By Honorary Reporter Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt
Photos = Carson Allen, Terris Brown and Joakim Sorensen 

"So Not Worth It" has grown famous abroad not just for being the first Netflix-produced Korean TV sitcom, but also for having a multicultural cast. The show is about eight international students who live at a college dorm in Korea.

Carson Allen, Terris Brown and Joakim Sorensen play three of the eight foreign students on the show. The following is background information on the trio. 

Carson Allen

This American studies political science and international studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, and works as a model and actor in Korea. Among her appearances in Korean dramas, the most notable is in "The K2," in which she played an Arab girl. She also appears on TV shows and has turned up in K-pop music videos.

Terris Brown

He made his showbiz debut in Korea on a music show, where he received praise as a non-Korean who sings Korean songs well. Brown has appeared in many Korean TV shows, dramas and films and was also honorary U.S. ambassador at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and a global ambassador for the Korean National Committee for UN-Habitat.

Joakim Sorensen

Active in Korea as a TV personality and presenter, this Swede has frequently appeared on Korean TV like on the talk show "Love of 7.7 Billion." He attended an official dinner at Cheong Wa Dae hosted by President Moon Jae-in in honor of Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. Sorensen also served as honorary online ambassador for the "Republic of Korea, Let's Be Safe" campaign and global ambassador for the Korean National Committee for UN-Habitat.

Please briefly introduce yourself.

Allen: I'm an American actor who has worked in the Korean market for about five years. I first moved to Korea in 2007 with my family because my father is in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at the military base in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. While attending an international high school in Korea, a friend who was working as a model introduced me to modeling agencies and foreign directors here. This led to me filming a few commercials while in high school. 

When I returned to Korea in 2014 to attend university, I got in touch with several of the agencies I'd worked with before and started my career in Korean entertainment. I was always passionate about acting but not until I passed my first audition in 2016 for a Korean drama did I realize that I could pursue my dream of acting in Korea. 

Sorensen: I'm from a small village in a forest in central Sweden. I first grew interested in Korea by watching Korean movies and the reality TV show "Family Outing." I visited Korea and fell in love with the food, culture and people. That's when I decided to learn Korean. 

After studying in Korea for a time, I went back to Sweden and entered university to major in software engineering. I returned to Korea as an exchange student and started doing entertainment work. I've been at it since and find it both challenging and super fun.

Brown: I'm from New York and acted in plays and musicals in high school. I had Korean friends in college, and this eventually led me to visit Korea as an exchange student. I fell in love with the country and pushed myself to learn Korean. I competed in a Korean speech contest and did an internship at the company Talk to Me in Korean. I was glad to act again, so I just kept doing whatever I could when an opportunity arose.

How was your experience in "So Not Worth It?" Did you have difficulty acting while having lines in Korean?

Allen: Both the show's creator Kwon Ik-joon and director Kim Jung-sik are Korean entertainment figures whom I've long admired. Getting the opportunity to work with both of them was a dream come true. The most challenging scenes for me while filming were in the first two episodes, in which I had to yell and scream about my personal belongings being stolen. I had little experience in getting so angry, let alone in Korean, so it was pretty difficult to act naturally. Season 1 is done, and I hope the series continues as many of the characters didn't get to fully show their charms. 

Sorensen: It's definitely been one of the most memorable experiences in my life. I had the most amazing time with the most amazing people. I initially found my character Hans difficult to play in a language that's not my mother tongue. I put in a lot of effort to make the lines sound as natural and appropriate as possible and got many helpful tips from the director.

Brown: It's still hard to believe that I was a part of it. It was wonderful to work with so many great people and help portray a more diverse image of life in Korea. My character Terris has a lot of personality traits and I thought this could be challenging and fun at the same time. 

Episode 3 has a scene in which I argue with the character Hyun-min (played by Nigerian-Korean actor Han Hyun-min), and I wasn't used to yelling and arguing in Korean. This proved to be a bit difficult at first. In Episode 8, I had to use a lot of difficult expressions that I'd never used before, making it not only hard to memorize them but even harder to use. Thankfully everyone around me helped, and I got the hang of it.

