Kim Chiu willing to be a dead man’s wife–for her family

Kim Chiu

Actress Kim Chiu, lead star of Chito Roño’s latest horror-thriller “The Ghost Bride,” said that she would not mind being married to a dead Chinese man if it meant she could save her family from poverty.

“I’m thankful that I’m in show biz. Because of my work as an actress, I can live comfortably and provide for my family’s needs. If I didn’t have work and I’m offered to be a ghost bride like Mayen (her character) at a time when my family is buried in debt and my father is in a critical condition at the hospital, I’d say yes,” Kim told reporters during a recent press conference held in Manila’s Chinatown.

“I’d do anything for my family,” declared Kim, who was born in Cebu City to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. She added that she had an interesting talk with her grandmother while making the film. “She told me that she had a cousin who was a ghost bride.”

“Unlike her cousin, my lola didn’t agree to be one because she said that she wanted to have children,” the actress recalled.

Kim explained that in Chinese tradition, a woman married to a dead man had to dedicate herself to the man’s family. She’s expected to light incense and pray in front of the man’s picture every Monday and Friday, and be present in the important events of the man’s family.

“In exchange for her time, she’s given lots of money. My lola said her cousin was able to provide for her nephews and nieces, and even her grand-
children.”

“Her dead husband’s family was really wealthy,” explained Kim. “She was paid the moment she agreed and also got something every month, plus inheritance.”

“The Ghost Bride,” which also stars Matteo Guidicelli, Christian Bables, Alice Dixson and Robert Seña, and begins its theatrical run on Nov. 1, is the 27-year-old actress’ third horror film. She was featured in Topel Lee’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll X” (2008) and Chito Roño’s “The Healing” (2012).

Viewers should watch the movie this Halloween, Kim said, “because aside from being entertained, they will learn more about Chinese culture and tradition, particularly about the little-known practice called Ghost Wedding, which is fast becoming a taboo. They’ll likewise see sequences shot in Nepal depicting Buddhist practices.”