Xian Lim sat down with pikapika for some update chika. And as usual, hindi siya naging madamot sa mga sagot. We covered his life during the lockdown, his new movie with Alex Gonzaga na magso-showing na sa Netflix Asia, and we played on the word “lies” to tie it up with his movie, Love the Way U Lie.
We found out na hindi siya magaling magsinungaling pero magaling siyang kumilatis daw ng sinungaling. He also opened up about a certain “lie” that hurt and changed him.
Let’s find out about these and more sa aming life update with Xian.
Pikapika:
Pa’no ka naka cope up sa lockdown, especially mentally?
Xian: At first medyo mahirap kasi talaga, e. . . nasa taping kami nu’n, e, tapos sinabi nila sa amin na magla-lockdown pero s’yempre nu’ng una mong narinig ’yong lockdown parang ano ba ’yong lockdown, diba? Hindi ko alam, e. Nu’ng when I first heard it akala ko lang parang it was just something na sige diyan lang kayo mga three days. But I didn’t expect na parang three months na mate-tengga tayo completely.
Ganu’n na pala kalala ’yong situation natin... which is also good na we got time to do things para sa sarili natin that we wouldn’t normally do diba? Kumbaga, ’yong mga time na sinasabi na, ‘Wala akong oras d’yan, wala sayang...kung meron lang akong oras...’ I think nakakatuwa na... very unfortunately ’yong nangyari pero nakakatuwa we had those... I’m referring to the three months, ha. ’Yong first three months natin. Sobra kasing ano ’yon, e...
So, yeah ako I did all the things na gusto kong gawin... like I started playing the piano again, I learned a classical piece and I practiced playing the piano for siguro mga four hours a day... at first kasi mahirap to get into rhythm, e. Pero after a while, ’yon nga, ’yon ’yong inatupag ko for the first one or two months hanggang sa na-memorize ko by heart ’yong piece.
Tapos nu’ng... ’yon nga sabi mo nga hindi ako napapakali sa isang bagay...I mean matagal na rin naman itong passion na ’to... I won’t consider it a hobby...it’s something I really like doing— mahilig ako sa ventriloquism. So, I acquired puppets and ’yon nga ’yong mga in-order ko online, dumating. And it was really hard to get shipment abroad kasi ’yon nga... meron tayong mga puppeteers, magagaling ’yong mga puppeteers natin dito sa Pilipinas pero s’yempre iba ’yong quality dito, iba ’yong quality sa ibang bansa. Iba-iba sila ng characters. Kumbaga, ’yong characteristic ng puppet... so that came in.
Ano pa ba ’yong mga ginagawa ko? And I started writing scripts... kasi after nu’ng Ricky Lee [scriptwriting] workshop namin basically we’re on our own. It’s our job na parang continue writing diba and conceptualizing and just finding that time to write and have your screenplay produced. So, ’yon I think…
Pikapika:
Naka ilan ka?
Xian: Siguro naka-apat ako. . . hahaha! Apat or lima. Pero mga first draft ko... these are all first drafts. S’yempre your get into the rhythm tapos you start writing... ’yon! May mga deadlines din kasi na at that time no’ng mga first three, four months natin may mga deadline for scripts. Pasa lang nang pasa. And I think ’yong mga deadlines na ’yon serves as a good parang nape-pressure ka, e. Sulat ka. Kasi kung walang deadline, sige sulat tayo 30 minutes, tapos balikan natin. Hindi s’ya matatapos, e. But if there’s deadlines, dire-diretso. So ’yon. That’s what I got to do.”
Pikapika:
Ano ’yong classical piece na-master mo?
Xian: It’ by Franz Lizst, ang title n’ya Liebestraum?
Pikapika:
Maririnig ba namin yan one of these days?
Xian: Yeah, yeah. I play it... kasi courtesy of Lyric din... Lyric Music. I posted on my YouTube na they sent me a grand piano. ’Yon nga, nu’ng gumawa tayo sa Viva ng live concert, ’yon ang ginamit ko. I don’t know kung napanood ninyo ’yon.
’Yon din... isa yon sa mga pinraktis ko...I just keep on playing it until I’m comfortable doing it. Ako nahihirapan ako sa mga classical piece kasi I stopped...medyo nagiging staggered kasi ’yong learning, e...’yong learning curve ko kasi ’yon nga we’re in the entertainment industry and ’yong scheduling natin medyo...para tayong mga doctor, on call tayo...hahaha!
