Imagine this: you’re sick and in need of medical assistance. And so you head over to the hospital, looking for some TLC. You open the door and, lo and behold, it’s Jinri Park, the doctor of your dreams!
Now snap out of it.
The lovely Korean-but-Filipina-at-heart put aside a career in medicine in favor of a showbiz stint that has made her one of the most recognizable, not to mention eye-catching stars in the industry today.
In a talk with the Play! pool one early afternoon shortly before she graced the Cebu auditions of “KISpinoy,” a new reality-based talent show that discovers talented Filipino K-Pop performers, Jinri divulged that she did try her hand at getting a degree in medicine and follow in her father’s footsteps.
But things took a different turn when the acting bug bit her. Here’s more of Jinri.
Jinri Park
What brings you to Cebu?
I’m here to host the auditions for KISpinoy. We’ve been doing several auditions all throughout the Philippines.
I’m super-excited to be here because this is my hometown.
We heard you lived in Cebu for some years. Do you know how to speak Bisaya?
I don’t know how to speak Bisaya because I went to Cebu International School, and of course, there you speak English. You’re not even allowed to speak Korean or Tagalog or Bisaya.
What are your fondest memories of growing up here?
It’s growing up around nature and the beach. If I grew up in Korea it would be all buildings and the education system in Korea is way too competitive. Whereas growing up in Cebu, I was more relaxed and I got to be more creative being around nature, going to the beach and exploring the surroundings. And because the education system here is much more free, I became more open-minded.
What were you into while growing up?
I loved science so I would go out in my garden and get little grasshoppers and frogs and put them in jar to observe them. I would do extra work for science in school. Of course, now I don’t like science all that much anymore. (laughs) As I got older, it became a lot harder. I actually took up medical school for two years, but I quit. My dad is a doctor and my mom is a pharmacist, so I was surrounded by that environment. I was pushed to become a doctor, but after studying, I found out it wasn’t for me and I decided to quit.
Where in Cebu did you live?
In Talamban. I used to live in Banilad then transferred to Talamban.
How long were you here?
Fifteen years! I was here since 1994. I went back and forth. There were a couple of years that I went to Korea and back here. I really feel like this was where I established my identity, who I am now. Every time I go to Korea, it feels like a foreign country to me.
How old were you when you arrived Cebu?
I was six years old. My dad actually studied medicine in Southwestern University.
He was also a professor there teaching physical therapy and then he moved to Cebu Doctors’ Hospital . He did a lot of medical missions together with my mom, and I remember going to rural areas of Cebu and they would bring in Korean doctors too to give free aid to the people there.
What made you decide that medicine wasn’t for you?
I felt so trapped. What I realize now is that I enjoy being in front of the camera, whereas with medicine, I would have to sit down for 12 hours looking at a book. I was so bored with my life. It just wasn’t for me. I was unhappy.
Where were your hangouts here?
I was just in school lang, at the soccer field there. Ayala Center Cebu also. And at IT Park. They have a lot of good restaurants there.
How were you discovered in showbiz?
So I moved to Korea to study med school for two years. Deep inside I knew it wasn’t for me. I wanted to go back to the Philippines. Anywhere in the Philippines, I begged my parents. So my dad suggested that I go back to Manila because they have more schools there. My dad suggested that I go to Enderun Colleges, another international school. I was studying there in Manila and in my second year of college. Enderun is a really nice school and there are a lot of photo shoots. Solenn (Heussaff) incidentally had a photo shoot there. I was sitting at the lobby lang and this photographer came up to me and asked if I wanted to try out modelling. So I said okay. From there, I built my portfolio. I went to different auditions. But I never got a gig for around three years. But one day, FHM offered to take a photograph of me. From there, I started to get a lot of gigs because people started noticing me. After that, my bosses in Monster Radio RX 93.1… they saw my pictures in FHM and asked if I wanted to audition to become a radio DJ. They were doing a girls DJ search, and unfortunately, I didn’t win. Another girl won, but they asked me if I wanted to continue with the late night shift. So I continued to do that and then came “Vampire ang Daddy Ko”. It happened unexpectedly.
What do you think of your career so far and are there other milestones you want to reach?
I see myself going in a different direction because now I’m doing more hosting and acting. I’m moving from that sexy image also because I’m getting older. I want to host more shows or concentrate more on my acting. Or maybe have a business.
Tell us about KiSPinoy.
It will be on primetime TV5 starting June 27 and it’s hosted by me and Richard Gutierrez. We are looking for the next K-Pop icon in the Philippines.
It will most likely be a Filipino who will win it and they will be trained in Korea under Uniq International. It will be pretty big. Some big Korean stars will also guest on the show.
What were some of your projects?
I went to Korea to study Masters in Theater for about a year. I quit showbiz for a while before I came back last year. I did two online shows for TV5. I did some small roles for movies here and there. And of course, “Vampire ang Daddy Ko.”
What genre are you more comfortable in?
Definitely comedy because “Vampire” was comedy and the two online shows were also comedy. I don’t know why, but I feel more comfortable doing comedy more than something a bit too heavy. But I want to move on to more serious roles in the future.
What should the next K-Pop Pinoy star be like?
He or she should be the complete package. It should not be all about your talent but your personality and having that star factor. You could be the best singer or the best dancer but without that star factor you will not make it in this business. So I think it’s “The It Factor.”