With her status as one of Hallyu’s most esteemed actresses, there’s no doubt that Song Hye Kyo’s roles are pretty big shoes to fill. But the influx of Philippine adaptations of our K-drama favorites is proof that local actresses are up for the challenge—and often with good results!
Ahead, we list the Filipina actresses who portrayed some of Song Hye Kyo’s most iconic characters for the Philippine lens.
1. Heart Evangelista in “Full House”
Before they crossed paths in Paris, Filipina style icon slash actress Heart Evangelista shared another commonality with Hye Kyo: Full House.
Centering on the budding romance between two strangers in a pretend marriage of convenience, Hye Kyo reached household name status when the classic Koreanovela first aired in the Philippines. Naturally, an adaptation was the next step. GMA took on the mantle in 2009, partnering up Heart and Richard Gutierrez for Hye Kyo and Rain’s original roles.
2. Marian Rivera in “Endless Love”
K-drama vets aren’t strangers to the Endless Love series, the early-oughts Korean tetralogy that propelled the likes of Son Ye Jin, Seo Do Young, and Hye Kyo. In 2010, GMA spun Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart's “switched at birth” story for Philippine audiences, starring real-life couple Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, who portrayed the roles of Hye Kyo and Song Seung Heon.
Fun fact: Before her own rise to blockbuster fame, Kathryn Bernardo played Marian’s younger version in the series!
3. Jennylyn Mercado in “Descendants of the Sun”
Hye Kyo’s iconic character in Descendants of the Sun is certainly a hefty role to take on, but Jennylyn Mercado was up for the job! The iconic series was adapted in the Philippines for a 65-episode run, which saw Jennlyn and Dingdong Dantes depict Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki’s military-set romance.
4. Cristine Reyes in “Encounter”
In 2021, TV5 and Viva Entertainment recruited Cristine Reyes and Diego Loyzaga for a remake of Encounter, which originally starred Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum as a wealthy divorcee and a free-spirited stranger whose romance sparks despite a gap in their societal status. While the OG series was backdropped by picturesque Cuba, our localized version was shot in the equally jaw-dropping Ilocos.
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