(continued from interview 1) Honour Jung Eun-Chae expressed her admiration for actress Lee Na-young and shared her thoughts on working together.
On the morning of the 13th at a café in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a wrap-up interview was held with lead actor Jung Eun-Chae of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama Honour.
Honour is a hot mystery pursuit about three women lawyers who confront a past that has returned as a massive scandal head-on. Jung Eun-Chae played Kang Shin-jae, the head of law firm L&J (Listen & Join), which specializes in defending sexual assault victims.
When asked about her co-stars, longtime best friend and fellow lawyer Lee Na-young (playing Yoon Ra-young) and Lee Chung-ah (playing Hwang Hyun-jin), Jung Eun-Chae said, "At first, I knew that Lee Na-young unni was cast first. I knew that, and Chung-ah unni joined last. I was so curious about the character Yoon Ra-young that Lee Na-young unni would portray. I'm shy and don't express myself well, so I haven't talked to unni about it deeply, but I was a longtime fan and she's an actress I like, so I think that contributed greatly to my decision to choose this project. I wondered if a chance like this would come if it weren't Honour," she said.
The three actresses share the trait of being introverted. Jung Eun-Chae said, "Even before meeting, when I saw the actors' vibes or how they act, I felt that those things matched their real personalities. So I thought they would likely be very introverted, and I wasn't too worried. On the contrary, I thought it would allow us to feel comfortable, take things slowly and absorb things without forcing ourselves. When we actually met, I felt even more comfortable in that regard. Without having to show off or force ourselves, we considered each other and genuinely liked each other, and that continued until the drama was ending. After it all concluded, I felt an even deeper bond and a stronger affection and support for each other," she said, conveying their closeness.
When asked since when she had been a fan of Lee Na-young, she mentioned the 2002 drama starring Lee Na-young, saying, "I've never said this before, but please make sure to write it. My life drama is Ne Meotdaero Haera." Jung Eun-Chae said, "Everyone my age likes it and remembers it for a long time. The character Jeon-gyeong in that drama is my life character and my aesthetic pursuit. I used to brag about it a lot to my childhood friends. If unni sees this interview, she'll be very pleased. But if we meet again, I'll never talk about this," she said shyly.
She also shared her thoughts on working with her longtime idol Lee Na-young. Jung Eun-Chae said, "It felt a bit strange to meet as actors on set. And it was a bit exciting. Because we had to act as friends, we had to keep our conditions comfortable without difficulty, and both of them are so modest and straightforward that a sense of solidarity naturally formed without much talk," she said.
As a fan, she described the difference between the imagined Lee Na-young and the real one: "There's a mysterious image or vibe to her for the public. Since I met her through her works from a young age, I was curious about that, but she is actually very down-to-earth. She's so down-to-earth that I wondered if anyone could be more down-to-earth—she's really like an older brother in the neighborhood. I think Chung-ah unni described her as an 'uncle in the neighborhood.' On set she approached both actors and staff without reserve, joked well and was very comfortable. Seeing her on set, she was much friendlier and better than I had imagined," she said, expressing her fandom.
Earlier, Lee Na-young said they planned to meet privately together at the end of March. Regarding this, Jung Eun-Chae said, "We'll probably meet at a neighborhood pub. I was filming, so it wasn't easy to coordinate time for everyone. I told them to meet even without me, and they kindly considered me and set it for a day I could make. I'm deeply grateful," she revealed.
In particular, Jung Eun-Chae drew attention by saying she was the first to create the group chat. She also said she was leading the gatherings. She said, "It's the first time in my life. I'm almost always the one who suggests meeting first, and I think I was the one who created the group chat. It's the first time in my life to say, 'What are you doing, unnis?' as a greeting. But when this situation was given and I had the desire, it naturally happened. My change is surprising. The unnis always accept me, like me and find me cute, so I do it freely," she expressed affectionately.
She said, "Group chats almost always exist when you do a project. There are points to share. They are like social gatherings to get closer to each other. In our case, our drama started and for over a month we couldn't meet. Because each of us had scenes to shoot, although we started filming earlier, there was a period when we couldn't meet, so through the group chat we shared and exchanged how filming was going and how things were, and that brought us closer," she explained. (Continued in interview 3)
[photo] Project Hosu
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