Paulo Avelino ‘proud’ of Kim Chiu in ‘The Alibi’

MANILA, Philippines — Two years after first teaming up on Prime Video’s infidelity-themed drama “Linlang,” Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu return to the streaming platform with the ABS-CBN Dreamscape-produced mystery-thriller “The Alibi,” which starts streaming today.

In between those two projects, KimPau — as their onscreen pairing is now called — did romantic comedies: the “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” Pinoy adaptation and the “My Love Will Make You Disappear” movie.

Asked to define their partnership at this point, Paulo said in an exclusive interview with The Philippine STAR, “I would describe it as more mature than usual partnerships or love teams.

“Matagal-tagal na rin kami ni Kim Chiu sa industriya at marami na rin kaming natutunan. Although the thing with acting is, like any other craft or job, you never stop learning.

“Especially here, because I think acting is… you always discover something new about yourself. And when you discover something new about yourself, parang naa-apply mo rin siya sa mga characters na ginagawa mo.”

Kim agreed, saying that what makes their team-up click is their shared passion for the craft.

“I think our partnership — wow, mayabang, pero ibato nyo kahit ano sa’min, kaya siguro namin (laughs),” she said.

“We share the same passion na gusto namin yung acting, gusto namin ma-improve yung last project namin. Nakakatuwa din magkaroon ng ganong klaseng katrabaho na same as you na hindi tinatamad gawin yung nakasulat sa script,” she said.

“Minsan gusto niya pa more, more, more. So syempre, oh my gosh, I have to keep up! So parang dapat galingan ko pa.”

The actress also admitted that working with Paulo has pushed her to unlock sides of herself she didn’t realize she had.

“Minsan na-sho-shock ako na, hala, kaya ko pala ‘yun. Marami akong mga na-open na talents na nagagawa ko pala na nali-limit ko lang yung sarili ko before. But now — unstoppable na siya,” Kim shared.

In “The Alibi,” Kim plays Stella Morales, a bar entertainer and escort — a role that took her far outside her comfort zone.

Sharing her preparation for the series, which was shot entirely in Cebu, she said, “Actually, yung tinitingnan namin sa Cebu City, ano talaga siya, these are bars (along Mango Avenue).

“May times na sumisilip ako, ano ba nangyayari? Pag nakita mo yung mundo nila, oh my God, ito pala ‘yon.”

‘The Alibi’ cast includes Robbie Jaworski and Angelina Cruz.

But what drew her most to the character was the chance to show a different kind of struggle and strength. “Gusto ko siyang i-play kasi gusto kong ipakita sa mga tao na may kanya-kanya tayong mga battles sa buhay. ‘Sadyang kinapos lang kami at kailangan naming ibenta ang sarili, ang katawan, para mabuhay,’” she explained.

“That in the life of one person, it’s really just about survival. Kung ano yung kaya mo sa mga panahon na meron ka. Makikita mo dito yung mundo sa likod ng pagsasayaw — yung struggle ng isang taong nagbebenta ng aliw at ano talaga ang pinagdadaanan nila.”

Kim, who is known for her dancing background, had to train in pole dancing for the role. “Sa pagsasayaw naman hindi na siya bago sa akin kasi nag-a-‘ASAP’ naman ako, pero nag-aral din ako ng pole dancing para dun sa eksena namin,” she said.

“And this is far from my comfort zone — like super far! Ito na yata yung pinaka-konting damit na nasuot ko. Kahit sa hand-carry kaya ko na! But very exciting.”

When she finally watched herself dancing onscreen, even she was surprised. This risqué dance number, which took roughly half a day to film, was teased in the trailer that has since accumulated millions of views across Prime Video’s platforms.

Kim said, “I was able to watch it at the special screening, oh my gosh, is that me? Ako ba ‘yon? So yun, na-proud ako.”

The cast and crew of ‘The Alibi’ at the red carpet premiere.

It appears that the scene would be the first meeting between Stella and Vincent Cabrera, the character of Paulo.

Paulo said he was impressed by Kim’s courage to take on such a role.

“I’m proud of her dahil may napapakita siyang bago,” he said. “It’s not easy to dance that way with an audience, especially parang sweetheart si Kim kasi ng bayan.”

Paulo, on the other hand, said he has long wanted to play a journalist. “Well, we work for ABS-CBN and parang nakikita rin naman natin,” he said.

“I’ve never got to play a journalist or something similar, so I’ve always wanted to. Lahat ng mga napapanood ko or na-experience ko or mga nakikita ko na gusto kong i-apply growing up, ngayon ko lang talaga siya nagagawa.

“I think if I’m given another chance, another journalist, then I will have to find another way to do it. But for now, parang accumulated kumbaga interpretation ko sa mga nakikita ko as journalists.”

As mentioned, the series was filmed in Cebu, Kim’s hometown.

She said it was a nostalgic feeling staying there for a period of time — this time as an artista.

“Nakakatuwa kasi dun ako lumaki so habang nag-su-shoot kami, ‘Uy, d’yan ako sumasakay ng jeep. Ito yung favorite ko, tinuturo ko sa kanya (Paulo). Pinakain ko siya ng ngohiong, hindi niya naiintindihan. Ano ‘yun? Masarap, diba? Hindi naman siya kumakain ng lechon so yun lang ang pwede kong i-offer.’”

Cast members (from left) Sofia Andres, Sam Milby, Zsa Zsa Padilla and John Arcilla.

They were actually in Cebu shooting a scene when the deadly 6.9 magnitude quake happened.

A few days after, Kim went viral after being spotted buying construction materials herself to donate and help survivors rebuild their homes.

She explained: “Parang wala na akong tiwala sa pagdo-donate-an ko ng pera ko, ano? Ako na lang bumili kasi yung tiwala natin nasusukat na rin talaga, hindi lang sa mga kasama natin kundi pati na rin sa gobyerno. So may trust issues na talaga ako so binili ko na siya tsaka ko siya binigay para hindi na nila magamit yung pera. At saka pang long-term use siya.”

She further lamented the aftermath of Signal No. 4 Typhoon Tino, which unleashed severe flooding in Cebu and left a death toll of at least 140, as of writing — a crisis that brought to focus anew the issue of corruption and substandard flood control projects in the country.

“Ang daming nangyayari ngayon sa Cebu and then nagkaroon ng baha for the very first time after so long, so nakakabahala din syempre and yun sana last na yun na sakuna kasi parang ang dami ng pinagdaanan ng Cebu, yun lang. Sana wala nang mangyayari sa Pilipinas. Ang hirap na, nakakapagod na,” she expressed.

Meanwhile, on a lighter note, Paulo is grateful for the successive projects with Kim, as well as the continued patronage of their viewers. They started 2025 with “My Love Will Make You Disappear,” and now they’re ending the year with “The Alibi.”

Paulo expressed their gratitude to Filipino audiences for their support, given that times are hard.

“I’m very grateful that, you know, a lot of people were able to watch our shows and us in the cinema. We all know how hard it is to release a movie now with ticket prices so expensive, and with everything else so expensive. I’m very grateful to everyone who watched us. And nakakatuwa lang na nakagawa pa kami by the end of the year, and it’s totally different. The roles, the genres — it’s like night and day.”

“The Alibi” is now streaming on Prime Video.