As an actress, Gina Alajar has made a name for herself playing kontrabida (antagonist) roles: Dian Lamitan from the epic series Amaya (2011 to 2012), Noreen Sandoval-Perez in Magkaibang Mundo (2016), Doña Adelaida “Adele” Angeles in Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka (2018) , to name a few of her more recent roles. This is why it was surprising that during her first Vogue Philippines shoot , she whips out a list of 77 Korean dramas that she’s watched and rated. “My highest-rated one is Crash Landing On You .
That’s the first K-drama that I fell in love with,” she shares, gushing over Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. Maybe it’s not that surprising that Gina is a K-drama fan, as she has a great love for filmmaking. “Never a dull moment! Each day is different from yesterday,” she says.
She recalls her memorable experience filming Jose Rizal (1998). “Imagine, I went back to Jose Rizal’s time,” she says in Filipino. “I was in awe.
I thought, ‘This is movie making.” And for her, “you can never separate yourself from the experiences you learn.” Even as an established veteran actress, Gina still finds new experiences to learn from.
When she was in the casting process for the Filipino adaptation of the Korean drama Start-Up (2020), she went above and beyond to secure the role of Lola Joy. “The character wears a bandana in the series, so I found one,” she says. Dressing for the part, she submitted a picture to the casting directors and immediately booked the role.
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