On September 17, Kapuso actress-director Gina Alajar highlighted how she campaigned for her role in Start-Up at the media conference for the GMA Network series with the press, which included LionhearTV.
Alajar narrated how she sent photos of her look as the Philippine counterpart of Start-Up’s Mrs. Choi.
“But thankful ako na nasa akin ‘yung role. Hindi ko pa nakwento sa inyo na noong si Miss Cathy Ochoa-Perez, humihingi ng pictures sa akin para i-present kila, sa SubCom, talagang nagpadala ako ng picture na ang itsura ko Mrs. Choi.
“Naghanap ako ng apron– na color green na apron, naghanap ako ng bandana na ganon, naghanap ako ng katulad ng print ni Mrs. Choi, kasi nagbigay sa akin ng peg si Ms. Cathy. So ‘yun ‘yung pinadala ko para in character na ako. Wala na kayo ibang choice ako na ‘yun.”
She then admitted how she felt the pressure in taking on the fan-favorite role in Start-Up.
“Of course, nag-bigay sa akin ng pressure ‘yun dahil the past years puro ang roles ko pang kontrabida, nananampal, mga ganyan. Tapos ngayon biglang mabait ako, so parang medyo ang laki ng ano ko, ang laki ng switch ko. Pero, siguro nakalimutan din ng tao na bago ako magkontrabida roles, ay puro api naman lagi. Aping asawa, aping manugang, lahat ng api.”
She then talked about the challenges of portraying the role and ensuring it fits the Filipino culture.
“Siyempre challenge ito, unang-una kasi lola na ‘yung role. Iba na, iba na ‘yung dynamics, mayroon akong dalawang apo na maganda. Mga apo ko maliliit pa lang. ‘Yung relationship, kailangan ko hanapin and for a while na trap ako doon sa character ni Mrs. Choi, kasi gagayahin ko ba siya, or kukunin ko ba ‘yung nuances niya mga ganon, kasi baka hanapin.
“But then, after while I realized, no. Sabi ko, hindi dapat. Kung ano ‘yung nararamdaman, kung ano ‘yung characterization ko as a Filipino, ‘yung emotions ko as a Filipino ay iba sa kaniya as a Koreana. Hindi ba? So I said, ‘No, I would maintain the Filipino emotions because of course nandito tayo sa Pilipinas.'”
She then discussed how directors Jerry Lopez-Sineneng and Dominic Zapata guided them on the set.
“And of course, with the guidance of the Directors, Jerry Sineneng and Dominic Zapata na very supportive sa amin. Mayroon akong mga questions, si Direk, ‘teka baka pwede namang ireshoot’ ‘No, no, no, I will tell you when it’s not good.’ He assured me very well. I’m just so proud na I belong to this cast, really, really proud. Maganda ‘yung show namin. Totoo ‘yan maganda ‘yung show namin.”
The Philippine adaptation of the hit Netflix Korean series from 2020, Start-Up, stars Alden Richards, Bea Alonzo, Yasmien Kurdi, and Jeric Gonzales.
The series includes a powerhouse cast with Gabby Eigenmann, Jackie Lou Blanco, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Boy 2 Quizon, Royce Cabrera, Nino Muhlach, Lovely Rivero, Kim Domingo, and Ms. Gina Alajar.
Watch Start-Up, Alden Richards, and Bea Alonzo’s first-ever drama series together, premiering on September 26, 2022, at 8: 50 p.m., via GMA Telebabad.
