The moment I first met the scent of flowers, actress Jung Yeo-hee’s self-centered love shape.
“I like you. But can you say that?” When asked about her favorite line in the movie, actress Jung Yeo-hee picked it. It is because those two words are very strong, but at the same time they reveal weakness, he added. He knows exactly what the gap is between being clear and sure about what he craves and the pettyness of aggressively looking at his intentions, hoping that the other person will be the same as me. In this way, I asked several questions in writing to listen to his story until I became Ting Ting in the movie. And when I received a tightly packed reply, I found this interview to be a loving letter from actor Jung Yeo-hee to the two.
First of all, I was attracted by the fact that the clumsy director told the story of the two students in a delicate and unorthodox way. The director did not want the common settings that the audience could expect. So actors tried to create various chemistry in a creative environment. In addition, I felt that I fit well with the character Lee Ming in the light of my appearance and my career so far. The overall story follows the gaze of Lee Ming (Lim Jin-hee), but Ting Ting also leads the play. As the character Ting Ting became clearer little by little, I was naturally fascinated.
-<The moment I first met the scent of flowers> shows Ting Ting and Yi Ming’s teenage years and the present as an adult. What did you care about to show the change in the age group naturally?
=The love experience experienced in adolescence has a great influence on the perspective of accepting love after becoming an adult. To Ting Ting, Ming is his first love. To win Lee Ming’s heart, Ting Ting makes every effort in a simple but delicate way. Ting Ting feels the value of his existence because of the fact that he is close to Lee Ming, so he played Ting Ting in a softer, cheerful, but less confident voice when he played Ting Ting in his adolescence. This is because all Ting Ting’s focus is on Lee Ming. So I tried to show more physical contact with Lee Ming. Even when reading books together, I lowered my body to get as close as I could to Iming. At the end of the sequence, it was an impromptu performance to read a book leaning on Iming’s shoulder. The scene made the personality and relationship between the two more clear.
Q: What kind of difference did you show after you became an adult?
= There are more means. Observe first before approaching Iming. Check the other person’s current state and decide how to attract attention. In the early script, Ting Ting was more like a cuter and softer personality. But I wanted Ting Ting to exist as a strong and independent character. So when I became an adult, I lowered my voice and spoke slowly. Even when Lee Mi was next to Ting Ting, she tried to show comfort rather than being anxious. In the scene where Ting Ting, Ming, and Ming’s husband were all gathered in the living room, I also made eye contact with Ming more often. Because I thought I didn’t have to hide myself anymore. People who have been shunned by love during adolescence do not easily weaken when they become adults.
-Lee Ming says this about Ting Ting. “I didn’t know what I wanted. That’s why I envied you. You live freely and simply.” What kind of character is Ting Ting from the eyes of actor Jung Yeo-hee?
=The movie doesn’t show what Ting Ting is like when Lee is not around. This is because the movie flows from Iming’s perspective. On the surface, Ting Ting appears to be a brave, dedicated, and kind person, but a good person is also lonely. So I like the setting that Ting Ting has his own secret. Because it looks more human. Ting Ting is also a contradictory person. He is a brave and weak character who gives warmth to others but hides his dark places.
– The movie begins when Ming and Ting Ting meet by chance at a wedding hall where a lesbian wedding was held. In 2019, after Yi Ming and Ting Ting became adults, Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage for the first time in Asia. Let’s imagine here. If they had spent adolescence in the current institutional and legal environment, how would the story have changed?
= Can it be said that the fear felt by Imming and Tingting only occurred in institutional problems? Complex factors such as home education, living environment, and knowledge differences are gathered, and people look at the world from different perspectives. In my school days, I care more about what other people look at me than what I look at me. As a result, he/she ignores his/her state of mind without realizing it and is busy trying to please others. Apart from the times, the minds of Yi Ming and Ting Ting are still likely to be complicated. However, it was so precious and the time that unfortunately passed will never be forgotten.