Twice's Dahyun has announced vibrant activities as an actress.
On the afternoon of the 26th, she appeared as a guest on SBS Power FM's 'Wendy's Young Street' (hereafter 'Youngs'), having made her acting debut through the film 'The Girl We Liked at That Time'.
'The Girl We Liked at That Time', based on the Taiwanese film of the same name (adaptation director Cho Young-myung, provided by Film Company Take, produced by Film Company Take and Free-ro Pictures, distributed by WYSIWYG STUDIOS and CJ CGV), depicts the story of Jinwoo (Jinyoung) who spent many days before confessing his feelings to Sunah (Dahyun).
On that day, when asked about her feelings on the 6th day of her acting debut, Dahyun said, "I still haven't really realized it, but I'm making rounds for the stage greeting. I've been doing it since 1 p.m. today, and that's why my outfit is a group T-shirt. Honestly, just being screened in theaters makes me so happy, and it's so amazing to see my face on the screen. Since this is my first film debut, I'm excited and curious about how the audience will react, and I have a lot of gratitude."
Dahyun, who appeared on the radio alone for the first time without the members, revealed, "Actually, I'm used to coming out in groups or units when on the radio, so it's quite a surprise for me to be here alone. It feels different to come out as an actress. Usually, I'm a calm person, but when I'm with my family, I tend to be playful and joke around a lot on variety shows. I think I have many sides to me."
Dahyun introduced 'The Girl We Liked at That Time' as "the first love story of youthful innocence between the opposite personalities of the careless Jinwoo and the model student Sunah." When asked how she felt seeing her image on the screen, she replied, "I was very nervous and first watched it with my family. We all saw the final version together. The director was sitting next to me, and when the ending credits rolled, I saw the director crying. I remember I was also in tears, and we both sobbed after watching the movie. Since it's our first debut work, I think we felt more emotional about that."
When asked about her efforts in portraying the character, she shared, "I talked a lot with the director before shooting. When you look at the script, there isn't much detail about Sunah. It doesn't say what kind of home she lives in or her family structure. Although it's an 18-year-old story, there isn't much detail about what happened to Sunah before that. I was really curious while reading the script, thinking about why Sunah would say this or why it came to be like this, but I had many discussions in the director's room."
She continued, "Sunah is actually the eldest daughter at home. She has younger siblings, a brother and a sister, with a significant age difference. Her parents work; her mom runs a vegetable shop and her dad is a police officer. So later in the movie, you'll see that Sunah really hates fighting. From Jinwoo's perspective, it's sports, but from Sunah's viewpoint, it's different because her father is a police officer. When she was young, she witnessed her father trying to stop bad people and saw one die in front of her. So, Sunah must have a trauma with getting hit, bleeding, and being hurt, and I don't think she would want to see the man she loves get hurt. I think it would be interesting for audiences to view the film from Sunah's perspective."
When asked about her favorite line in the film, she said, "My favorite line is in the last scene of a phone conversation. I was very sincere when I said, 'Thank you for liking me.' I'm truly grateful for the love, and it feels very heartfelt. As for my favorite scene, it's definitely the last scene. There are events occurring at the wedding venue, and I hope you can find out more about that through the movie."
When asked if memorizing lines was difficult, Dahyun said, "Honestly, everything I did in the movie was my first time, so I thought it was a challenge. I had done table readings, costume fittings, and makeup before, but the atmosphere when filming in a movie is different. It was my first time coordinating with fellow actors, talking with the director, and actually shooting on set, so it felt like a challenge for me."
She also shared the reactions from people around her. Regarding JYP's founder, Park Jin-young, she said, "He shared many thoughts. When watching the movie, he mentioned it was nice that he didn't see Twice's Dahyun, but instead saw Sunah. He also noted that while there might be some clichés in the film, I did well in overcoming them, which made me very proud and grateful."
She expressed gratitude for the large flower bouquet sent by IU, stating, "It really helped me. IU senior also wanted to come, but she had a schedule. She sent a massive bouquet, and I was so happy I couldn't explain it in words. I was incredibly thankful and touched. She even wrote a handwritten letter, creatively saying 'Currently, the girl we love' this way. I think she's really thoughtful, and I feel she's a wonderful senior, so I'm very grateful."
Regarding the members who came to the stage greeting, Dahyun said, "The members were sitting at the back, and suddenly they came rushing down during the greeting. I was like, 'What is this?' They brought me a bouquet. Just being there for me was a great strength, but then they came down to give me flowers, letters, and even made a cake to gift me. After watching the movie, they all sent me long messages individually through personal talks, saying, 'You did so well, you worked hard. I really enjoyed the film and I'm proud of you.' It gave me such strength, thank you, members."
