How Filipino Actor Christian Lagahit Began Acting In South Korea—And Starred In Almost 100 K-Dramas And K-Movies

Filipino actor Christian Lagahit recently sat down for an interview with Asian Boss where he opened up about his acting experiences in South Korea.

Christian Lagahit also known as Chris Chan | @chrisyan8/Instagram

Chris has starred in many K-Dramas and K-Movies including Netflix‘s Squid Game and Space Sweepers, tvN‘s Crash Landing on You and Miss Lee, the 2018 film The Negotiation, and many more.

In terms of Korean Dramas, I think I’ve had more than 60, modesty aside. In terms of Korean movies, I guess it’s more than 20 or approximately 30…if I’m going to include those films and dramas that we are filming right now.

— Chris Lagahit

How did he begin acting in these shows in the first place? It turns out that he was in the right place at the right time!

I started this thing way back in 2016 when a Korean manager discovered me on set. It was actually an odd beginning to be honest because I only went to the studio just to be with friends, just to support them and basically just to see a Korean celebrity. It was not my intention to be part of that production, to be honest.

— Chris Lagahit

He was accidentally mistaken to be an actor by the director himself. It just so happened that his appearance perfectly fit the kind of person they needed at that moment.

The director came to me and shouted at me, yelled at me, and asked me, ‘Why the hell are you here and why are you not on the set?’ I was like, ‘No, I’m actually not part of this production. I’m just here as a friend.‘ It was a Korean drama and I guess they were requiring some foreigners on the set. I guess they were also requiring some foreign looks, particularly Southeast Asian looks, on the set. After that, a manager approached me, a Korean manager who speaks English, and asked me, ‘Hey, do you want to be an actor?’

— Chris Lagahit

Chris initially turned down the staff member’s offer. It was such a sudden event that he could hardly process it. Her response, however, made him more courageous and willing to try new things.

I vividly remember that question of hers and when I said ‘No,’ I meant, ‘I don’t really see myself [acting].’ She said, ‘Well, why don’t you give it a try?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, there’s no harm in trying so let’s do this.’

— Chris Lagahit