A new side of Kim Yoo-jung transformed into a cruel villain is revealed.
On the 30th afternoon at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a production press conference for the TVING original Dear X was held. Director Lee Eung-bok and actors Kim Yoo-jung, Kim Young-dae, Kim Do-hoon and Lee Yeol-eum attended the press conference and talked.
Dear X, based on the webtoon of the same name, is the story of a woman wearing a mask, Baek A-jin, who climbs from hell to the highest place and the Xs who were cruelly trampled by her. Director Lee Eung-bok introduced the work, saying, "When I read the webtoon, the first thing that came to mind was the theme of angels and devils. The theory of original sin and the theory of innate goodness also appear. I think of it as a dark romance thriller about a devil with a face like an angel born with a tragic fate and two guardian angels trying to protect her."
Because the original is a popular webtoon, director Lee Eung-bok said of the differences from the original, "We follow the flow and characters of the original, but we included the psychologically complex flows and the stories of surrounding characters that the original could not handle. Also, 2D and 3D are different. Because living actors work in live action, I think there will be much more sweat and tears. We followed the flow of the early and middle parts as much as possible, but overall, because we divided it, the webtoon content was insufficient to fill all 12 episodes, so we filled a lot of adult content as original material while doing our best to preserve the feel of the original."
In the work, Kim Yoo-jung plays Baek A-jin, a woman who wears a mask to survive. Introducing Baek A-jin as "a devil-like Baek A-jin with an angelic face," he said, "It was a character that any actor would inevitably covet. Not only A-jin but many characters are entangled and intertwined, and I felt that they kept delivering some message within the story. I really liked that part, and above all, as I talked with the director, I worried a lot about how much I could trust and rely on the people I would work with. The director gave me a lot of courage. Although I was afraid of meeting the character A-jin, he helped me break through that fear a lot, so I wanted to do this work and decided to participate."
Regarding taking on the cruel villain role, he said, "I tried hard to exclude the thought that if I thought of it as a big challenge, I might tighten up. And because it is based on a webtoon, while reading the original and the script and analyzing, I felt that the webtoon medium itself preserves images statically, so the character traits of A-jin were well captured. The webtoon expressed well the moments when she had no expression or when she was motionless and you couldn't tell what she was thinking. I worried a lot about how to act that part. Rather than overexpressing through many thoughts or many ideas while acting, I tried to subtract and empty out more, so there are many scenes where she speaks with her eyes. At those times, I focused on making viewers feel that strange unknowable thought, and I worked hard on that aspect."
On the sync rate with the character, he joked, "Minus 100%." Asked what he emphasized so viewers could immerse themselves since the villain is the protagonist, he said, "Personally, I hoped that someone would not defend or cheer for A-jin by default. However, because she is the protagonist, viewers need to keep following A-jin's point of view to stay with her until the end, so I worried a lot about how to raise concentration while making viewers feel continuous confusing emotions rather than full support for A-jin. The director created much of the ability to follow A-jin's point of view and feel the narrative fully, more than my acting did."
Kim Young-dae plays Yoon Jun-seo, a man who believes salvation is love. He explained, "Yoon Jun-seo is a friend who believes in absolute love for A-jin and has a directionality that aligns with being with A-jin." He went on to explain his reason for deciding to appear, saying, "The character was attractive, and watching Jun-seo made me wonder if you could meet a character who could love someone single-mindedly and unconditionally to the end. I thought it was a great opportunity and felt honored to do it. I was very nervous before the meeting when I heard that the people involved were actress Kim Yoo-jung and director Lee Eung-bok. When I decided to do this work, I felt like I was going to an audition, excited and nervous. The director looked at me and said little, so I asked, 'Am I doing this?' and he said, 'Let's do it.' I felt he caught the image of Jun-seo in me, so I was grateful and approached it earnestly."
Kim Do-hoon, who plays Kim Jae-o, Baek A-jin's blind helper, said, "The script was fun, but I worried I might be lacking because it was a character with a determination I had never seen before. When I met the director, from the first moment he said the character suited me well, so I prepared hard, and the director's conviction made me want to do well." However, about this character he said, "He is very bad at studying," and added with a laugh, "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether being told I suited the character well is actually a compliment."
Lee Yeol-eum plays Rena, an idol-turned-actress who has worn a different mask than Baek A-jin and stands before the public, and she performs as a rival. Lee Yeol-eum said, "Rena is both A-jin's rival and a character who grows through A-jin, possessing various charms. I enjoyed the webtoon and was a fan. I wanted to work with director Lee Eung-bok and director So-hyeon, and when I read the script with such good actors, I was very curious how it would be expressed," explaining her reason for appearing.
Especially since the developments after becoming an adult are original storylines not in the source material, there must have been concerns in expressing the Rena character. Lee Yeol-eum said, "When I read the script there were many parts where I could show various sides. Rena is honest with her emotions and has a pure side. Therefore, the things she goes through through A-jin, and because Rena is someone who meets A-jin for the first time after becoming an adult, she has a pure intention to influence A-jin without knowing A-jin's true nature. I focused on expressing simply and as they are the feelings she experiences from being hurt by A-jin and the things she goes through together. I tried to concentrate on the emotions that arise in the moment."
Director Lee Eung-bok, asked about what he emphasized in directing a drama with a villain as the protagonist, said, "Rather than going in with a plan from the start, I liked the passage in Jun-seo's narration asking, 'Why do I like such a bad person?' I directed with the question of why readers liked a webtoon with a bad protagonist. Rather than looking deeply into A-jin's heart, I acted with a heart that sometimes supports by making things hard for her and sometimes soothes with 'you shouldn't do this,' so I wove a story by watching, supporting and feeling the pathetic sense of the two people protecting her rather than controlling the intensity. In the process of bringing that to life, watching the actors' chemistry and experiencing it as the first audience gave me that feeling. I watched over them and supported them so it would flow naturally."
When asked how he adjusted the pacing regarding the brutal scenes in the work, he said, "I felt the need for a scene that brings the cruelty to an end before A-jin debuts in the glamorous entertainment industry. I think of the entire work as a cruel fairy tale. I would appreciate it if you understand it as such a gateway. I don't think there are brutal scenes after episodes 3-4. Later, rather than brutal sensations, the focus is on how A-jin navigates the hardships in relationships with the people around her. Whether emotions will arise within that or not, whether she can be made to have morality or not — constantly watching that is the viewing point, so you don't need to worry about the remaining episodes."
Finally, Lee Yeol-eum said about viewing points, "There are many entertaining scenes and every character appears with various storylines, so I hope people look forward to that. Please love it a lot." Kim Do-hoon said, "From episodes 1 to 4, I personally think both the characters who appear and the drama itself are in a period of identity formation. It's chaotic and noisy, but it's fun, so please look forward to it."
Kim Young-dae said, "Watching Dear X, I hope viewers follow the relational flows of the various characters and feel some undefinable exhilaration and catharsis and enjoy it," and Kim Yoo-jung said, "There are sometimes painful and difficult scenes, but on set we filmed in a very enjoyable and good atmosphere. Because everyone approached this work with the same focus and direction, I expect that energy will be conveyed to viewers. The work makes you reconsider very fundamental questions about the distinction between good and evil and morality, and who can throw the first stone. Rather than sensational elements, I think it's better to view those aspects as the viewing points," she added.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Cho Eun-jung
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