Karyn’s new show is not to be scoffed at
A Caithness model and actress, who is making a name for herself in the Philippines, has landed a role hosting a television food show.
Karyn Johnston, from Halkirk, was selected to be part of the team which travels the country trying out unusual food.
She and three colleagues host the show, which premiered last week and will run on three networks – Fox, National Geographic and Starworld.
She said: “I used to always watch these types of shows with my parents while growing up. I would look at the people on these shows and think to myself that they had the best job ever, travelling around, eating all kinds of food and getting to host and appear on TV, and it’s surreal to me that now I too get to do that.
“It was quite daunting to have to host a show as I have no experience with hosting and zero training – it’s just a case of jumping in at the deep end and hoping I can stay afloat.
“But after filming, it has truly been one of the best experiences and I would definitely love to host more tv shows in the future.”
She added: “I have been acting for many years and have been fortunate enough to have been cast in a lot of different and fun projects after moving to the Philippines to pursue a career.
“This role is a lot different than acting in the sense that I feel more vulnerable. I cannot hide behind a character, which is simultaneously scary, but thrilling.”
So how did she get the role?
“My friends told me about this contest, which involved filming yourself eating the strangest food you could find, so we all tried it for fun, thinking nothing would happen,” she said.
“I filmed myself eating chicken skin and then I uploaded it. A few days passed and I just forgot about it so I was so shocked to hear that I had been selected to be part of the team which tours around the Philippines trying some very unique food.”
Karyn, who emigrated to the Philippines nearly four years ago, started doing modelling work, fronted an ad campaign for a popular make of soap and then landed herself a high profile role in a soap on television called The Half Sisters which attracted around five million viewers. She played a friend to a rich spoilt kid in the show and had to learn the local dialect for the part.
She said: “It ended last year. Normally soap operas here run for around three or four months, so the fact that we got to have two years was a very big deal. It was my first big TV project and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it.”
Karyn’s career is going from strength to strength and she recently started filming a movie.
She said: “It comes out this year, I think, and I am very excited about it. Normally, I play comedy roles, so this movie is a challenge as there are tough scenes, such as being kidnapped, that will put my acting skills to the test. Though I’m sure I am going to cringe when it comes out in the cinemas here.
“I have also done a few new print endorsements which are always fun.”
After leaving school, Karyn applied to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow but didn’t manage to secure a place. After struggling to get work in Britain, she decided to spend a year in the Philippines before returning to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
But she became such a hit there she extended her stay and put the drama course on hold.
Her mother Dhayon, who is from the Philippines, dad Robert and family still live in Halkirk and are delighted by their daughter and sister’s success as an actress, model and television host.
