The youngest son of a chaebol family who made Kim Hyun realize the fear of ratings.
Actress Kim Hyun (51) met the turning point of her life.
Kim Hyun-soo, who has been silently walking his path for 32 years without feeling joy or sorrow. He made a strong impression as Lee Pil-ok, the youngest son of JTBC’s Friday-Saturday drama, last year’s top box office hit. Lee Pil-ok, who thought she was just a kind grandmother, was a twist character. He had a great ambition inside him to instigate the murder of his husband and grandchild. The acting ability, which was firmly established as a theater stage, met the work and created synergy, and the couple’s chemistry with actor Lee Sung-min was impeccably stable. The public began to pay attention to ‘Kim Hyun’. Although it was nice to see such attention, the long-standing calmness of trying not to be excited and trying not to force this timing stood out.
– There was a lot of talk about the ending after the end.
“I also watched the last episode. My part ended in part 13, so I received the script after that, but I forgot my memory after seeing it once. I’m definitely the one who read the script, but watching the broadcast felt very new. First of all, I stopped in the middle because I was confused while reading the original webtoon. Webtoons themselves are fun, but aren’t they different from dramas? I heard that the end of the original story is a happy ending. It would have been refreshing if it ended with a happy ending, but I think the writer must have a desire to create. I think that the role of actors in that part is to respect the writer’s thoughts and faithfully follow them.”
– Do you realize your popularity?
“People don’t recognize me because I’m usually such a simple person. But recently, I went to a cafe alone and people asked me to find out and take pictures. If you take off your mask and drink a drink, there are cases where you recognize your face or recognize your voice. My close colleague usually text me to congratulate me when I work, but I cried a little while calling. He said, “I cried a lot when I watched the broadcast because it was flooded with how hard you struggled to come up here.” I was so thankful for that. I got a little choked up, too. It was a little hard to hold back my tears.”
– You must feel new about that.
“I like getting attention and I can’t help but be obsessed with what’s done, but I’m a person who doesn’t feel happy or sad no matter what happens, so I just express it as ‘thank you,’ but I don’t get excited or anything.” My colleagues who have been with me for a long time feel proud through me, so I feel burdened and grateful. But the actor’s life is like a roller coaster. I’m only thinking about performing the same as before and being able to do well in movies or dramas. I don’t want to overdo many works.”
– How did you join us?
“It’s a case of auditioning. If I really have one wish, I want to be an actor who doesn’t audition. He usually fails auditions well. However, the “youngest son of a conglomerate” passed at once. Director Jung Dae-yoon liked it, so I picked him, but he said he would be a bit of a villain after the middle, so I would prepare well, so I would look at the script a lot, practice, and share opinions with friends who were good at acting. If I am the only one looking at the script, my vision can be narrowed. So I went to the practice room and practiced by reading the script well or asking my favorite and respectful juniors.”
Q: If there’s anything you’re disappointed about while watching the show,
“The director said that it is a period drama that goes back a little bit, so he tries to express his youth and age through makeup.” Therefore, he said that the age of the actor who will play Lee Pil-ok seems appropriate for those in their 50s. Then he said he wanted to have white hair. Of course, I said I would do it, but as a result of discussing with the makeup team, they said it would be possible without dying it if it was long enough. I grew my hair for more than a year and a half. But the more I watch the broadcast, the more I regret that I should have dyed my hair white.”
-Wasn’t the labor awkward?
“I’ve been in theater for more than 30 years. Because I was short, I worked three or four times in the play. So the labor was not awkward. And don’t you take someone like me and make more than 50% of special makeup, costumes, and hair? I trusted that and left. The work was already out, and I had to do well on top of it, so there was no big burden. However, there was a burden that I was afraid that existing teachers would say, “It’s funny.” Lee Sung-min also seems to have been easy to integrate because he has already worked in other works.”
– I heard that the special makeup process is very difficult.
“I’m not tired because I’m lying down, but I got a medal. I got wrinkles that I didn’t actually have. After 10 hours of frowning like this, about three places were wrinkled. It used to be blurry, but now it’s dark. It’s an honorable medal, but I’m upset. I thought I would definitely be in my condition after removing my makeup, but it wasn’t. I think I repeated it 33 to 34 times in a year, but in the end, the wrinkles settled down. I was thinking about doing Botox, but I’m just letting it go.(laughing)
– The audience rating (26.9% nationwide in Nielsen Korea) was a hit.
