(Following interview ①) Actress Park Ji-hyun expressed profound respect for senior actress Kim Goeun, who co-starred with her in You and Everything Else.
Park Ji-hyun conducted an interview on the morning of the 25th at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He met with domestic reporters at the event and talked about the recently released Netflix original series You and Everything Else.
You and Everything Else is a drama that depicts moments of always liking and admiring each other, as well as feeling jealousy and hatred, following two friends, Eun-jung and Sang-yeon, through all the times intertwined throughout their lives. Actress Kim Goeun played Eun-jung and Park Ji-hyun played Sang-yeon and delivered passionate performances. Thanks to this, the drama ranked fifth in the non-English category on the Netflix global top 10 series chart.
What the work left Park Ji-hyun with was precisely fellow actor "Kim Goeun." Although Kim Goeun and Park Ji-hyun had previously worked together in the TVing original series Yumi's Cells, You and Everything Else left an unusually strong impression.
Park Ji-hyun said, "I think I have gained a great benefactor in Kim Goeun. I have acted with many seniors and many fellow actors so far, but it gives me goosebumps," surprising listeners. He added, "It seems this person is the only one so far who has had such a great influence on my life. Many people say they want to work with actor Kim Goeun. I certainly did too. At first, being so closely involved over such a long period felt like 'a blessing from the sky.' But after doing it, I met someone who could change my life. You could say it was a turning point in my life."
He said, "In the past I thought that if I copied everything Goeun unnie did on set, I might become like her. I wanted to be like Goeun unnie. I thought if I did just that I would become a good actor. But when this work was released and I saw unnie's finished performance, I thought I couldn't win. I couldn't catch up. Just her existence is a blessing to Korea. Not only to Korea but to the film, drama and arts world it is a blessing. Of course I don't know what Goeun unnie thinks of me. Dare I call her my mentor? More than that," he said emphatically.
He added, "I think I have a lot of empathy for others, but I think I'm very independent in all decisions. That's because I felt there was never anyone who fully accepted and understood me until now. Even my parents, even my family. There was no one who saw me as I am and left me be, who let me play when I play, who accepted me when they should accept me, and who kept their distance when needed. But Goeun unnie did that for me."
He said, "Seeing Eun-jung as Sang-yeon and seeing Goeun unnie as myself felt different. Sang-yeon isn't an honest friend. I looked at unnie transparently and honestly and revealed everything. I spoke frankly about everything. But when I stand in front of that unnie, it can only be like that. Saying this might sound exaggerated, but that's how it was," he said awkwardly, adding, "The way Sang-yeon saw Eun-jung and the way I saw Goeun unnie were very different in tone. Sang-yeon admired Eun-jung as a friend but also resented her. I would never dare resent her. I admired her, longed for her, respected her."
Park Ji-hyun, known as a longtime fan of TVXQ, laughed when asked to choose between TVXQ and Kim Goeun, saying, "Of course Goeun unnie." He drew a line, saying, "The TVXQ seniors were not really seniors to me. They were 'oppa' to me. They were idols of my school days, an ideal kind of idol to me. Haven't we all once supported someone with that kind of fandom? Liking them with a 'kya' kind of feeling. I lived in the provinces, so I wasn't closely involved with entertainment culture. I watched shows and listened to music when they came on, but there was no point of interaction that would change my values in life."
He continued, "But in the case of senior Kim Goeun, even though the age gap between us isn't large, being able to meet such a good person at an early age, to meet in person, work closely together and hear this person's words felt like a great blessing to me. I was also a fan of actress Kim Goeun during my school days. Being a one-sided fan is different from interacting and working together to form a close relationship."
(Continued in interview ③.)
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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