Gina Alajar finds joy in playing lola in Start-Up Ph

Gina Alajar belongs to that circle of creatives, who can act in one project and direct in another. Whether she is manning the mise-en-scéne or essaying a role in front of the camera, she is committed to tell a story that touches the heart and explores one’s sense of hearth and home.

In Start-Up Ph, the actor-director is taking on the role of Lola Joy, also known as Mrs. Choi in the original hit Korean TV series. Everyone looks forward to her interpretation of a character that K-drama and Netflix fans are familiar with.

“Ang nakita kong pagkakapareho namin (What I have seen that we share in common) is we are both hardworking,” said Gina in a recent virtual group interview. “She is very hardworking and does it for her apo (granddaughter), whom she raised dahil nawala yung mga magulang (because the latter has no parents around).”

"Alden Richards’ Tristan- Good Boy.

Another similarity is the actress and the character’s love for their grandchildren. “Pareho kami ni Lola Joy na yung mahal namin ay ipaglalaban namin (We will both fight for our loved ones and protect them),” added she.

“Lola Joy wants a peaceful family. She wants to be with her family and family is important to her. To me, family is important. Kung meron mang gulo o hindi pagkakasundo (If there’s misunderstanding among family members), I try to make things peaceful for everyone.”

Gina plays a loving and supportive grandparent to Bea Alonzo's Dani.

Working in an adaptation project, direk Gina had her own way of playing a character that’s originally Korean for Filipino audiences.

“I watched Start-Up in 2020 and I watched it again,” said she, who, at first, considered Mrs. Choi as a jump-off point for Lola Joy, but she came up with another approach for some reason like “her emotionality is different from mine,” added Gina. “I just decided to do what I’m feeling and how I understand the character of Lola Joy.”

From there, she found her way to navigate the character. Since she and the character are both grandmothers, Gina tapped into this aspect of her life as a rich source of information to portray the guardian and grandma of Bea Alonzo’s character Dani.

“Alam ko kung papaano mag-mahal ng apo at alam ko kung papaano magpalaki ng apo (I know how to love and raise a grandchild),” shared Gina, who has younger grandchildren in real life as compared to what Lola Joy has. “I have a 12-year-old apo, si Catalina. At times, ang tingin ko talaga kay Bea ay si Catalina. I put Catalina in Bea’s shoes.”

That’s why the grandmother-grandchild scenes between Gina and Bea were done with ease. “Nag-sa-swak kami, ganun. I think we nailed it, the apo-grandmother relationship,” she explained.

Gina also plays a loving and supportive grandparent to Alden Richards’ Tristan-Good Boy character.

“We’re allowed to give suggestions… to share what we think about our characters,” said Gina of the collaboration between actors and TV series directors Dominic Zapata and Jerry Sineneng, “(like) Lola Joy will not say this, hindi ganito yung nararamdaman ni Lola Joy. It’s great to work with two directors that I respect so much.”

She added that Start-Up Ph is her reunion project with direk Jerry, whom she worked with in another network, and another enjoyable collaboration with direk Dominic. “Having these two directors in Start-Up (Ph), talagang masasabi ko na (I can say), ‘Wow, we have a show,’ and it’s an honor to be directed by them. (They are) very faithful to the script,” said she.

The veteran actress in Gina also took pleasure in doing scenes with Alden, Bea and the other members of the ensemble cast.

“While we were rehearsing the lines and especially doing the technical rehearsals, nararamdaman ko na sila (I could feel their characters) that’s why it was easy, in terms of emotions, and it was easy for me to act with them,” recalled she.

Yes, the Kapuso adaptation is true to the original narrative, but there are also tweaks in it. Gina’s Lola Joy will sell turon (banana lumpia) with different flavors, instead of the Korean grandma’s corn dog. She will have more scenes and transitions, looks-wise, said Gina.

Asked what the audiences can anticipate, too, from the GMA show, Gina answered, “The production of Start-Up (Ph) tried very hard to be at par with the production of the original K-drama, di ko pa nakikita ang kabuuan, pero nakita ko yung trailer… wow ang gagaling naman ng direktor namin… nakakabusog visually, hindi naman magpapahuli visually and also the look of drama, parang bago sa mata (the look is refreshing).

“So, I think those are the things to look forward to and also the tandem of Bea and Alden… They have good chemistry. Bea and Alden have very good chemistry… What to look forward to is Lola Joy and then, the other stars and actors. We have so many good actors in the show.”

With that, Start-Up Ph is ready to revisit the personal tales of starting up a business, and the joys and sacrifices that come with the territory.