Seoul sister
Fresh from her international K-drama debut, award-winning actress and communication studies grad Gladys Bay looks back on her journey, including how a vote of confidence from an NTU prof set her on this path
by Vivien Yap
You graduated in 2019 and spent five years doing various things, from dancing to hosting, before joining Star Search 2024 and becoming an actress. What did that period teach you about yourself?
Every chapter taught me something valuable. What shaped me the most was the mindset I brought into each experience.
I’ve always tried to do things that genuinely excite me, even when I felt scared or unqualified. This taught me to embrace uncertainty, find joy in the process and treat mistakes as lessons rather than failures.
Photo: Mediacorp
2026 has been a breakthrough year for Gladys Bay. The Star Search 2024 runner-up won the Best Rising Star award at this year’s Star Awards for her standout acting debut in the netball-themed Mediacorp series Under the Net.
You’ve built a strong following through content creation. How did you get good at it, and did anything from NTU help?
Absolutely. My school was filled with incredibly talented and creative students and profs. Everyone seemed to have something they were passionate about, be it filmmaking, fashion, photography or performing. Being surrounded by people actively pursuing their interests inspired me to do the same.
Is it true that an NTU prof first spotted your talent for acting?
Yes! It was during an acting and directing course. We took turns acting and it was my first time in front of a camera. After watching my performance, Dr Kym Campbell said: “Wow, you’re really good at acting.” Until then, acting wasn’t something I’d seriously considered as a career. That gave me the courage to ask myself: “What if I actually try this?”
Photos: Gladys Bay
With friends from NTU dance.
Gladys (left) with her NTU groupmates in a Broadcast Journalism course – one of the many classes she took in school that taught her how to be in front of the camera and behind it.
That’s incredible, and now you’ve just made your K-drama debut in Absolute Value of Romance, playing a Singaporean exchange student in South Korea. Interestingly, you picked up Korean during your semester exchange in Seoul. Did you ever think it would take you this far?
I definitely didn’t. I went to Chung-Ang University in South Korea in my third year at NTU as part of my student exchange. While classes there taught me the basics of Korean, being immersed in the culture there really accelerated my learning and eventually led me to become fluent in the language.
What would you tell students thinking about doing something seemingly unconventional?
Do it while scared – that’s something I’ve always done. You don’t have to have everything figured out before taking the first step.
Photos: Coupang Play
Reel life mirrors real life: She was an NTU exchange student at Chung-Ang University in Seoul in 2019. This year, Gladys (third from left) played a Singaporean exchange student in the K-drama, Absolute Value of Romance.
This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2026 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
