Actor Kim Yoo-jung expressed her respect for the late Lee Soon-jae.
Kim Yoo-jung conducted an interview on the 25th at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno District, Seoul for the TVING original Dear X (written by Choi Ja-won and Ban Ji-woon, directed by Lee Eung-bok and Park So-hyun).
Dear X depicts the story of a woman who wears a mask to escape hell and rise to the highest place and the Xs who were brutally trampled by her. It is a tragic and beautiful melodrama about the downfall of a woman who hides a cruel true nature behind a beautiful face and a man's desperate and beautiful downfall who chose hell to protect her.
Kim Yoo-jung played Baek A-jin, who wears a mask to survive. Rising from wounds of a precarious childhood to become Korea's top actress at the highest place, Kim Yoo-jung won praise for her nano-level facial acting that could switch from the most kind and beautiful "national actress" smile in front of the public to a chilling, contemptuous look the moment she turned away.
In particular, Kim Yoo-jung led platform growth by ranking No. 1 in TVING weekly paid subscriber contributions through Dear X, and she remained in the top tier in the drama cast popularity category. She also ranked high on global OTT charts, proving that Kim Yoo-jung's acting and appearance resonated overseas.
Kim Yoo-jung said of the pouring praise, "I didn't expect there to be so many positive reactions. When I look at Baek A-jin, I feel such an enigmatic emotion. So I was puzzled that Baek A-jin received so much support. That's not something I can really explain. It's something that comes from direction or from completion, so it would include my acting, but I think the director's direction was taken into consideration. Basically, I wanted viewers' feelings about Baek A-jin to be confused, and in that respect it was very good."
Reactions around her were also intense. Kim Yoo-jung said, "(People around me) said she was scary. Some people jokingly avoided me. I felt proud that my family and friends said they were actually enjoying it. When original fans said 'Baek A-jin herself,' that comment made me feel most reassured and stuck in my memory. I was also happy when reviews about other actors and the directing came up. When I talked with the director, I wanted this work to have scenes that made many people reflect and ask many questions rather than having one character's stimulation consumed. Actually, I feel there are many question marks now, so many people asked about Baek A-jin's emotions. It was gratifying that the work kept making people curious."
Baek A-jin was thoroughly created through Kim Yoo-jung's calculations. Kim Yoo-jung said, "The director didn't tell me much. We tried various attempts while sharing opinions. I also received a lot of help in that process. Before filming started, we asked for advice and someone made a list of words and expressions often used by people living with antisocial personality disorder and sent it to me. When I first saw it, after reading two lines I thought, 'This won't do.' I too felt mesmerized by Baek A-jin. So while filming, I looked up that list like a dictionary. At some point, Baek A-jin seemed to be expressed and formed in various ways through those elements."
She added, "When I looked at Baek A-jin, I played her but I didn't want to root for her. The work continuously posed opposing questions: can you root for this child, can you throw stones at this child? Overall, looking at the big frame of this work, I questioned how we will live together going forward, how we can better share and empathize with each other, and what are important factors in personal growth. I wanted it to have that direction, and I approached my acting with that larger perspective in mind."
Having grown up steadily from a child actor, Kim Yoo-jung reflected on her own child actor days and warmly looked after the child actors in Dear X. She said, "Because we did a lot of things that were problematic for the personality, we sought a lot of advice. In that process, while consulting with the director, we decided it would be good to get help. I said I would ask if necessary, and the director accepted that naturally. Because of that rapport, when filming with the child actors they were accompanied, and in my case, although I didn't feel it when I was young, over time there were residual images that unconsciously accumulated into wounds. I wanted mechanisms on set that could immediately offset those things, and as someone whose job uses a lot of emotion, I realized there was a time when that was necessary, so I could request it."
Kim Yoo-jung, who has worked as an actor for more than 20 years, looked back at her footsteps and said, "It's rewarding. Fans and family sometimes tell me I've done well, I'm doing well, and I'll do well. I too have moments of confusion, feelings of being chased, and anxiety, but hearing those words gives me strength. Looking back, I think I've done well step by step, so I can do well going forward."
Recently, she expressed deep condolences at the news of the late Lee Soon-jae's passing, with whom she worked 15 years ago on the production Desire's Flame. She said, "When I went to see his performance, we had a meal and I greeted him. After that event he had a schedule to go to the provinces for the next performance, but he was already reading the script in the car on the way. Watching those moments made me feel a lot of respect. He showed such good appearances and teachings; it's an honor to have been active and acted in the same era."
Dear X, which features Kim Yoo-jung's radical transformation, now has only four episodes left. Kim Yoo-jung told viewers, "No matter what you think, it's likely to be beyond that," adding, "Various emotions and situations have been expressed, but there are still things left. Personally, I hope viewers follow along well. There are definitely concerns. It's the life story of the character Baek A-jin, and there was curiosity about how the focus would be maintained until the end. I hope viewers follow along well and enjoy it."
[Photo] Dear X
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