“I want to become an actress who's not moulded and is always improving”
If I'd to describe actress Kim Yewon in a word, she'd be an 'Indian Pitta'. She has a bubbly appearance, looking like someone who'd pops out from a comic about youth. But if you meet her in real life, she's thoughtful and is prudent in everything. Unlike Na Joo Hee, the youngest weather forecaster in the recent SBS drama 'Jealousy Incarnate', Kim Yewon shows a completely different kind of charm.
Having debuted for 8 years, she said she still has a lot more roads she wants to go for as an actress. Although she took in some roles that gives out a totally different vibe of what she showed in musical 'Jack the Ripper' thus far, there're still so many roles that she wants to try. As an actress, she is feeling the crave for acting.
Q. How do you feel about today's photoshoot?
It's the first time I have my bangs cut, so I am able to have this photoshoot with a different hairstyle. It's really fun.
Q. Is there any reason why you had never cut your bangs?
There's no reason. I'd feel anxious if my face gets covered so I tend to show my whole face, but while I was performing for musical 'Jack the Ripper', my forehead hit a board and got bruised. I continued with the next scene with blood running down, and received first aid during intermission, then went on with the next scene.
I thought I got hit in just a split second (so it's no big deal) but as we checked on it, my flesh actually got torn off. Since it was during the musical, I tried my best to stay calm. Fortunately, the wound was concealed before I went for the next scene, so it wasn't obvious. I kept thinking to myself that 'I must control my emotion now'. There was no part where my character was shocked and changed as she got hurt so I worked hard to stay composed.
The next day I got the wound stitched and in order to cover the scar, I had my bangs. I was also worried that my scar would show in 'Jealousy Incarnate', so I began to had my bangs down.
Q. How do you feel about acting as the weather forecaster Na Joo Hee in 'Jealousy Incarnate'?
It was really fun. To me, there's no boring character at all. Along with the crew of weather forecasters, we pumped up the energy in the drama. I also acted as a weather forecaster with Gong Hyojin sunbae. I was Na Joo Hee, the smart and youngest character. Na Joo Hee is portrayed as a bad kid but from the character's point of view, everyone has their greed in their own way, right? (Laugh) My character worked with Gong Hyojin sunbae in the first half and caused some drama. It's very interesting indeed.
Q. How's Gong Hyojin's acting that you could see next to her?
She's very cool. At the site, sunbae focused on her character and acting so well that I was so amazed. She thought about the various lovelines at once, and put all the elements together by instinct. When the props couldn't work out, she could immediately catch it, and I'm in awe with that ability of hers. I thought, 'That's why the drama can be led'.
Q. You must've studied a lot relating to this occupation while acting as Na Joo Hee. What's the part that you put in the most effort of as acting as a weather forecaster?
The foremost thought I had was that as a weather forecaster has to report the weather, I had to do it without being awkward. There was a scene where I had to do the weather forecast with Gong Hyojin sunbae, the lines were long at that time. While preparing for that, I analyzed the body movement and gaze of the forecasters in real life in details. It's actually difficult if one's body doesn't get used to it. I tried my best to not look awkward in general.
Besides weather forecasting, there was a scene where I produced a clip for the anchor exam, I think I did better than I thought. There were many parts focusing on the emotions of the character, therefore there weren't many scenes of me explaining the weather as a weather forecaster (laugh).
Q. You probably feel differently now when you watch the weather forecast after studying an occupation that you were not used to and act as it in the drama.
Back then I simply watch the forecast of the weather but now I can see the characteristics of each weather forecaster (laugh). Details of their uniqueness such as their way of speaking and the movement of their hands always catch my attention.
Q. Is there any scene that was remarkably unforgettable to you in 'Jealousy Incarnate'?
The scene wheere I report the weather with Gong Hyojin sunbae was definitely unforgettable.
Q. Na Joo Hee who's daring. Is her personality similar to Kim Yewon in real life?
I don't think that there is no traces of myself in any of my scene but I'm not the type of a lively person (laugh). I reckon that personality is a game of acting as a character too. According to where one is at, the personality changes slightly. When one's with the parents. When one's with the friends. And when one's working, his/her personality changes in some way too. I don't usually talk a lot. Rather than being lively, I'm more of a cool person. I think a lot and am sensitive. There are much inside of me but I don't express them out.
Q. If there's much inside you, you might be very stressed too.
It is true in some way. However, I feel like I pour out my energy when acting as a character that has a completely opposite personality as to mine.
Q. Is there any character that you want to try?
I want to know the tip of a character who's very energetic like what I've tried before, but I also want to try acting as someone totally different. Through the movie 'Run-off', I reached the peak of character of the kind that I usually act as. Compared to the way I acted as before, 'Kim Nayeon' was portrayed in much more details. I'm certain that I was very immersed in the work.
I feel that I have a great thirst regarding roles this year. I want to try other things, various different things. I was able to quench my thirst slightly in musical 'Jack the Ripper'. My character was put to the extreme despair, and had to cry out. It was a role that's extremely different from the characters that I showed before. Besides those on stage, I hope that even in the media, I can try out a different role if there's ever a chance. With the tvN drama 'Tomorrow With You' as the starting point, I will show the public more various sides of me.