Pikapika:
Pa-classical ka na, ha?
Xian: Classical naman talaga tinutugtog ko ever from the start. My mom was the one who influenced me in playing music. I will always hear her play bata pa ako and I told her to teach me. So classical talaga. Recently lang, when I entered the business, the [showbiz] industry, that’s when I wanted to learn pop. Kasi hindi naman ako... I wasn’t born a singer parang ganu’n hindi ako ’yong parang bata palang kumo-contest na. I was more on, ‘Ay, ang galing naman.’
Pogi points yan pag ano pag naka-kanta ako at the same time I know how to play piano. So, try ko kaya? Parang ganu’n. So I really started out with classic.
Pikapika:
Isa ka sa may pinaka-maraming ginagawa priopr to lockdown. Ano ’yong mga nabitin? ’Yong sa inyo ni Ryza [Sa Muli] tapos na ba ’yon?
Xian: Hindi s’ya natapos. I think ’yon nga ’yong kay Ryza... when we were gonna get back to shooting, medyo natatakot...I mean ’yon nga natatakot din s’yang mag-shoot because of her situation.
Pikapika:
At least itong sa inyo ni Alex [Gonzaga] tapos na?
Xian: Yes, yes natapos na ’yong kay Alex...meron akong... s’yempre tuloy-tuloy naman mga project sa Viva. I mean Viva always comes up with great stories. Meron mga naka-pending pero ’yon nga following the protocols medyo mahirap, e, mahirap.
Pikapika:
Of course, magne-Netflix na siya, pero honestly, nalungkot ka ba na hindi s’ya napalabas sa sine? [Love the Way U Lie]
Xian: For me kasi... of course, nothing beats the cinema experience naman... we go there for the purpose of hindi mo lang naman mapanood ’yong pelikula but also to hang out with friends and all that. Pero ang hirap kasi ngayon...sa panahon ngayon, diba, parang ang hirap to risk even.... ikaw, okay lang diba? Like kunwari teenagers like us diba? ’Yong mga kabataan katulad naming—sasali ko na sarili ko—okey lang kasi mataas ’yong immune system naming.
But pa’no ’yong once you get home, once you get home to your family? Ako I live with three seniors here. You have to be considerate and also all the other people, diba? Hindi ka talaga p’wedeng lumabas. It’s very unfortunate. So, grateful ako na it found another venue which is ’yon ’yong Netflix as a Netflix Original and that’s something big.
I think Netflix Asia? So, it has a wider reach din. S’yempre may mga pros and cons but I’m very happy... we’re very excited lagi kong ka-chat si Direk RC [delos Reyes] about it especially nu’ng may lumabas ng trailer sa Netflix. So, it’s a different kasi ’yon nga online streaming is the new thing now I mean, it’s were the kids watch their movies talaga especially nowadays.
Pikapika:
Refresh mo nga kaming konti...tungkol saan ’tong movie na ito? Napanood mo na ba ng buo?
Xian: Hindi pa, hindi pa. That’s why excited ako sa August 20. Basically it follows the story of Nathan which is played by me and Alex Gonzaga. The beginning of the story.... kukuwento ko ’yong sa trailer para wala akong masabi na mga details na mag-i-spoil ng pelikula... but basically the story starts up with my wife dying.
Nandu’n na ako sa position sa buhay ko na all hope is lost para sa akin. Then, one day magko-cross ’yong path namin ni Alex at isa s’yang... hindi naman siya feng shui master pero kumbaga ’yong pamilya nila... sobrang k’wela nu’ng story... tatay niya si Jeric Raval, pinsan niya si Chad Kinis parang riot talaga ’yong pelikula. Nakakatawa.
So, then comes Alex that claims to be a medium... so we meet while I was visiting my wife...I mean, while I was praying sa Quiapo para sa asawa ko, then here comes Alex na self-proclaimed medium. Doon nag-cross ’yong path namin and eventually sasabihin n’ya sa akin na, ‘Wait, kinakausap ako ng asawa mo.’ Ganito, ganyan... tapos ako ipipilit ko ’yong sarili ko sa kanya baka p’wede mo ba akong matulungan to communicate with Sarah [played by Kylie Versoza].