She mentioned a behind-the-scenes look at her emotional acting, saying, "There is a scene where I have to cry. I was really worried up until just before shooting. I thought, 'Can I really do this?' since I've never done it before, and I was very much in my head. We filmed at the school entrance. When setting up the camera, I talked with the director about what happened to Sunah, how lost she felt returning to school, and how she couldn't share her thoughts with her parents as the eldest daughter with younger siblings. She was a student who only focused on studying, but she ended up failing her college entrance exam. If I think differently, it's like what if someone who only danced since the age of 3 had a small mistake on an important stage that led to them being unable to dance for the rest of their life? It would feel like the world is dark and crumbling, and I'd wonder what to do next. When I told the director these feelings, I think that allowed me to truly become Sunah. I could deeply empathize with her, and I was really grateful that I could complete the filming well."
Later, Dahyun continued the talk alongside her playlist. She selected the film's OST 'The Girl We Liked at That Time', which she sang with Jinyoung, saying, "This song holds a lot of meaning for me. I've participated in lyric writing quite a bit, but this is my first time contributing to the composition. While working on the lyrics, I truly poured my heart into it for Jinwoo and Sunah. I wrote it sincerely. The OST flows during the movie's ending credits, and we have sung ourselves, so I hope audiences can enjoy it while listening to the poignant lyrics that Jinwoo and Sunah want to convey."
She also selected 'I'LL BE BACK' by 2PM as a song she loved during her school days, stating, "I'm a fan of 2PM, and this song is from the 2010s. It came out when I was in elementary school. I always participated in talent shows, and this was the song I danced to during those shows. Interestingly, I joined JYP and recently went to a 2PM concert with the members, and they opened with 'I'LL BE BACK', which gave me chills."
He then asked, "What songs inspired your dream of becoming a singer?" Dahyun replied, "The songs I performed during talent shows include Wonder Girls' 'TELL ME', 2PM's 'I'LL BE BACK', and Rain's 'Rainism'." This surprised everyone as she continued, "Looking back, I marvel at how I chose such songs. I never thought about it at the time," and Wendy commented, "Those must have resonated with you. There's a reason we're drawn to certain things."
Additionally, she mentioned the latest song she listened to was Stray Kids' 'FALLING UP', saying, "While receiving hair and makeup, I randomly listened to songs with the staff's phone. I wasn't thinking about it, but when I heard the intro, I thought, 'Where have I heard that voice before? Is it a song by our juniors from Stray Kids?' But when the chorus came, the melody and beat were totally my style. When I asked the staff for the title, they told me it, and I added it to my playlist right then and there."
Wendy remarked, "Jahyun, JYP flows through you and responds. It reacts in your ears and heart," and asked, "Is moving to JYP your goal? Our member, Licky, dreams of moving too," to which Dahyun replied, "I've never thought about it, but can I aim for that?" then she added, "Please keep an eye on me because I hope for that." This prompted laughter.
Later, when asked about the behind-the-scenes of a drumming scene in the movie, she explained, "I didn't practice specifically for this scene; I developed an interest in drums a few years ago and learned them. I haven't practiced much, maybe once or twice. We gathered with the director and senior producers to discuss the music, and there happened to be drums there. Initially, Sunah was supposed to play the piano and another actor was to play the drums, but since the other actor couldn't play drums, when we all got together, they asked me to take on drumming instead, and that's how it changed."
Concerning the wedding dress scene at the end of the movie, she shared, "I wore a white wedding dress. Even though it was actually filming, while walking the (virgin) road, all my friends were present in the wedding hall. Clapping and walking, it felt strange. It felt just like I was actually in a wedding hall. It had a truly surreal feeling."
Meanwhile, Wendy asked, "I hear you have upcoming projects. Do you want to brag about them?" Dahyun responded, "There's a movie titled 'Power Rush.' We completed filming and it might be released soon. It's planned, and I'm waiting for that. Additionally, I'm filming a drama called 'Love Me', which is a romance drama. I'm working hard on that." Sharing her sentiments about 'The Girl We Liked at That Time', she added, "This film is incredibly precious, meaningful, and special to me, as I invested a lot of sincerity into it. Accordingly, I hold it dear."
[Photo] OSEN DB, SBS Power FM
[OSEN = Kim Na-yeon, reporter]