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Xyriel shares what really happened behind these ‘aww’-inducing RoxChie moments from “High Street” 

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Liezel dela Cruz

In contrast to their story in &quot;<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/seniorhigh2023">Senior High,</a>&quot; where life was mostly about their cat-and-dog banter and low-key ;kilig moments, Roxy (Xyriel Manabat) and Archie&#x27;s (Elijah Canlas) ‘adulting’ phase in &quot;<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/highstreet2024">High Street&quot;</a> took a more complicated turn. This shift required these two brilliant young actors to deliver big emotions in powerful scenes that totally stole our hearts.Now that the series’ finale is airing tonight, and we&#x27;re caught in a whirlwind of emotions—from giddy to sad (because we&#x27;ll seriously miss the Northfort High barkada)—Xyriel is looking back on the best RoxChie moments from the show. She’s also spilling some interesting off-cam tea on how these memorable scenes were brought to life.Join Xyriel, one half of RoxChie, in this edition of Kapamilya React!First up on the list is the scene where Roxy unleashed a flood of anger and pain when Archie finally showed up after being absent from her and their child Riley (Argus Aspiras)&#x27;s lives for years. This, despite his promise to come back from the U.S. when Roxy gave birth. It was such an emotional encounter because Archie wanted to explain himself, but Roxy couldn’t bring herself to listen or even look at him—she was just too hurt. And it was a huge deal for RoxChie fans, who had been waiting so long for this meeting to finally happen.If you were crying your eyes out during that scene, well, same with Xyriel, who was already in tears even before the take. She was so moved just reading the script that she couldn’t even rehearse her lines with Elijah in front of Director Onat Diaz because she wanted to save all those emotions for the actual take.If you’re wondering whether Xyriel’s slaps and hits on Elijah were real, the answer is yes! Xyriel revealed that Elijah’s skin turned really red from her strong slaps, which is why she kept apologizing. Elijah jokingly reacted that Xyriel’s boyfriend better watch out because she slaps hard!Our hearts were shattered watching the scene where Roxy refused to give Archie the chance he was desperately asking for. But at the same time, our RoxChie hearts got a little kick seeing hints of their old high school ‘bangayan’ dynamic. It turns out Direk Onat actually asked them to sprinkle the scene with their signature high school-style banter, which is why we got those sassy side remarks from Roxy. Meanwhile, Elijah got so deep into ‘Archie mode’ that he initially came off sounding a bit arrogant. They had to redo the scene with him dialing it back so viewers could also feel Archie’s pain.“No’ng kinukuhaan namin ang scene na ‘yan, masasabi ko na naging helpful kami sa isa’t isa. Binigyan namin ang isa’t isa ng time, at nagtulungan kami humugot ng lakas and emotions sascene na kailangan.” She continued, “Medyo mabigat ‘yan tapos whole day kami paulit-ulit na may kinukuhanan na scene, so grabe ‘yung pagod at antok. Medyo drained na kami ni [Elijah] nang panahon na ‘yan. Buti na ang na-pull off namin at na-happy ang fans.”Elijah’s eyes speak volumes of love for Roxy, but how did Xyriel manage to keep her character’s bitterness so consistent? It took a lot of focus and commitment to her role. She had to fully embody Roxy and nothing else. She needed to understand only Roxy’s feelings and shut out everything else, including how the fans might feel about Archie. Because from Roxy’s perspective, she didn’t know what Archie had gone through or why he’d been gone for so long. Thus, Xyriel had to weave the characters’ emotions into her own heart and soul to build those high walls that Roxy had put up, making the closure between the two characters more satisfying. That&#x27;s why viewers felt so relieved and satisfied when Roxy finally softened towards Archie in that scene where he promised to love only her and their child, Riley.On a side note, does Xyriel share any similarities with Roxy’s attitude? She admits there was a time when her pride was just as high as Roxy’s, but now she’s learning to let go and have a healthier mindset.The overwhelmingly positive response from viewers to Xyrieland Elijah&#x27;s tandem was totally unexpected. Even in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/highstreet2024">&quot;High Street,&quot;</a> where their characters&#x27; reunion took longer than expected, Xyriel is happy that their followers stayed loyal. In fact, the fans became even more excited, eagerly waiting for the day Roxy and Archie would meet and talk again.Aside from their chemistry, the success of RoxChie probably also comes down to their natural talent. As Xyriel puts it, her scene partner is truly an actor in every sense of the word.Aside from their chemistry, the success of RoxChieprobably also comes down to their innate talent. As Xyriel puts it, her scene partner is truly an actor in every sense of the word. “Marami akng naririnig sa kanya na technicalities about acting na never ko pang nagawa, narinig, natutunan, o napag-aralan. Kaya masasabi ko na meron talaga siyang gano’ng background sa acting, at nagte-theater siya, eh Malaki ang respect ko kay [Elijah],” she said of her co-star.They’ve also gotten closer in “High Street” compared to “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/seniorhigh2023">Senior High</a>,” which is why she really looked forward to RoxChie’sscenes in the sequel, knowing it would help lessen any awkwardness between them. And true enough, they’ve become even better friends.“Mas dumami na ‘yung mga asaran namin… Kahit sa mga promo, grabe kami mag-bardagulan, parang ‘yun na ang love language naming dalawa. So, maganda ‘yung naging foundation ng friendship namin,” expressed Xyriel.Hearing such words from her makes us feel nostalgic and a bit sad since the series is about to end. We can only imagine the ‘sepanx’ that the cast members feel, having become a real barkada even off-screen. As for Xyriel, she will definitely miss all the quality time they spent together. She will miss those moments when the whole squad was complete at one location.“Mami-miss ko ‘yung kahit gaano kami magsiksikan sa isang sulok basta gusto namin magkakasama kami. Kahit wala ng space, basta magkakasama kami. ‘Yung talagang nagsisiksikan kami at nagbo-bonding kami… Dahil sa nabuo namin na bond, nilo-look forward ko kung ilan yung sequences na wala ako para may time kami kumain, magkwentuhan, mag-over sharing, mag-share ng trauma. ‘Yun ang mami-miss ko,” she smiled.Aww! We’re not crying, are we?We’ll all miss the Northford High barkada, but let’s not miss the “High Street: The Last Destination” finale tonight on <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-news/kapamilya-channel-livestream-12685">Kapamilya Channel</a>, <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-news/kapamilya-online-live-12710">Kapamilya Online Live</a>, TV5, and A2Z.

Xyriel Manabat reveals the real emotions behind her and Elijah Canlas’s scenes in “High Street.”