Xian Lim on love scenes: Let the body do the talking
Xian Lim
Xian Lim attended an acting and sensuality workshop with costars Coleen Garcia and Nathalie Hart before locking lips with them in their sexy movie, “Sin Island.”
Xian explained that the workshop was created for the three of them “to be more comfortable around each other.”
“There was no touching involved in the session, since it was more about “trying to find that connection with the other (actor),” he added.
“The workshop was first with Coleen, then with Nathalie,” Xian shared with reporters at a luncheon hosted recently by Star Cinema.
“I used to think that Coleen was hard to approach. The workshop destroyed barriers [between us]. It has made me realize that she is one of the coolest and most laid-back persons around.”
“Sin Island,” with Gino M. Santos at the helm, started screening in cinemas nationwide on Valentine’s Day.
“I’m the type who worries too much. Unlike me, Coleen is very relaxed and supportive. I remember that she was snacking on spaghetti and lechon when she was told that it was time for us to do our love scene. She said, ‘Game na ba? Tara!’” the actor recalled.
Xian said Nathalie’s approach to working with him was “quite different.” He explained: “While discussing the film, she had all these ideas in her head that she wanted to share with me. I didn’t know where to position myself.
“But when it came to doing the love scene, we didn’t talk anymore. Everything was unrehearsed and unplanned. We just let it happen and went along with it. We allowed our bodies to do the talking.”
Xian admitted to feeling awkward, especially during their first day on the set. “I had a lot of questions for the creative team, since everything was still very new to me, and I felt uneasy,” he confessed.
“It was good that Direk Gino
and everyone involved were very hands-on—that helped me get rid
of my nervousness. As for the scenes that I had no idea how to execute, they were there for me … It was difficult in the beginning, only because Coleen, Nathalie and I still didn’t know each other’s working styles. Direk was there to facilitate.”
Xian has done a number of screen rom-coms, the last of which was “Everything About Her,” with Angel Locsin in 2016. He has also recently lent his voice to United Kingdom’s most popular bear, in the second sequel of “Paddington.”
The actor considered “going sexy in a film that’s steamy, edgy and dark” as a major shift in his career. However, it was not difficult for him to agree to doing it, he said. “I want to tackle as many roles and characters as possible. As to being more daring in the future, it will depend on the story. Is it going to make me grow as an actor? If yes, then I’d do it in a heartbeat,” Xian stressed.
Luckily, it was not difficult for his supporters to follow that shift. “They’re understanding. They know what I want to achieve as an actor. In terms of how people see me—a good boy—it’s bound to change as I tackle different roles in the future,” he pointed out.
Xian said he has likewise discussed the project with rumored girlfriend Kim Chiu, “but we are the type who don’t meddle with what the other is doing at work. We are both happy whenever we get to express ourselves through the different projects assigned to us. If not, how else are we going to continuously reinvent ourselves?”