Pikapika:
Lumabas ba dito ’yong pagka-kengkoy mo in real life? Kasi akala ng mga tao dramatic actor ka lang, e. Hindi nila alam na kengkoy ka rin.
Xian: I think nagsimula naman talaga ako sa rom-com talaga. I would say na ’yon ’yong core ko. D’yan ako nagsimula. I started with Binibining Joyce Bernal, Direk Mae Cruz...
Pikapika:
Lumalim ka na kasi nang lumalim, e...
Xian: I think para sa akin that’s really how it’s supposed to be. Hindi ko kayang mag-stay in one place, e. I need to always...Kailangan kong matuto. I always have that craving for learning new things. So ’yon nga, I got to work with si Binibining Joyce, Direk Mae Cruz, even Direk Cathy [Molina], sa soap namin before. So, parang working with all these directors, then comes the next wave na parang nagpapaka-baliw and artsy na ako with the movie Untrue...
I think ’yon naman... sa aming mga artista ’yon naman ang gusto namin mai-hain sa audience namin. Pansin mo, sa lahat ng interviews ng artista sasabihin nila ‘Bago pong blank ang mapapanood ninyo dito sa pelikulang ito.’ I think it’s a conscious effort to always be different. So ’yon. I like tackling different stories, different characters...and ’yon dito [sa Love the Way U Lie], k’wela talaga kasi Alex...riot si Alex, e. And also si Kylie.
Pikapika:
I-rate mo nga ’yong chemistry ninyo ni Alex?
Xian: Nakakatawa ito... kasi si Alex, not so many people know na my very first TV appearance... kumbaga I think kakarating ko palang sa Pilipinas noon, I’ve been here a couple of months...I was playing basketball sa UE pa noon, tapos I was doing VTRs, I was doing castings, auditions... kasi I had that leisure of time... kasi parang [when] you came from another country, you have two years of waiting time to be able to play basketball...
So, si Alex ’yong pinaka-una kong naka-eksena... I posted it, pinost ko siya sa IG ko, e. . . That’s 2008. So, yan ’yong last episode ng My Girl, nasali ako doon as a...wala pa ngang pangalan ’yong character ko doon... ang pangalan ko sa script: Photographer 1.
Then, nagkaroon siya ng spin-off, My Only Hope. So, si Alex pa rin ’yong ka-partner ko noong time na ’yon. But not a lot of scenes naman. Very...’yong mga... very bata, bata na tootsie-tootsie, cutie-cutie roles, ganu’n. But ito ’yong first namin talaga na magkaroon ng actual interaction.
Pikapika:
Bongga naman chemistry n’yo?
Xian: I hope. I hope... nagkaka-gulo nga kami sa set, e—in a good way na tawanan lang. Kasi si Alex madaldal lang...para siyang machine gun, dire-diretso magsalita, e. But ’yon, I think it works... I hope it works. Kasi nag-enjoy kami nang sobra sa set. I hope it translates on the screen.
Pikapika:
Maglalaro lang ng konti about the word “lies.” Have you been ever lied?
Xian: Oo naman. Lahat tayo nagsisinungaling...
Pikapika:
Kanino?
Xian: Sa’yo! Hahaha! Nagsisinungaling na ako ngayon palang... hindi. We always lie. Sometimes hindi natin mini-mean diba? I think as human beings, we are sometimes careful with certain topics and sometimes we do white lies... sometimes ayaw lang natin to get into confrontations and all those things. So, yeah definitely.
Pikapika:
Are you a good liar?
Xian: Magaling ako...artista ako. I became an actor, I guess magaling akong magsinungaling. Hahaha! No, no, no... hindi, e. I think pag nagsisinungaling ako...especially to everyone who knows me well, they pretty much know na kunwari... like, I’ll give a scenario... ayoko na sa isang lugar, gusto ko nang umalis pero pinipilit ko lang sarili ko for politeness.
Ang laging sinasabi sa akin ng mga tao, I’m a very transparent person na hindi ko kayang i-hold-in ’yong mga emotions ko. So, that gets me into a lot of trouble... And I’ve learned from those mistakes. Pero ’yon nga, I’ve learned from it pero I guess that’s how I’m structured, that’s how I am...na you can just see right through me—Kung okey pa ba ako? Kung naiinis ako? But I try to do my best to make everyone in the room feel at ease pero ’yon, they see through me.
