(From left) Kim Chiu, Maricel Soriano. Images: Gee Plamenco Jr. via Instagram/@chinitaprincess, Instagram/@niceprintphoto

Kim Chiu couldn’t help but fangirl over Maricel Soriano, saying getting slapped by the Diamond Star onscreen is a “dream come true” for her as an actress.

At a branch launch recently, Chiu happily declared that she finally got to experience what it’s like to receive a smack in the face from Soriano while filming their upcoming series “Linlang,” for which the latter apologized immediately.

“Masasabi ko na sa acting career ko na nasampal na ako ng isang Maricel Soriano, so bucket list check. Nagso-sorry siya sa’kin agad.

Sabi ko, ‘Hindi po, pangarap ko po ‘to bilang artista (I can finally say in my entire acting career that I was slapped by Maricel Soriano, so it’s a check off my bucket list. She apologized right away but I said, “No, it’s my dream as an actress),” she said.

The “Pinoy Big Brother” alum then shared that she was slapped somewhere in her lower jaw, while recalling how “nice and very down to earth” the veteran actress was.

“Sabi ko, ganito pala ‘yun! Nandyan pa naman ‘yung lower teeth ko, ‘yung molars. Pero si Ms. Maricel, sobra siyang nice and very down to earth (So that’s how it feels! My lower teeth and molars were still there. But Ms. Maricel is very nice and very down to earth),” she said.

The actress also admitted that she was initially nervous about the public’s reception to her role in “Linlang,” as she’s set to portray someone who’s unfaithful to her husband, who would be portrayed by Paulo Avelino.

“Sobra akong natuwa nung nakita ko ‘yung mga comments nung lumabas ‘yung trailer namin. Kinabahan ako, nagdasal talaga ako bago mag-alas-10 ng umaga ng Sunday dahil hindi ko alam kung ano magiging reaksyon ng mga tao (I’m very happy when I saw the comments in the trailer. I was nervous that I had to pray before it was released because I didn’t know how the public would view this one),” she said.

To her surprise, Chiu said there were only “positive responses” to her upcoming series, while hinting that it would showcase her “growth” as an actress.

“Nagulat din ako na naging positive ‘yung response [sa] growth as an actor kaya kinilig talaga ako. Hindi talaga ako nakatulog nun, ang tagal kong natulog, nagbabasa lang ako ng comments. Parang nasa cloud nine ako. Nagpapasalamat talaga ako (I was surprised that the reception turned out to be positive, especially that it would show my growth as an actor. I was very happy. I really couldn’t sleep at that time since I was reading all of the comments. I’m on cloud nine. I’m really grateful),” she added.

“Linlang,” which will be released on a streaming platform on Oct. 5, stars Chiu, Soriano, Avelino, JM de Guzman, Kaila Estrada, Ruby Ruiz, Anji Salvacion, Frenchie Dy, Heaven Peralejo, Jaime Fabregas, and Adrian Lindayag. It is directed by FM Reyes and Jojo Saguin. EDV