Miggy Jimenez can steal a scene with just his beautifully expressive eyes—there’s no doubt about that. It takes a truly skilled actor to bring a colorful character like Poch in “High Street” to life with the perfect mix of depth and relatability, creating the nuances that make Poch feel like a real person.
So, how did Miggy build Poch? And how did he and his co-star Zaijian Jaranilla, who plays Tim, make their scenes feel so authentic? Join Miggy in this edition of Kapamilya React, where he re-watches some of TimPoch’s highlight moments from the series and shares behind-the-scenes kwento about them.
The first scene to review is when Tim comes home from work all smelly and tries to get a kiss and a hug from his ‘boo,’ Poch. But Poch won’t go near him. Notice how Miggy smiles while watching the scene—totally us when engrossed with all those TimPoch moments, right?
According to Miggy, this was one of the shots he and Zaijian really enjoyed filming. The creatives gave them the freedom to handle it their way, and they even added some ad libs. “It was more of from tampo to nilambing ako to nawala ‘yung tampo. Even ‘yung, ‘Sabay ka?’, sa amin galing ni Zaijian ‘yung banter na ‘yun. Nagkaroon kami ng freedom talaga, so kilig lang siya and enjoy lang.”
From making us smile like crazy in the previous scene, TimPoch then broke our hearts with their dreaded breakup. In this sequence, Poch decided it would be better for them to part ways early, thinking it would prevent things from getting worse and save them from more pain. Tim kept begging for an explanation, but since Poch didn’t really want to break up, he couldn’t come up with a valid reason. He ended up saying with a straight face, “Hindi na kita mahal.” Only after turning his back on Tim did he finally break down and cry.
What was running through Miggy’s mind while filming this part? “Medyo tough siya kasi ‘yung objective, hindi ako pwdeng umiyak habang nangyayari ‘yung breakup. Kasi I have to make Tim feel like genuine ‘yung desisyon ko, na siguradong sigurado at firm ako sa ginagawa ko,” Miggy divulged, also praising his co-actor. “Ang galing ni Zaijian… Pinaka-challenging ‘yung hindi ako pwedeng umiyak talaga, eh, nakakaiyak si Zaijian.”
“Sobrang swabe lang namin magtrabaho. Mayroon kaming chemistry talaga na hindi na namin pinilit o sobrang pinlano na trabahuhin. Basically, when we’re on set, automatic na siyang nangyayari. ‘Yun ‘yung isa sa mga magic na forever akong magiging grateful kay Zaijian as a scene partner,” he further shared. As TimPoch lovers, we viewers can totally agree with Miggy—they have this organic chemistry that effortlessly charms us, right?
One of the reasons for their on-screen chemistry is probably their closeness and friendship. “Magkasundo rin kami sa maraming bagay.” Miggy added that their real-life bond makes work easier when the cameras start rolling. “Never akong nahirapan kay Zaijian. Mahirap lang kausap kasi kenkoy, makulit kasi siya,” he quipped. Kidding aside, he shared that Zaijian’s commitment to his role inspires him to give his best, too. “Once on set na, seryoso na. So, malaking bagay ‘yun sa akin as a co-actor.”
Part of their camaraderie is respecting each other's acting styles. When asked if Zaijian had given him any advice, Miggy replied that they don’t really talk about acting tips because they just let each other be. Besides, they understand each other as co-actors, having both started as child stars. What they discuss more, especially before takes, is the scene objective and how to make the output even better.
Everyone fell in love with TimPoch’s reconciliation when Poch expressed all these loving, encouraging words to Tim after finding out that Tim was willing to give up his job as a cop if it meant they could love each other more freely, given the prejudice against LGBT individuals in roles that society expects to be filled by ‘tough’ people, like police officers. Here, you can really feel Poch’s insecurities, which were also the ultimate cause of their previous breakup, as he was struggling with his career and felt like he and Tim weren’t a good match, seeing Tim as a hero who was out of his league.
Many young adults related to Poch’s inner struggles—from figuring out what he wants, trying to find a stable job to dealing with insecurities and feeling like he’s not doing well in life. When asked how Miggy relates to his character, he said that they both just want genuine happiness, no matter what destiny throws their way.
As the series airs its finale tonight, Miggy is already feeling the pangs of separation, much like all the cast members did after finishing the first season, “Senior High.” It’s like they’re graduating all over again!
“Mami-miss ko ‘yung bonding moments, all the trips namin. Even the company of them listening, pati ‘yung endless naplano, tawanan, damayan. ‘Yun ang mami-miss ko,” Miggy shared.
Aww! We’ll also miss the “Northford High” squad! Fans have been hoping for a Season 3 so we could continue following the characters’ journey. *Manifesting!* But for now, let’s not miss “High Street: The Last Destination” tonight on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5, and A2Z.