Q. We're curious of the atmosphere at the site for drama 'Tomorrow With You'.
I'm working with sunbaes Shin Minah and Lee Jehoon. The pre-production is almost done now. At the site, the atmosphere is mainly affected by our director. He's director Yoo Jewon who worked for 'Oh My Ghostess'. I think he's someone who hasn't lost his child-like innocence. He's intelligent, gentle and considerate to the actors and actresses. Thanks to our director, I enjoy going to work. It's like I can be healed after arriving the site.
Compared to the characters I worked on in the past, there're more incidents that happened (to the character) this time. Observing how my character would transform when coming across various incidents is very interesting. She's a bright person but there's reversal in her (laugh). I think I'll be able to show a quite different side of me.
Q. I heard that the role you're in charge of in this drama is the best friend of Shin Minah's.
They're best friends but they're on bad terms (laugh). They argue and sometimes get jealous, ha ha. It's a relationship consists of hate.
Q. There must be lots of scenes where you act with Shin Minah as your character is her friend. What kind of sunbae is Shin Minah like?
She's a sunbae who would make me smile just by thinking of her. She might be quiet, but she's cheeky and funny deep inside (laugh). When she got to know that my forehead was hurt, the first thing she did was to ask whether I was fine. She came to watch 'Jack the Ripper' with Lee Jehoon sunbae as well. I was very honored. I'm so grateful to receive care and support from sunbaes that I admire.
Q. Which actress did you want to be like when you're young?
I liked Jeon Doyeon sunbae. I thought she's an actress that could show so many things via her acting. When I was still a rookie, my respect for her was big just because of some vague reasons, but the more I act, I came to like (Jeon Doyeon) sunbae in a more detailed way (laugh).
In fact, as the characteristic of each actor and actress is different, it's difficult to choose just one person to be like (laugh). Gong Hyojin and Shin Minah sunbaes are for certain for their acting, but they're also actresses with the energy, strength, style, everything that I respect. I realize how cool Gong Hyojin sunbae is when being close to her. She's the example of a cool woman. I came to realize why people would call her 'Gong Lovely' and why the expression of 'cool' fits her so well. I learnt a lot.
Q. When did you start to dream of being an actress?
My dream was to become a ballet dancer. I was so sure of being a dancer until I was 18. My ankle got hurt while preparing for a competition. The injury happened during the period of applying for universities, so I reached my slump. It's the first time in my life when I spent my days like a useless person. Although the doctor told me to not use my ankle and be careful, I ignored my diagnosis for three times and continued to work with my body. For people who work with their bodies, getting hurt is very usual, therefore I didn't care much about my injured ankle. And I paid my price. I was diagnosed that I had to go through rehabilitation. It was so serious that I could barely eat or drink.
An acquaintance of my parents' friend saw a photo I took with my mother by chance and suggested that I should go for an audition for acting. I never thought about being a celebrity, however my interest in acting grew after the meeting. I felt that the fact that acting involves using the body and expressing the emotions is similar to dancing. As my view widened, I firmly believed that I wanted to be an actress. At the age of 19, I began to study acting seriously. My father was against me majoring theater and movie, but it's a second dream I found after giving up something so I could not throw it away easily.
I wanted to become an actress that continue to act till I become a grandmother. It's been 8 years since I've debut. There's nothing that can satisfy me like acting does to me. I do think that I'm not used to standing in front of many people but acting has a charm that makes me do it anyway. Should I describe it as 'love and hate'? (laugh) It's something really nice yet difficult.
Q. You've worked on different pieces within these 8 years, haven't you? Who's the one who matches you the best among all the actors and actresses you've worked with?
I really have a good fortune in meeting people. I do mean it. I often feel it when I listen to my friends and the people I work with. It's a job involves working with a lot of people so it could be troublesome but I'm fortunate that I always meet nice people. All the actors and actresses, and staff that I've worked with till now are very nice that I can't even count how many there are of them. I'm the type that still keeps in contact with the actors and actresses that I worked with. I still keep in contact with Park Sodam whom I've first met through 'Run-off'.
Q. You appeared in tvN's 'My Last 48 Hours' as Park Sodam's friend. How did you become close to her?
Though I met her for the first time in movie 'Run-off', I've always thought that Park Sodam's acting is immensely passionate and genuine. Just before the movie production, there was skating training for 2 months and that's when I first met Park Sodam. She has a similar personality as mine. Daring and lively. Cool and strong. She became someone who's like a younger sister to me and I wanted to take care of her. Sodam said she felt that I've became warmer. We talk a lot and ask for advice from each other a lot (laugh).
Q. If there's a best-friend crew of Kim Yewon, who'd be included?
Among actors and actresses, I talk with Chun Woohee and Ryu Deokwan the most. And there're also friends that I met through these two. There was only once when all of the members gather together but after that, we keep in close contact and give advice to each other a lot. We share our thoughts on acting and being an actor. We communicate a lot.