Are there similarities between what happens on the show and real life for expats in Korea?

Allen: There are definitely a lot of similarities between the series and real life as an expat in Korea. One of them is being approached by Korean cults. Another is having so many friends from other countries and cultures. I think one of the best parts about being an expat in a country like Korea is the never-ending stream of new experiences and lessons about friendship, love and life.

Sorensen: The series adds fiction but is definitely grounded in reality. I lived in an international dormitory in Korea when I studied Korean, and acting in this show brought back memories of that time. The thing I find most similar is the dorm's atmosphere. When I lived in the dorm, it was quite similar as in the show as your friends of other nationalities live there with you. If I got bored, I'd just walk to the sitting room or lobby to bump into people I knew. It's a fond memory of mine and filming the show reminded me of these experiences.

Brown: Many experiences I had as an exchange student in Korea have definitely appeared on the show. For example, I was targeted by religious cults, went on trip to meet my friends' families and learned to make kimchi. While the show has a light and fun atmosphere, I hope to tackle more serious issues that both foreign and native students in Korea go through.

The following are select questions from international fans of the sitcom posted on Twitter.

Jelka from Colombia: Thai national Minnie of (G)-idle and Choi Young-jae of G7 are both famous K-pop idols. How was working with them?

Allen: Working with Minnie and Young-jae was so much fun, they're both bundles of sunshine and joy. Both of them put so much effort in this project while also working on their music careers, which I know wasn't easy. Not once did I hear them say they were tired, and the only thing I saw were their bright smiles every day on the set. I hope I get to work with them again.

Sorensen: They're super talented and it was amazing to work with them. They're so down to earth and easy to get along with that I forget they're popular idols. They're wonderful people and I consider myself lucky to get the chance to work with them and call them friends.

Brown: It was absolutely lovely to work with them. Minnie was always happy and brought a light and positive atmosphere to the set. As an expat in Korea, I think it was easy for us to relate to each other, and it never felt awkward between us. We shared the struggle of having to memorize lines in another language and acting on top of that. I couldn't have asked for a better friend and cast member. 

As for Young-jae, I don't know if it's because he has a lot of international fans, but he was always open to talking and I never felt a wall between us. He was friendly and I'm glad to have him as a dongsaeng (younger friend).  

Tania from Indonesia: Was it fun playing international students? How was interacting with people from other countries and cultures?

Allen: Yes. For me, it was especially fun to play an international student living in a dorm because I had no such experience in Korea. Though I have attended university in Korea, I've always worked full time while taking many semesters off, so I've never had the typical experience of an international student. So I imagined my cast mates as classmates and friends whom I met in college.

Sorensen: A big yes. It was so much fun and the chemistry on the set was great. The only sad thing is that time passed by way too fast. I wanted to spend more time filming with everyone.

Brown: Yes, it was fun to relive some of my experiences as an exchange student while experiencing new ones through my character. It was also a lot of fun meeting people from other countries on the set.

Esta from Nigeria: Carson, how did you get in character? What did you do to get comfortable playing someone with the traits of an ajumma (older woman)? What was your favorite scene in the series?

Allen: It definitely wasn't easy becoming my character in the beginning. I looked for an older male acting coach since my character not only acted like an ajumma but also like an ajeosshi (older man). As far as getting into character, I believe my wardrobe helped with that. Every time I put on my tracksuit, I experienced the feeling of "I don't care what others think of me" and just naturally became the messy cool character whom I believe is my core self. 

My favorite scene would have to be the one in Episode 7 when I go to my ex-boyfriend's house and see all of my friends there. This scene was so fun to film and I loved how cool and mature my character was in this situation. 

What parting words do you have for your fans?

Brown: I'd like to find out how my character develops if the show continues. Thank you all for watching our show. Hopefully we can come back with an even better Season 2. 

Allen: I just want to thank everyone who's watched and loved the series. It's crazy to think that so many people abroad have enjoyed our show. I hope to continue acting in Korea and be part of wonderful projects like this show. 

Sorensen: I just want to say thank you and I love you all. All the love and support I've gotten here have literally brought me to tears. I wish I could meet you all and thank and greet you one by one someday.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.