ACTRESS Janna Nick, 22, hopes her portrayal of the heroine in the local adaptation of 2007 Korean hit drama The 1st Shop Of Coffee Prince, will be well-received by Korean drama fans here.
“I feel the pressure to give my best in this drama since many Malaysians follow the (The 1st Shop Of) Coffee Prince drama series. Imagine the backlash I may get from its fans if they are unimpressed by my acting,” said Janna, who also enjoys watching K-dramas.
Janna is right in being nervous about playing the leading female role in the 28-episode adaptation work; just look at the online petition against actor Fattah Amin who is rumoured to play the lead role (originally played by South Korean star Gong Yoo).
The petition was created by local fans of Gong, who believed Fattah to be unqualified to play the character, besides the fact that he has starred in too many television dramas in recent times.
“We haven’t even started filming the drama (Coffee Prince) and already there has been so much buzz on social media. Naturally, anyone involved in this would feel the pressure of their acting skills being scrutinised,” said Janna at the Toyota Gazoo Racing racing school graduation ceremony in Sepang recently.
As such, the actress has taken upon herself to research her role by watching the series again. She even enrolled in Muay Thai classes since last month so as to shed some weight since her character is that of a tomboy.
The actress, who wears a short bob hairstyle, will also be cutting her hair for a boyish cut to suit the role (originally played by actress Yoon Eun-hye).
And if her leading man were to be Fattah, Janna said she was not worried of any controversy which could spark from their “onscreen” chemistry.
“Should there be criticism of me for any reason, I hope it’ll be constructive towards making me a better actress,” said Janna, who recently wrapped up a Malaysian-Indonesian 60-episode drama series titled Dia, which will air in October on TV3. She stars opposite Indonesian singer-actor Irwansyah.