Charles Teves
Filipinos who live for Korean drama programs weren’t too kind in critiquing Jeric Gonzales’ portrayal of the character Nam Joo-Hyuk in the Filipino adaptation of the hit Korean series ‘Start-Up.’
Gonzales plays the intelligent character Dave Navarro who is one of the founders of Three Sons Tech.
Fans shared photos of comparisons between Gonzales and the character he’s supposed to be playing, and not many were impressed.
ahahhaahahah di ako nag eexpect ng maganda from gma, same thing sa start up ph ew jeric gonzales as nam do san
— sean saw TWICE (@sntdp) May 20, 2022
Pinoy adaptations of foreign shows have historically been terrible, and Start-Up Ph just proved it again.
https://twitter.com/cloverpinkleaf/status/1520751800462512128?s=20&t=ejD-a03Mgu__myDK4kwTzw
Some said the role doesn’t fit Gonzales and that it should’ve been given to Alden Richards, who plays a different character.
Na salvage na talaga ng GMA yung Start Up!!!! Jeric Gonzales as Nam Do San???!!!??? 😤😤😤
— Aubrey (@HeyyAubrey) March 27, 2022
Others said that Gonzales should be given a chance to deliver.
uyy teka grabe naman yung natanggap na body shaming ni jeric gonzales na gaganap as nam do san sa start up adaptation :(((
— ia (@_seoulost) August 18, 2022
Only a few liked the actor’s performance.
https://twitter.com/Kfangirlyy/status/1561382181603201025?s=20&t=bcqGVIZV9qRfxWCoh63xcg
In an August 21 press conference, Gonzales did say that he aims for a more “Filipino-like” portrayal.
“So for me po, at first, mahirap siya. Pero since adaptation nga natin ito na Start Up PH, and may flavor na ng Philippines, naisip ko na ‘yung role ko, hindi ko kailangang gayahin talaga mismo ‘yung ginawa ni Nam Joo-Hyuk doon sa role niya,” explained Gonzales.
“So siguro po, in some parts, noong pinanuod ko siya, nakakuha ako ng mga pointers. Pero may freedom po tayo na gawin [ito na] sariling atin.” he added.
In a recent press conference, Gonzales said that his decision to give the character more Filipino attributes was more of a challenge than anything else.
“So nakita ko na yung role as Davidson kailangan mailagay natin yung culture natin as a Filipino, yung pagiging mapagmahal natin sa family. Basically, naging challenge sa akin is to portray the role in our own adaptation talaga,”
