Exclusive: Sandara Park talks about her first TV role in Korea

Former teen star SandaraPark happily shared some good news about her acting career in South Korea with ABS-CBN.com. Ever since she spent a few days in Manila last August 2008 for a vacation and an appearance on ASAP ’08, Kapamilyas have been waiting for Sandara to appear in Koreanovelas. After a year of training and hard work, Sandara has landed a cameo role in the Korean historical drama, The Return of Iljime.


“I’m not sure kung kelan exactly I auditioned pero I think mga late 2007. Ang tagal na ‘di ba? I met Director Hwang (director of hit Korean drama Princess Hours) and his staff para makilala and say hi. It was not really an audition, parang very comfortable meeting lang, so nag-usap kami about mga experiences in the Philippines,” Sandara related on how she landed the role. “Actually, I did nothing special hehe! Kasi hindi audition ang intention namin noon. So nag-usap lang talaga kami, medyo matagal din. For almost an hour and I showed them yung scrapbook ko na lahat ng mga projects ko sa Philippinesnandoon, mga movie posters, screen caps, commercials…”


The lead character of the drama, Iljime, is a revered hero of Korea and will be played by young actor Jung Il Woo. According to Sandara, this is the actor’s first serious role that’s why Iljime is a highly anticipated drama in Korea, which is another reason why she is glad to have made it on the show. Sandara said that she finds her role on the show kind of ironic for she plays someone Japanese. “Si Rie ang role ko. Interesting kasi Japanese girl si Rie. Nasa Koreana ako pero Japanese ang unang role ko noh? Hahaha! Si Rie, isa siyang ninja na makikilala niya si Iljime, tuturuan niya ng martial arts ang mga ninja and siyempre magfafall sa kanya. Pero makakatuluyan kaya sila? Naku abangan yan! Sa Sandara's Romance Presents The Return of Iljime hahaha,” Sandara said, adding a joke about her former TV show on ABS-CBN.


Sandara shared her experience taping for her first drama in Korea. “It is my first project saKorea after the ‘I’m Sorry’ music video. Iba rin ito sa music video kasi real acting na ito, drama ito so I was really nervous and at the same time very excited. Sa Japanpa ang taping namin, sa TsushimaIslandna malapit lang sa Korea. Nagworry ako sa iba't ibang bagay pero ang saya ng taping namin. Walang problems, ang bait ng director, mga staff and they like me kaya it was really comfortable and fun for me to work with them.” She also became friends with the stars of the show, especially Il Woo. “Maganda rin ang working relationship ko with Il Woo. He's also very nice and fun to be with kaya mas masaya ang taping namin. Sana maulit muli.”


She also said that she really missed working in front of the camera and this made the experience more special. “After more than one year, back to set ulit ako. Kahit sa Koreaito, halos pareho lang ang system ng taping kaya nagulat sila kasi magaling daw ako mag-adjust. Siyempre, krungkrung ako noh? Sanay na ako sa mga tapings! Hehehe! One week nga lang taping namin, gusto ko mas matagal pa sana pero tapos na.” She added that doing tapings in the Philippines and in Korea are very much alike that’s why she had no problem following the director’s instructions. “I think 99% pareho ang mga nangyayari sa set, yung mga ginagamit sa tapings. For example, yung ginagamit namin marker sa floor para alam namin kung saan kami tatayo eh alam na alam ko na yun ‘di ba? Kaya marker ko ang sarili ko nun, nagulat ang mga staff marunong daw ako hehehe, ang yabang ko no? Halos lahat talaga pareho lang. Read namin ng script with Direk and he will tell us what to do, rehearsal, and then shoot na.”


But what makes the taping different for Sandara is the feeling that she’s starting again from scratch, far from the days when people were screaming her name during the first Star Circle Quest search. “Kakaiba rin ito kasi sa Pilipinas, kilala na ako and madalas ako ang bida sa isang project pero this time, walang nakakakilala sa akin and maliit lang role ko though wala naman small role sa isang actor pero kung isipin natin ang difference, malaking difference ito for me. Parang start from scratch ulit. I’m so happy to feel this excitement again after how many years. And I also learned na hindi important kung bida ka o hindi. Lahat ng roles important sa isang drama. ‘Yun nga lang walang nakakakilala sa akin kaya walang nagpa-autograph sa ‘kin sa set! Hahaha!” Sandara said with her usual humor.


Even though YG Entertainment’s career plans for Sandara are yet to be revealed, the young actress is very optimistic about her career in 2009 and hopes her fans will stick it out with her. “I’m also very excited about my future! As an actress? As a singer? Or both maybe? Wala ako masasabi sa inyo right now pero since I’m working hard everyday to improve myself, I’m sure marami pa kayong makikita from me. Konting tiis pa tayo.” And with that she left a special message to all her friends, who are eagerly waiting for her future projects. “I miss you all so much! Hindi ninyo pa ba ako nakakalimutan? Ayan I have some good news sa inyo, makikita niyo ako ulit sa TV! Sa Koreanovela. Simula palang ito kaya ‘special participation’ lang muna ako dito sa isang episode pero maeenjoy ninyo ito. Kakaiba ang role ko and you’ll see me acting again. I’m sure excited din kayo dito. Sana makadalaw ulit ako saPhilippinespara magkita tayo! Tiis-tiis muna tayo hanggang mareach ko ang isa pang dream ko dito. Salamat sa lahat!”


The Return of Iljime started airing in Korea last January 21 on MBC and Sandara’s character will appear in the February 11 episode.

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Original Post : Exclusive: Sandara Park talks about her first TV role in Korea

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