Pikapika:
Baligtad naman, magaling ka bang kumilatis ng nagsisinungaling?
Xian: Sobra! Yeah, meron akong...I think everyone naman, e. I think ’yong sa akin, I’m very sensitive to that. Nakikita ko sa mata mo once you’re lying to me. Especially when I started directing, when I started studying films, when I started writing... I can see through people and ’yon nga, I think mataas ’yong empathy ko. I think that’s the right term—hindi ko lang alam kung tama ’yong term ko—’yong empathy ko sa mga tao. Nakikita ko, e, kumbaga nararamdaman ko sila.
Hindi naman ito ’yong parang ano ha, multo or anything ha... hindi naman ganu’n. Hindi naman ako nagbabasa ng aura... pero nararamdaman ko ’yong kasama ko kung gusto mo nang umalis or kung meron ka bang gustong sabihin sa akin... sabihin mo na, ’yong ganu’n.
Pikapika:
What’s the worst lie said about you?
Xian: Gusto mo ba ’yong totoo or magsinungaling ako sa’yo ngayon? Hahaha! Hindi ko isu-sugar coat... there was a certain lie said about me... itatago ko nalang para hindi masyadong blatant at hindi tayo ma-borjak dito diba?
There was certain lie a high-profile person said about me na ginawa ko daw sa isang event na naimbita ako. My sole purpose of going to that event was to make people happy. That’s my take. And all of a sudden, after I left the event, there’s all these lies—in caps lock: LIES—said about me. So, ako till this day I still have that in my heart. But of course diba we forgive. That’s one big lesson sa buhay: we forgive but we should never forget.
So, yeah I think... kung isali n’yo ’to, I don’t care, hahaha. . . pero ’yon. People who know me will know what I’m talking about. And I’m saying this...that’s one of the biggest lies that I’ve experienced in my 23 years of existence. Wow, 23! Hahaha!
Pikapika:
Would you say isa din ’yon sa mga lies na naka-hurt sa’yo?
Xian: Yeah, not just hurt me, I think it changed me as a person. I closed doors, I closed many doors... I built a wall around people after hearing those accusations and lies and...diba parang to be honest diba, why would you go to a certain length just to try to parang to ruin someone with your false accusations diba? Parang there’s always three sides naman to a story... there’s his side, your side, and the truth. So, parang I guess yeah, lesson learned.
But ’yon nga, slowly the walls eventually came down... slowly, I started learning to ’yon na nga, you eventually gain your... develop the trust again na maibibigay mo sa mga tao na parang mari-realize mo na hindi lahat ng tao masama—and I’m not calling this person masama...maybe he just wanted to gain something out of it for his personal interest, so...
Pikapika:
Sanay na sanay ka naman na sa showbiz...naa-affect ka pa rin?
Xian: Hindi rin. Naapektuhan ako, naapektuhan ako sa lahat. I would consider myself as HSP alam n’yo ’yon? Kasi nag-research ako s’yempre ang dami nating oras ngayon diba? Make use of the time kesa naka-higa ka lang. So, ako I’ve been reading a lot and na-realize ko na I’m an HSP— Highly Sensitive Person.
So, meron gano’n. May term talaga na HSP. I still have to do more research about it pero these are people na maliliit na bagay naa-affect sila. Kunwari, simpleng tingin, simpleng kinakausap kita ta’s di ka nakatingin sa’kin, simpleng kinakausap kita nagse- cellphone ka... it’s like a person with a lot of pet peeves. Parang gano’n.
Pikapika:
And learning how to manage it...
Xian: Yeah, learning how to manage... kasi s’yempre eto ’yong mundo, this is the life that I have. And we always have a choice diba? Kung... you can always leave diba? No one’s keeping you here. Pero diba, this is the passion, this is... eto ’yong kumbaga diba parang for writers, for reporters, for journalists... diba they have that passion in their hearts, to tell a story. So, parang even for me, I have so many passions I wanna tackle and will learn...
Pikapika:
HSP...makabasa nga din...
Xian: Oo. Baka isa ka do’n. Check mo.
