Kelvin says inability to detach from character affects his mental health

For Kelvin Miranda, the hardest part of his work as an actor is being able to let go of a character he helped create and lived even for a short period of time.

Such was the case of the romantic drama “Chances Are, You and I,” where he plays Soleil “Sol” Sikat, a guy who is terminally ill and burdened by a bleak disposition in life.

“I got stuck being Sol. I couldn’t let go of the character for months. Even my feelings for Kira got stuck,” said Kelvin, referring to Kira Balinger, his leading lady. In this film by Catherine Camarillo, Kira is Gabi Sinag, who, despite her tumor diagnosis, remains optimistic.

“What happened to me was that I didn’t just fall in love with Kira’s character, I couldn’t let go of Sol. To be honest, I’ve had trouble detaching myself from my characters. I had a similar experience in ‘Dead Kids.’ My character there is an introvert. I was like him for a long time. I only got away from that character after seven months. This also happened to me with Kate Valdez in ‘The Lost Recipe,’” Kelvin told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent media gathering organized by the film’s distributor, Regal Entertainment.

‘Manipulate my emotions’

Kelvin also denied ever courting Kira while they were shooting “Chances Are, You and I” in 2022. “Just to be clear, Kira and I were never together. To be honest, I felt really confused then. I’m not saying this to justify anything. This happens to a lot of actors. To be fair, I tried to find ways to make sure I don’t end up in a similar situation ever again. Kira and I are OK, that’s what’s important to me right now. “

Kelvin continued: “I had to learn how to manipulate my emotions. Through personal experiences, I’ve come to realize that reality should always prevail over the world you created for your character. There were even times when I had to remind myself that this feeling only existed because of the story. It’s hard to explain what actors go through. I guess you will only understand if you’re also into acting.”

When we suggested that he seek advice from an acting coach to effectively debrief him at the end of every project, Kelvin insisted: “I tried to learn how to debrief on my own. I even tried conducting free acting workshops for the younger talents of Sir Tyrone (Escalante, his manager). I asked permission if I could observe them—especially their body language—to know if the pointers I gave were working for them.”

He added: “For ‘Dead Kids,’ the first thing I did was to get rid of my character’s mannerisms. I also returned to the place where I grew up and reconnected with my childhood friends. I became too detached from everyone for months. I was always wearing earphones because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t know how to start a conversation.”

Kelvin claimed it was after doing “The Lost Recipe” that he began experiencing mental health problems. “My personality became dark. I almost became suicidal. I really can’t say I’ll be OK eventually. I know I will be experiencing more of this because I’m an actor,” he said.

Brave to a fault

It was during this part of the interview that Kelvin revealed he was diagnosed with ADHD and mild dyslexia when he was younger. “I couldn’t believe it, so I consulted two doctors. They told me the same thing,” he admitted. “I don’t medicate, but I talk to experts now. I schedule a therapy session when it’s needed. As much as possible, what I do is work out, ride my motorcycle, read books and watch movies. I keep my body and mind preoccupied. This is helping me a lot.”

Kelvin said he and Sol were different in many ways. “I have so many fears as a person, while Sol is brave to a fault. This was because he has already accepted his fate—that he will die eventually. I’ve only come to terms with this reality recently. We shouldn’t fear death. We have to be thankful for the earthly body loaned to us by God. It was partly because of the movie that I was able to realize that,” the actor pointed out.

Kelvin said the most challenging part about doing “Chances Are, You and I” was dealing with the cold weather in South Korea, where some of their most important scenes were shot. “I’m glad that the movie looks good visually because of all the scenes we shot in Korea, but it was really cold there when we were filming. When our director shouted, ‘Cut!’ that’s when we would start noticing the cold again and the shivers would resume. We wore three layers of clothing, but it still felt cold,” he recalled.

Another challenge, said Kelvin, was doing cross-country racing on a motorcycle. Motocross is one of Sol’s interests, he explained. “This is one of the more dangerous things I had to do for the movie. While I had a stunt double, there were scenes that required me to ride the bike. I had to train for those scenes prior to our shoot. It also helped that I did motocross when I was 16.”

“Chances Are, You and I,” written by Ellis Camarillo, is produced by Pocket Media Productions Inc. in partnership with Happy Infinite Productions Inc. It will premiere at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City on May 28 and have its regular run nationwide starting May 29. It will participate at the 2024 Jinseo Arigato International Film Festival in Japan from May 25 to May 26. INQ