Paulo Avelino is not the type of actor who frequently works with the same leading lady in a project — only twice at most. But his upcoming film “My Love Will Make You Disappear” will be his third time to be paired up with Kim Chiu.

“Now that I think about it, never lumampas nang dalawang beses ang pakikipagtrabaho ko with my leading ladies sa series and movies,” Avelino admitted during the film’s media con when asked about the topic. “Siguro ‘yung sagot ko diyan ay hindi nakakasawa katrabaho si Kim.”

(Now that I think about it, I never worked with my leading ladies more than twice. I guess the reason for such is that it is never tiring working with Kim.)

In the Chad Vidanes-helmed film, Avelino will star as Jolo, a landlord struggling with the prospect of losing his apartment complex business. He will cross paths with Sari (Chiu), a 30-something woman who’s desperate to get a boyfriend. The upcoming film marks the third time Avelino and Chiu to join forces after “Linlang” and the Filipino adaptation of “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim.”

“Maraming rason tulad ng hindi pa kami nakakapagmovie together [tulad ngayon]. Rom-com (romantic comedy) din. Hindi pa ako nakakagawa ng romcom na pelikula with me in it. And si Kim, madaling katrabaho,” the actor explained.

(There are many reasons why. One of which is that we haven’t done a movie together before now. It’s a romcom too. I haven’t done a rom-com film with me in it. Kim is also easy to work with.)

For her part, Chiu described Avelino as the type of leading man who has a different take on his characters. “Sa ‘Linlang,’ super serious siya. Sa ‘What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim,’ funny siya. Ngayon, naging super funny na siya.”

“Ang [ganda] na ng kanyang comedic timing,” she continued. “There’s always something new kapag nakakatrabaho mo si Paulo Avelino. Iba ang atake niya.”

(He was very serious in “Linlang.” He was funny in “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim.” He’s funnier now. He has such great comedic timing. There is always something new when you work with Paulo Avelino. He has a different way of playing his characters.)

Not giving up on love

At some point during the media con, Chiu would poke fun at her past relationships who “disappeared” from her life. Nonetheless, she said that she hasn’t given up on love. The actress previously had a high-profile relationship with actors Gerald Anderson and Xian Lim.

“Ang love ay isang bagay na hindi nabibili and hindi nabibigay. Experience siya. Part siya ng pagkatao natin — ang dami niyang nabibigay na emotions sa’tin that makes us human. Hindi dapat sukuan ang love (Love is something that cannot be bought and given. It’s an experience. It’s part of who we are. It gives you emotions that make you human. You should not give up on love),” she said.

Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu during the “My Love Will Make You Disappear” media con. Image: Hannah Mallorca/INQUIRER.net

When asked about her relationship turn-offs, the actress said she has no patience toward partners who cheat while reiterating the importance of “self-love.”

“Siyempre, [turn-off] ‘yung niloko ka. Kapag niloko ka, iwan mo na. Prioritize yourself. Self-love muna. Kasi kapag hindi mo mahal ang sarili mo, hahayaan mo ang sarili mong paulit-ulit nang sinasaktan,” she said.

(Of course, it’s a turn-off when someone cheats on you. Leave them when it happens. Prioritize yourself. Practice self-love. If you don’t love yourself, you will be subjected to constant pain.)

“My Love Will Make You Disappear,” which hits theaters on March 26, also stars Wilma Doesnt, Lovely Abella, Benj Manalo, Karina Bautista, Nico Antonio, Migs Almendras, and Martin Escudero.