In fact, he was one of the actors who didn’t care about the ratings, although he never played a good role in his work before. I thought I could just do my job and leave. But I couldn’t help but pay attention this time. The ratings have incredible power. I think there are more people who are interested in me. So I started to feel, “It’s good if the ratings are high!” When I first saw the script, I thought that “the youngest son of a chaebol house” would be a big hit. In fact, I couldn’t watch the main broadcast in the first and second parts because I was scared. I was scared. But after watching the rerun, I thought I should watch it next time, so I watched it during the actual broadcast.”
– What made you attractive?
“Don’t you deal with the modern history of Korea since the late 1980s?” The part where the main character returns and starts again itself is fun, and it’s funny to go into a chaebol family and act omniscient. Usually, interest in the economy and politics falls, but this work is covered in many ways, so I thought I could like it regardless of gender. Basically, I thought it would be great because there are fans of web novels and webtoons, and actors Song Joong-ki and Lee Sung-min are a combination.”
– How do you feel about working with Song Joong Ki?
“There are some of the biggest roles I’ve ever played, but it was also the first time I’ve given such a twist. There weren’t many scenes where Song Joong-ki competed, but he saw a veteran side. Isn’t he a person who has the ability to be much more flexible than me in media acting? I’m not a broadcast veteran. So even if I wanted to say something to the director, I thought, “Isn’t it because of me?”I’m not the type to actively talk even if I have an idea because of the idea. Song Joong-ki helped the other actor act smoothly. Thanks to you, I was able to shoot easily. The main character definitely acted while looking at the whole thing.”
– How was your chemistry with Lee Sung-min as your husband?
“I once filmed the 2014 movie ‘Wandering Blade’ with my senior. I came out briefly as a suspect mother and you were a detective. There was a scene where I cried face to face, and when I greeted him on the first day of reading the script, he said, “It was impressive!” Thank you. It was an honor. Among the scenes with my senior, there was a scene that was a little confusing when I saw the script. It was a very important scene, but I could feel the energy of the senior’s mountain. He looked at me like that, but I couldn’t cry. I shouldn’t do that while filming, but I asked him, “Can you not look at me?” He did so with a grin gladly. I was very grateful to make such a request to the other actor.”
– If you pick the most memorable scene from your scene?
“There is a scene where I talk to Yoongi at the end, and I think it was Lee Pil-ok’s penance. I was considerate so that the director could film it at the end. I cried a lot while looking at the script, but I focused on making the emotion come out on the spot. Lee Pil-ok made a sacrifice of committing a murder teacher for his children, but he is eventually ignored. In the end, he is comforted by Yoongi, not by his own child. It was a bit ironic and interesting. In reality, there is a moment when a flood explodes in a story with a stranger whom you met at a travel destination rather than a close acquaintance when you are having a hard time. It felt like that.”
– It was the real killer of the murder teacher.
“I don’t think I can play an evil role because I have a lot of affection and am weak in nature. Thanks to the writer’s good writing, I think it was expressed well. It was thrilling to see people surprised to know that he was a villain. People around me also responded, “Isn’t it you?” or “Is it Jin Young-ki?” But he didn’t tell me until the end and just smiled happily.”
– I think there must have been pressure to play a villain in the mid- to late-stage.
“Wasn’t it a work with too many veteran actors?” I shouldn’t bother the actors, but I felt a lot of pressure to play a good role as a villain. I don’t think I’m an imaginative actor. It’s a script-based style. If I stick to the script and feel burdened by myself, I often ask my colleagues around me. I think it worked that way.”
Q: Have you heard anything from the viewers since Villain’s revelation was revealed?
“I watched the real-time drama talk and you cursed me too much. It’s not a big deal. At first, I was puzzled, but after three or four days, it hurt. I got hurt and asked actor Kim Jae-hwa. He has a strong mentality and he’s a personal favorite. When I asked if you’ve ever been hurt by something like this, he said you had no choice but to be hurt. So I shook it off for three or four days. I thought that was the right thing to do. I came to think that the bathtub car is also an interest.”