Q. I heard that you hurt your shoulder while practicing for 'Run-off'.
I was injured during the training. I was not used to skating backwards, so I fell down on my shoulders while training. I was skating backwards speedily and slipped. I was sent to the hospital. For the rest of the training, I had to wear an arm pad and practiced focusing on my lower body.
When we began filming, my condition had gotten better but as I hadn't completely recovered, the pain made it exhausting. I am still receiving treatments. If I use my right arm too often, my wound would break. Whenever it does, I have to receive physiotherapy or shock wave therapy.
Q. Just like how much you use your body in sports-related movie, you get another kind of sense of accomplishment when working on a different genre of movie.
I like using my body. When we were having skating training, I was especially enjoying it compared to other members. I like the intensity of sports. (Laugh) I hoped my attitude didn't come out slightly awkward while filming. I didn't want to make any small mistake.
Q. Did you know how to skate?
I was only on the level where I would go skating with my friends. (Laugh) I couldn't do it speedily, but now I can skate faster than I used to, ha ha.
Q. What's your favorite sports?
I always like hiking. It's like I'm doing exercise as I sweat. I also like jogging.
Q. What made you start doing musicals?
I had once sang for a movie OST, and people suggested me to try out Director Jung Jin's first musical piece 'December'. It was a huge performance. I went to the audition and became a part of it. 'Jack the Ripper' is my 3rd musical.
Q. The fun is different from doing drama, as you have to stand right in front of the audience when doing musicals, right?
In fact, the most different point is that it's live (performance). Our energy is immediately sent to the audience. At first, it was so new that I'd even describe it as a 'cultural shock'. When I finished my first performance, I thought to myself, 'I won't be able to throw away my interest in stage performance in a short time'. Both dramas and musicals are where I can act and express my emotions but when it comes to musicals, since the audience is right in front of me, the ability to deliver is the most important. I had a lot of concerns regarding that.
Q. To Kim Yewon, which work was the most representative?
I used the most energy in the movie 'Run-off'. I really gave it all. Among the musicals I did, it'd be 'Jack the Ripper'. My thirst on characters grew stronger this year.
Q. Is there a reason why you have a thirst on characters?
It's not like there's a specific moment that made me this way. At some point, I began to deeply wonder what kind of actress I am, which path I'll be going for in the future, and what is this path that I'm walking on. That's why I could feel the thirst. I can feel the fun I'm having with the acting I'm doing right now, still I want to try a new direction too.
Q. Is there any praise that you want to hear the most?
If I'm asked what my goal is as an actress, I'd answer "I want to become an actress that gives the vibe of a Fairy Pitta". Such expression might be stale but I do think that it's difficult. I think that it's a great fortune as an actress to be able to try various transformation. I want to hear praise saying, "she's an actress who can take in any role with her own characteristic".
Q. Is there any actor/actress that you want to work with?
I think I've met all the sunbaes that I respect this year. Jo Jungsuk sunbae, Gong Hyojin sunbae, Shin Minah sunbae, Lee Jehoon sunbae are all my ideal actor/actress who have their own uniqueness. I hope that I can work with the sunbaes again when someday I can act more freely. I also want to work hard on musicals and stand on the same stage as Jo Jungsuk sunbae. I'm so thankful for the fact that I could work with these sunbaes, it's beyond believable to me.
Q. Is there any goal you want to achieve in 2017?
I want to act in my own style, and live in my own way. I want to be free from the actress' point of view, and I want to figure out who I am and what kind of person I am. I've heard plenty of times of people saying the rules I set for me are strong. Ryu Deokhwan told me to have fun while living, ha ha.
I think I've reached the stage where I acknowledge that I'm a person who does everything according to rules and am conservative person. (Laugh) Because of the living environment and the propensity I'm born with, I cannot easily change. What I meant by living freely is not to live a dissipated life, but to just do the things I want to do, acknowledge this is who I am and to understand myself. I want to become a composed person.
Q. And what kind of work do you want to act in?
Just as how huge my thirst is, I want to act in something that's totally different from the works I had worked in. However, I do think that my role is to do what the viewers want me to fulfill. I want to try romantic comedy and try acting as a heavy character who is hiding a big secret.
Q. What kind of actress do you think you'd be in 10 years?
I want to become an actress who has her own color. Although I can't confidently say what charm it is now, I hope people would be curious to what kind of acting actress Kim Yewon would be trying. I want to become an actress who's still fresh after 10 years.
Q. What's your plan on your activities in the future?
I will be meeting the viewers with drama 'Tomorrow With You' next year. Plans are not yet certain after that but I want to try different directions. I would feel uncomfortable if I'm given time for rest. I have to work to feel comfortable. I have to keep running. It's not really an anxiety but it's more like I'm a workaholic? Ha ha. I hope to keep running but not to be settled down. Even when I'm taking a rest, I'll learn something new. (Laugh) Right now, I want to learn jazz piano which I had learnt before. I have a dream of trying impromptu piano performance some time.
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Source: bnt news
Translation: JYPWhispers
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