• 7 months ago
It's buhay abroad episode on a Monday and here's another “love” hormone-releasing story for you. This time, we take you to South Korea.

Meet Noreen Joyce Guerra | @joyce_in_korea, a Filipina living in South Korea who works as a finance manager. And she is super lucky to get to enjoy background acting on the side. In previous interviews, it says she has appeared in more than 50 K-dramas. Shouldn't all die-hard K-drama fans be jealous?

What a side hustle!

With her part-time gig playing extra on TV, Noreen gets to meet and work with some of the famous names in K-Drama like Seo Hyun Jin, Moon Ga Young, and Kim Seon Ho. And her most recent stint? The first episode of a successful Netflix series — All of Us Are Dead.

So now, what's it like to live in South Korea? What's it like to work with Korean actors? You're about to find out.

To see more of Noreen's life in South Korea check out her channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JoyceinKorea

Click here to subscribe to OG:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIj3xiW-RIO2cpr5LBvokRg/?sub_confirmation=1

About OG
Using the power of video to tell one good story at a time... ONLY GOOD... OG.

OG is Summit Media's video first brand. And like all Summit Media brands, OG is anchored on top-notch storytelling to delight, inspire, and connect with our audiences.

We are deliberate in creating content that spread positivity, inspiration, and good vibes. Expect only good here at OG. Subscribe and be part of the community!
Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:05 For Foreigner Roles, yes, I did a lot of auditions, but was declined a lot of times.
00:11 They told me because I don't look like the typical Southeast Asian or Filipino.
00:17 >> Squid game, correct?
00:19 >> Yes, I enjoyed it.
00:20 >> You enjoyed it?
00:21 [FOREIGN]
00:31 [MUSIC]
00:45 >> Back in the Philippines, I was working in a company just like a typical office worker.
00:52 The main reason why I moved to Korea is that I received a scholarship from my school.
00:59 I took a master's in business administration from Myeong Women's University.
01:04 My family were very supportive of my decision and
01:08 they want me to explore things even before.
01:11 So I am very thankful for them to let me explore the things that I wanted to do.
01:16 [MUSIC]
01:18 I was actually a fan of K-drama before even going to South Korea.
01:23 So it was also the K-drama thing that made me learn Korean language back in
01:28 the Philippines.
01:30 I did study from Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines for a total of 72 hours.
01:36 So it's around like three levels that I studied.
01:40 When I moved here in South Korea, it was not an easy decision since I was working
01:46 in the Philippines, so I was earning.
01:48 Moving here as a student was very hard at first because I moved here alone.
01:54 My scholarship just handles my tuition and not my everyday expenses.
02:00 So I had to do a lot of jobs before to cover all my expenses.
02:05 [MUSIC]
02:07 I've been staying in South Korea for six years now.
02:11 Acting was not actually part of any goal in my life.
02:15 It was just an opportunity that I grabbed and I'm doing it until now.
02:21 I'm actually working as a manager in a financial technology company.
02:26 So I handle funding, overseas partner management, as well as contract reviews.
02:32 [MUSIC]
02:36 My entertainment career started back in the Philippines when I joined
02:41 Korean Cultural Center.
02:42 So from Korean Cultural Center, I met a lot of people from the industry.
02:46 So when I came to Korea, I reconnected with them and
02:50 they started to introduce me to part-time jobs like stage directing,
02:56 awards night, drama and movies.
02:58 From that, I met a lot of directors, producers.
03:02 So they encouraged me to try on-cam gigs.
03:06 [MUSIC]
03:09 My priority is working my full-time job.
03:11 So I do filming, acting, or any other gigs during weekends and holidays.
03:18 So it's just actually doing it on my free time.
03:21 I actually have a lot of Filipino friends who do background acting as well.
03:26 Very last time I joined the industry, they were doing it even before.
03:31 There are a lot of auditions for foreigners, like foreign roles.
03:36 My roles were all Korean.
03:39 So every drama that I went to, I was a Korean actress or background actress.
03:45 [MUSIC]
03:48 I did True Beauty, which my role was also a student.
03:52 Extraordinary You, My Name, and
03:54 Extracurricular, which is also a Netflix series.
03:58 I actually did a few commercials here, so those are the projects that paid higher.
04:04 >> Visitors face masks.
04:06 In case visitors are not wearing any masks or wearing them properly, access denied.
04:11 >> I would say that it will not be enough for you to survive in South Korea,
04:16 like paying your rent and everything.
04:19 The figures is just for allowance.
04:22 [MUSIC]
04:25 For All of Us Are Dead, I played one of the students of Yusan High School,
04:31 which was the main setting for All of Us Are Dead production.
04:37 I was part of Queen Nam classmates, which was the antagonist of the drama.
04:43 Before the actors go into the shoot,
04:47 they actually gone into training for being a zombie.
04:52 The production itself hired choreographers and
04:56 agency that will train the actors to do the zombie training.
05:01 I was already doing high school student roles even before,
05:06 so maybe they thought that I do fit the roles.
05:10 Most people treat me just like the typical Korean,
05:15 cuz they thought that I am very engaged to culture.
05:19 So I learned how the culture works.
05:22 It's hard but it's fun at the same time.
05:25 It's hard because you have to work hard to be able to survive here because
05:29 the living expenses is quite expensive compared to the Philippines.
05:33 Fun because I get to do whatever I want to do.
05:36 [FOREIGN]
05:39 I mean, you're free to do whatever you want to do.
05:42 [MUSIC]
05:49 If you have an interesting or inspiring story that you want to share,
05:53 email us at stories.onlygood@gmail.com.
05:56 [FOREIGN]
05:59 Subscribe now and
06:00 hit the notification bell to get updates on our latest episodes.

Recommended