my best to talk to them first a bit or show them what I do.)
Agreeing with her leading man’s remarks, Chiu said ‘The Alibi’ may be their fourth project together, but they would always make sure to coordinate and be professional when it comes to taking on such scenes.
‘Wala naman sigurong hindi maiilang kung gan’un. Of course, may ilangan pa rin. Kahit pang-apat na project namin ‘to ni Pau, pero iba-iba kasi ang ginagawa namin. Iba-iba ang intensity kaya nakakahiya. Mukha lang kaming [kumportable] sa screen pero napakdami naming [awkward] moments, pero professional ang bawat isa sa’min,’ she said.
(It’s hard to say that you don’t feel embarrassed. Of course, we feel that. Even if this is Pau and I’s fourth project together, we do different things. There are different intensities. This is why it’s embarrassing for us. We may look comfortable on screen but we have a lot of awkward moments. But we do our best to stay professional.)
‘The Alibi,’ which is currently streaming on Prime Video, also stars John Arcilla, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Rafael Rosell, Irma Adlawan, Alma Moreno, Robbie Jaworski, Angelina Cruz, and Alyanna Angeles. /edv