Advertisement

Kim Chiu takes record Yahoo! Celebrity Awards haul further

Kim Chiu accepting the Celebrity of the Year Award in the Yahoo! Celebrity Awards last month. (File photo, DJ Llana)
Kim Chiu accepting the Celebrity of the Year Award in the Yahoo! Celebrity Awards last month. (File photo, DJ Llana)

Who’s surprised that Kim Chiu was called back onstage several times to claim one prize after another in the recent Yahoo! Celebrity Awards?

That was four in total, plus KimXi, her fan club with Xian Lim, earning a record haul in one awards night.Indeed, Kim is clearly the fan favorite amid the flurry of nominated A-lister. She won the Celebrity of the Year, Actress of the Year, Movie of the Year (Bride for Rent), Teleserye of the Year (Ikaw Lamang) and the distinction of being part of the love team followed by the Fan Club of the Year.

Backing up that feat is Kim’s phenomenal movie, Bride for Rent, which grossed over P300 million in its five-week run in the country, and Ikaw Lamang, whose Book 2, is still lording over the primetime TV ratings.

'Darling' persona

What makes her tick and click with the viewers?

Kim’s “darling” persona has always been there since the first Teen Edition of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) in 2006, where she emerged from being just a “cute” discovery from Cebu to the reality show’s first “Big Winner,” without ever being nominated for eviction.

Kim’s countless blockbuster films and TV dramas with Gerald Anderson also made her shoot to superstardom as a teen. This led to the formation of Kimerald, which for a time had one of the most solid and widest fan following in the biz. It was one of the most successful team ups in the local entertainment industry -- from their first film, First Day High, to their supposedly break-up movie Till My Heartaches End.

Star power

When she and Gerald parted ways -- amid controversies and public verbal spats -- Kim already had the star power to weather the shift.

Kim’s partnership with then emerging model-actor Xian Lim was like a match made in heaven. It started with the successful TV series My Binondo Girl and continued with the acclaimed Ina, Kapatid, Anak, which showed how Kim can be a revelation as an actress.

Tussle with Maja

Ina, Kapatid, Anak had also been the most-talked about, what with Kim’s onscreen and offscreen tussle with known best friend and co-star Maja Salvador, who has since been her now ex-boyfriend Gerald’s new flame.

But that did not faze her. Kim concentrated on her work, reconciled with Maja and accepted her relationship with Gerald. Kim grew even more as an artist, and gained an even stronger fan following.

Her 2012 film, The Healing, was special as it made her play a difficult role opposite premier actress Vilma Santos with top director Chito Roño at the helm. This gave Kim yet another chance to further improve her craft. The film raked over P100 million in gross receipts.

Moving forward

Since then, Kim did two top-grossing rom-coms with Xian—Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo? and her latest hit and Yahoo! Celebrity Movie of the Year Bride for Rent—that further strengthened her reign as the country’s foremost young actress.

Kim has taken a step further with the period drama Ikaw Lamang, the country’s current top primetime TV show, where her portrayal of Isabelle and Andrea keeps the audience glued to the screen.

Elusive award

Kim will further rise to heights she might not even have dreamed of. The Yahoo! Celebrity Awards victory shows how the fandom is behind her. The next step is taking that memorable role and project that will give her the acting award that has continued to elude her.

When that happens, Kim Chiu will truly become one actress whose incredible career blossomed before our eyes—from the time she auditioned in PBB to the momentous event when she makes an acceptance speech. Indeed, our people’s darling.