Desidido si Liza Soberano, 25, na mag-aral ng salitang Korean dahil gusto raw niyang pasukin ang Korean entertainment kung mabigyan ng oportunidad.
"I can speak a little now because I kept coming back too often. I’m doing lessons with their language. I’m really taking it seriously because honestly, I am.
"Of course, I feel like it’s any actor’s dream to be in a K-drama or be in a movie here in Korea.
"I personally consider Korea to be the next Hollywood or if not already the new Hollywood. They’re making so much noise in entertainment," pahayag ni Liza.
Dagdag ng aktres: "Of course, it’s an honor to be part of that, and my only downfall is I can’t speak Korean fluently.
"So, I’ve actually met with a lot of production companies, a lot of agents and managers and they’re having an interest.
"Pero, sabi nila, balikan ko sila kapag nakakasalita na ‘ko ng Korean."
Nakausap ng PEP.ph si Liza sa pamamagitan ng Zoom noong September 13, 2023, at dito niya ikinuwento ang bago niyang travel show sa YouTube na tila nag-inspire sa kanya na mas aralin ang Korean entertainment.
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LIZA SOBERANO'S TRAVEL YOUTUBE SERIES
Tampok si Liza sa travel show na Liza in Korea na mapapanood sa YouTube channel ng PHH TV.
Hindi lang pamamasyal sa magagandang destinasyon sa Land of The Morning Calm ang ipapakita ni Liza, kundi pati pakikipagkilala niya sa ilang sikat na personalidad sa entertainment industry doon.
Nagsimula na ang show noong September 13, at may lalabas na bagong 10-minute episode tuwing Miyerkules ng 8 p.m. (Philippine time).
Ayon kay Liza, ang Korean production company na JJ Global ang nagprodyus ng YouTube series niya.
Nakilala raw niya ang kumpanya sa tulong nina Hayden Kho at Vicki Belo.
"We we’re introduced to one of their investors and their investor was actually looking for a Filipina celebrity to collaborate.
"It started po last April for filming and I was in Korea for 18 days," lahad ni Liza.
"Before the filming, tinanong po nila ‘ko kung ano ang mga gusto kong ma-experience or gawin sa Korea.
"And I just gave them a list of things that I wanted to do or people that I wanted to meet. And they based the whole series around that.”
Matutunghayan sa proyekto ang fun side ni Liza habang hindi pa raw siya muli napapanood sa TV at pelikula.
"But, there’s also another side, they also want to introduce Korean culture through the land of Korean locals via Filipina celebrity.
"So, we just wanted to bridge the gap between culture."
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LIZA SOBERANO'S LOVE FOR K-POP
Na-enjoy daw ni Liza ang paggawa ng Liza in Korea dahil likas na hilig niya ang Korean entertainment.
"Actually, the first time I was introduced to Korean culture and entertaimment was when I was 10 or 11, when I first got to the Philippines.
"That was my first time to explore different types of entertainment from different countries.
"And it so happened that Korean entertainment was the one that sparked my interest to K-pop.
"I became a huge fan of Girls Generation, Super Junior, 2NE1, So, my second-gen K-pop. I think, I was a little bit too early for K-pop at that time."
Talagang bumibili pa raw si Liza ng merchandise ng mga paborito niyang K-pop stars.
May panahong nag-lie-low siya, pero ayon kay Liza, hindi nawala ang interes niya Korean entertainment.
Nanood siya ng Tagalog-dubbed Korean drama sa ABS-CBN tulad ng Boys Over Flowers (2009) at My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010).
"And then, around 2018 I believe that I rekindled my interest with Korean entertainment through BTS, Momoland and Blackpink."
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Liza on LEARNing about korean culture, language
Aminado si Liza sa napakaraming content na base sa Korea ang napapanood sa Internet, pero siniguro niya na kakaiba ang i-o-offer niya sa Liza in Korea.
"Ang maganda po kasi sa series na ito, like I’ve said earlier, I was taken to places that are popular among the locals and not the tourist key spots.
"So, I didn’t go to the usual places that a lot of us think kapag gusto nating i-visit ‘yong Korea.
"I think, you’ll gonna see a lot of new traditional Korean dishes, some Korean fusion dishes that are more modern," paliwanag ni Liza.
Patuloy niya, "You will not only get a better understanding of the culture, but you’ll also see a different side.
"Kasi, I met a lot of different people, and you’ll get to see a lot of types of entertainment, and you’ll get to see an interaction between a Filipina and Korean celebrities of Korean business people."
Ano ang natutunan niya sa kanyang immersion sa Korea sa loob ng 18 days?
"Ang favorite kong discovery siguro is when I was filming, medyo nahihiya pa ‘ko,” kuwento pa ni Liza.
"Siyempre, it’s my first time working with the Korean production company. There’s a bit of a little language barrier.
"And they will always say, 'fighting' or they will say things in Korean and translator will translate it to me.
"When you translated it in English, it doesn’t sound as good in Korean. For example, there’s this famous saying that they do before filming like, ‘You better do good today.”
"Of course, if someone will say it and it’s like shouting, you’ll think like, ‘Am I not doing a good job?’ ‘Am I not giving my best?’
"But actually, in Korea, that’s how they encourage people. That’s actually a good thing if they’re saying that to you. It’s like, 'I’m praying that you’ll do a good job. That you’ll be happy.'
"But when you translate it in English, it sounds scary,” natawang sabi niya.
Napagtanto rin daw ni Liza na uso sa Korean entertainment ang mga super cute and super bubbly sa camera.
"Also, I realized, whenever I watch like Korean variety shows and the behind-the-scenes moment, I always see the girls na super cutie, super bubbly. They almost kind [of look like] little girls—almost. So, I’m like, is the Korean really like that?
"So, even with me, there’s a different side of me na funny in the series. I’m almost like a little girl.
"Because they find that very endearing when girls are bubbly, happy, smiling all the time. And I think, it’s the same in the Philippines. We like happy girls," saad ni Liza.
Aminado si Liza na naiiba sa kanya iyon.
Aniya, “But then also, I felt kind of awkward about it because I’m 25, you know, I’m not a little girl anymore. But they said, Korean find it endearing.”
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