ACTRESS Liza Soberano, who has been Manila-based for three months now, admitted that her bid for a Hollywood career had been stalled by the ongoing actors’ strike there, especially since she is also a member of the SAG-Aftra.
The strike organized by the Screen Actor’s Guild and American Federation of Radio and TV Artists began on July 14. The group is calling for increased pay and a rethinking of residuals, which union members claimed has diminished in spite of the rise in streaming services. Residuals are paid out to actors whenever their TV shows or movies are replayed.
This is why Liza has since turned her attention to putting up her own production company. Also, she has been going to South Korea to “explore opportunities” there. In fact, she was there for some business meetings when she did this interview with Inquirer Entertainment.
“I personally see Korea as next to Hollywood. I’m starting to create my own production company and my co-producer is based in Korea. That’s why I come back here often. It’s just a little bit limiting that I can’t speak Korean yet,” Liza told Inquirer Entertainment in a virtual chat yesterday morning.
“I’ve met with a lot of production companies and agencies here, and they said, ‘You want to work here? Please learn a little of the language so we can get you a proper job.’ I can’t say that I’m seriously doing it because I haven’t hired a teacher yet, but I try to do Duolingo (a language-learning app) almost everyday. And also, just being here and immersing myself in the culture really helps me pick up the language.”
The interview was held to promote “Liza in Korea,” a 15-episode series produced by JJ Global Group that the actress filmed from March to April for 18 days. The series offers viewers a 10-minute immersive experience into the different facets of Korean culture from Liza’s perspective. It premiered on YouTube on Sept. 13, with new episodes uploaded every Wednesday.
Liza said she has returned to Korea a number of times after filming the series, “because the company also started looking for endorsements for me here. I’ve been meeting with a lot of people, particularly for this one fashion brand that launched me as their endorser, too.” (Marinel Cruz © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
