How Alexander Lee handles unruly fans

Alexander Lee

The Korean drama fever rages on, and we Pinoys have totally been “kimchi-fied.” So, GMA 7 came up with a bright idea of merging Filipino charm and Korean appeal in “My Korean Jagiya” (MKJ), which topbills Heart Evangelista and oppa Alexander Lee.

For girls swooning over the Korean heartthrob, here’s everything you want to know about Alexander, but are just too giddy to ask:

What is the difference between working with a Filipino crew and a Korean one? The main difference is cultural. Since Korea follows a hierarchal culture, it usually takes a longer time for a Korean crew to break the ice and get close to one another. Meanwhile, Filipino culture is so open that, from the first day, the members of the crew were so welcoming and were already joking a lot with me. Filming in Korea is more quiet and serious, while filming in the Philippines is just as serious, but much noisier.

What’s the hardest part of your adjustment to the Filipino way of life? Nothing was difficult. My only problem was my body adjusting to the climate here. The combined hot weather and aircon (during taping) made me sick for a week, but now I’m doing very well and have learned to be more careful.

Oh, the traffic in Manila still is hard for me to adjust to, especially since Koreans are always pali-pali (in a hurry).

How do you handle unruly fans? I usually tell them straight, and in a nice way, to behave. If not, then good luck with Korean managers (laughs).

What have you learned from Heart Evangelista? I’ve learned a lot from her. I learned basic Filipino phrases such as kain na. I learned so much about the Filipino show biz culture, which has helped me adapt well.

I also learned about her love life—and about true love. She and Sen. Chiz (Escudero, her husband) changed my bitter perception about love. Because I always thought finding true love was as hard as finding a diamond in the ocean.

What turns you off and turns you on in a girl? I like clean, independent girls who exercise. Being in shape is a plus. Too much makeup, dirty, smelly, excessively dependent and obsessive girls turn me off.

What are your thoughts on marriage, infidelity and jealousy? Marriage is a very important commitment, and true love is God-given. It must be taken seriously. Infidelity is the worst thing in a relationship, because it is a betrayal of trust. It’s intolerable. Jealousy could be cute or annoying, depending on what level. Sometimes, it could put a smile on my face.

What’s your favorite Korean drama series of all time and why? “Jewel in the Palace.” It’s one of my best memories of my early days in a K-drama, and it’s something that I’m proud of, because almost everyone knows it. I loved the aesthetics of Korean food in it, and how the female lead character became a doctor in order to go back to the palace. It’s about an unattainable dream that teaches viewers not to give up and to get better at what they do.

What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve ever done? Stealing my mother’s herbal diet pills and consuming them secretly. I think I was around 13 years old at the time.

What’s your most memorable experience in the Philippines so far? “My Korean Jagiya’s” mall shows. Each time, it gets crazier than the previous one. The last one, we couldn’t hear anything at all, because everybody was screaming. It shows how beloved our show is—and we’re very happy about it.

If your life story would be made into a K-drama, what would the title be? “My Korean Jagiya,” of course! Jun-ho and I have many similarities. For example, at some point, Jun-ho quit show biz and didn’t want to continue. In my case, I chose to leave the K-pop scene, but somehow managed to reenter show biz as an actor.