Actress Cha Cheong-hwa revealed the reason she had to voluntarily withdraw from projects after becoming pregnant.
On the 16th, on Kim Jung-nan's YouTube channel, actors Kim Sun-young, Cha Cheong-hwa, and Jang So-yeon, who had collaborated on tvN's 'Crash Landing on You,' appeared and shared stories.
On that day, Cha Cheong-hwa confessed, "After I became pregnant, I withdrew from all three projects that were supposed to have a significant role for me. I was concerned about doing action scenes while being pregnant because it might affect the other actors."
Earlier, Cha Cheong-hwa announced her marriage to a younger businessman in 2023 and, three months later, she shared news of her pregnancy, receiving many congratulations. She is in a situation where she has returned to active work after giving birth last year.
Cha Cheong-hwa said, "(The project I withdrew from) was a villain role. So, I was like, 'Finally a villain! Oh yeah!' but since I had never been pregnant before, I didn't know how my body would change, so I thought I could handle it. I was like, 'I think I can do this!' but the situation was chaotic on set. Then how do we change the action scenes, and how do we start with the underwater scenes? So I withdrew from everything and I was just..." expressing her regret.
In response, Kim Sun-young joked, "Give that to me. I think I could have done well," and Cha Cheong-hwa replied, "That wasn't mine to begin with."
Cha Cheong-hwa said, "I even did the costume fitting. That's when I started crying. I felt that my blessing was a bit of a burden to everyone, and I thought it was right to withdraw because I didn't want to impose. But I broke down in tears." She added, "But my mom told me, 'Cheong-hwa, you're carrying the most precious project of your life, so why be upset about that? You can always come back to the drama later. If you can't do it now, then that's not yours.'"
She continued, "From that moment on, I focused more on prenatal education for the baby. So, it became a dilemma. I have been living my life focusing on acting until now, but now another being that is not me is growing. I now spend my time practicing acting more valuably."
Listening to this, Kim Sun-young, as a senior working mother, gently patted Cha Cheong-hwa's shoulder, understanding her emotions. Cha Cheong-hwa said, "If I hadn't had a child, would I have used that time solely for myself? No, that's not true either. I often lay around, and even though I didn't dedicate that time to my self-development, I rationalize it as if I can't use that time just because I've had a child. So I keep saying I'm doing well."
Hearing this, Kim Jung-nan asked, "Is it a daughter or a son?" Cha Cheong-hwa replied, "It's a daughter. She is currently walking well."
[Photo] OSEN DB, YouTube capture
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