(From left) Park Eun-bin, Jenna Ortega and Alyph. Photos: Handout
Twenty-year-old Jenna Ortega has been in showbiz for more than a decade.
But it is her turn as the morbid daughter of the Addams family, Wednesday, in the hit Netflix series named after the character that propelled Ortega to next-level stardom.In the 10 days after Wednesday premiered, Ortega gained 10 million followers on Instagram.
According to The Guardian, Pinterest searches for Wednesday-inspired fashion (all things black and white) were up 50 times. Even Lady Gaga copied Ortega's famous dance moves on the show for her TikTok account.Ortega's interest in acting started at age six when she saw former child actress Dakota Fanning in the 2004 thriller Man On Fire.
She told her parents she wanted to be "the Puerto Rican Dakota Fanning".Ortega has appeared on TV shows such as Jane The Virgin, You and Disney Channel's Stuck In The Middle. On the big screen, she had roles in Iron Man 3, Insidious: Chapter 2 and the reboot of Scream.
Ortega has a theory on why she was capable in her portrayal of Wednesday.
She told W magazine: “I think it’s because I can be pretty deadpan sometimes, and very, very sarcastic. I have a darker sense of humour and I’m interested in darker things. I’m into gore."
And we are into Ortega.
Just like Jenna Ortega, South Korean actress Park Eun-bin has been a fixture in the K-drama industry for a long time.
In fact, the 30-year-old made her acting debut at the age of five.Although she has had many TV dramas under her belt, Park's popularity blew up this year when she portrayed autistic lawyer Woo Young-woo in the hit K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
While she was lauded for her excellent performance as the earnest lawyer on the autism spectrum, Park admitted it was a tedious task when she received the script initially.
“I did not know how to play Woo Young-woo when I first read the script. I was questioning myself about whether acting as a woman on the autism spectrum was appropriate.
"I had to make sure I did not have any prejudices that could influence my acting," Park, who has starred in Do You Like Brahms? and The King's Affection, told The Korea Herald.She also believed that her portrayal would influence how audiences might view autistic people.
“I am not someone who wishes to change the world or aggressively raise public awareness on social issues. But I am aware of the influence I can have as an actor.
"If the series or I can have a small influence, I believe the important steps start now,” she said.The role not only garnered her more fans but also accolades such as Best Actress at the Asia Contents Awards in October.
Park Eun-bin is lauded for her excellent performance as the earnest lawyer on the autism spectrum in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'. Photo: Handout
If you are constantly browsing social media, it is hard to miss the infectious Malay number with an English title – Swipe.
Used by many content creators as a track for their videos, Swipe is the ear worm by Singaporean singer Alyph.
Born in 1989, Alif Abdullah – or Alyph as he is popularly known – started his musical journey in the noughties with the band Sleeq.
The musical group called it a day in 2015 after playing together for a decade. Thus began Alyph's solo journey.After a few years of collaboration work, Alyph released an EP this year, III/III.
“It felt liberating, like a fresh new challenge. It felt familiar yet rusty and I was very excited to polish it back up again,” the 33-year-old told a Singaporean entertainment site about releasing an EP.
However, it was the stand-alone single Swipe, released in October, that caught everyone's attention.
The music artiste told mStar, The Star's Malay-language portal, he was surprised by the reception of the song.
The track as well as the music video, which features controversial cosmetic mogul, Datuk Seri Vida, has gotten over 6 million views on YouTube.
Alyph is not fazed with naysayers who have accused him of using Vida to further his popularity.
"To feature Vida is my choice and if you don't like it, just swipe out," he told mStar, echoing the intro to his song "Baby aku ada type/Kalau aku suka aku like/Kalau tak aku swipe."
It is tough being a child actor in Hollywood.
The transition from child star to a bonafide actor can be tricky. Some make it, most don't.
Austin Butler was a staple on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, starring in shows such as Hannah Montana and Wizards Of Waverly Place as a young lad in the early 2000s.
Though he went on to guest star in other TV series and a notable appearance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Butler didn't quite make a stir.
Then in 2022, his star shone bright when critics and fans praised the heartthrob for his turn as another heartthrob, Elvis Presley, in the biopic Elvis.
When director Baz Lurhmann cast Butler in the role of Elvis, the actor went straight to work. He poured in hours of research to ensure he got everything about the singer right.
“I’d hear a vocal mannerism and become obsessed with it. I’d listen to it 1,000 times and record it and work until I sounded the same,” he told NME.
He even learned karate, because the late singer learned karate.
“I was all about ‘how do I become identical and not just a copy. How do I let his soul meet my soul?’,” Butler explained.
His research and dedication paid off when the King Of Rock And Roll's ex-wife, Priscilla, and daughter, Lisa Marie, gave the actor their seal of approval.
"To be honest, I was most scared to have Priscilla and Lisa Marie see it. That was when I was sweating.
"I was really nervous because they were at the core of everything for me.
"Once I knew how they felt about it, that relieved so much of the stress that I had felt for so long," Butler, who's nominated for Best Actor at the upcoming Golden Globes, told Collider.
Park Solomon has been making K-drama fans swoon for the past few years as he appeared in teen romance shows.
But in this year's zombie thriller, All Of Us Are Dead, Park proved that he has the looks as well as the acting chops to headline a big-budget K-drama.
Park started acting in 2014 at age 15 in several K-dramas such as Bride Of The Century, Sweet Revenge and The Guardian. He has even starred in a Mainland China series, Lookism.
The 23-year-old hit jackpot when he was cast as a high school student in the eight-part All Of Us Are Dead.
In January this year, before the premiere of the zombie series on Jan 28, Park had over 200,000 followers on Instagram. Fast forward 11 months later, Park now boasts close to 6 million followers.Needless to say, Park is grateful for the opportunity to work on All Of Us Are Dead.
“I worked on All Of Us Are Dead for two years. To me, I think it’s more than just a project.
"Within that, I gained friends and many other great people that feel like family.
"I think it’ll last as a project that allowed me to feel proud. It’s a project I have a lot of warm memories of,” he told South Korean media.
Park Solomon fights zombie and make fans swoon at the same time. Photo: Park Solomon/Instagram
