K-drama a new lease on Nico’s shot at stardom

Antonio (background) with coactor Son Suk-ku

Change starts from within,” said actor Nico Antonio, who is a cast member of the Korean drama series “Big Bet,” which also features the Philippines as a country where gambling is fierce and ruthless.

Nico, who plays a Filipino agent investigating the series of killings of Korean nationals in the Philippines, was reacting to comments saying the country could be put in a bad light because of its negative depiction in the series.

Kang Yun-sung’s “Big Bet” is a story of a man (played by veteran actor Choi Min-sik) who rose to the top and became the legendary king of the casino in the Philippines. His involvement in a murder case forces him to make the ultimate bet, his life, in order to put himself back in the game.

“We should not be ashamed of the story. It’s part of reality. If we want to change our image, then we should start by improving ourselves,” Nico told Inquirer Entertainment over lunch recently. “What our director liked about shooting the series here is that, culturally, Filipinos are not innately bad. Most of us simply do what we can to survive. The series is merely a slice of life. The characters can either be good or bad. It all depends on how the audience interprets them,” the actor explained.

Inspired by a real event

Nico plays Mark Flores, an operative of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) who is helping a Korean cop (Son Suk-ku) solve the killings as a consequence of illegal gambling. “Yes, this is inspired by a real event. Mark and the two other Korean characters are based on real people,” Antonio stressed.

To prepare for the role, Nico underwent immersion at the CIDG office in Camp Crame. “I was able to observe the police officers there. I asked them what they usually do in a day. I made sure to take notice of their demeanor, how they walk and talk,” he said.

Nico added that he had to wait for months for confirmation from the Korean production team on whether or not he indeed got the role. “When I was finally on the set, all dressed up in my character’s clothes, and was finally facing the camera along with my Korean coactors, that’s when I said, ‘This is it! At last!’ Prior to that, I wasn’t too confident because I knew I could still lose it. This has happened to me many times before,” he recalled. “And because I’ve experienced so many rejections in my life, I would just always say, ‘If it’s for me, it’s for me.’”

Nico worked on the series for three whole months here and then flew to Korea, where he stayed for 19 days. “But I only worked there for five days,” he added. “I was a bit overwhelmed when I saw Choi Min-sik for the first time because he is one of my acting idols. Working with the younger Korean actors felt normal to me. I guess it helped that I didn’t know how big a star they are. I’m not a fan of K-drama, that’s why.”

Nico Antonio (right) on the set with “Big Bet” director Kang Yun-sung

Nico admitted feeling excited and expectant because of the series. “I hope this opens doors for me not just locally, but also abroad. After all, it is shown worldwide. Hopefully, people will take notice, and will lead me to more international projects.”

“Big Bet” premiered on Disney+ on Dec. 21.

Nico said another great thing about working on “Big Bet” was the chance to bond with the Korean actors. “We dined out together. They love to resto hop. It’s part of their culture. They would eat in one place, then transfer to another—we transferred three times in one night!”

The hard way

Nico even got to prank Suk-ku one time, he said. “We just finished work and were on our way back to the hotel. I saw him withdrawing money from the ATM, so I snuck behind him and whispered, ‘This is a stickup! Give me your money!’ He turned around and I saw that he was genuinely frightened. Then, he smiled and told me, ‘Don’t do that! You almost frightened me to death!’”

Nico continued: “He told me I could ride with him, but we first had to walk from the restaurant to where his car was. Koreans enjoy walking so much. We got to talk about his artistry. He’s a very deep person. He is not into material things. In fact, he owns an SUV, but he said it’s just out of necessity since he is already a big star. He also said he is saving up to buy a house for himself, since owning a house in Korea is expensive.”

When asked whether his experience made him feel either proud or humble, Nico said: “It made me feel both. If you don’t check on yourself, you’ll eventually turn into a conceited person. It’s good that I already know all about this after what happened to me in ‘On the Wings of Love.’ The audience embraced and loved my character. I even did a commercial with Bianca [Manalo] because of that. My followers on Instagram doubled in number. Admittedly, lumaki ang ulo ko. Eventually, I crashed. Hopefully, if I hit it big with this project, this won’t happen again. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way.” INQ