Actor Son Su-a, who marks her 10th anniversary since debut, will share the stage with her mother, comedian Lee Kyung-sil, in the play "I love you, mom." Although the two are mother and daughter in real life, it is interesting that they play a prospective mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship in the play.
"I love you, mom" is set in the 1980s and depicts the life and family love of a mother who raised her children selling fish in the market without a husband. Cho Hye-lyeon starred in and directed the production, taking on two roles herself, and it was also greatly loved in last season. Lee Kyung-sil gives a passionate performance as a mother who runs a street stall and devotes herself to her son Cheol-dong, and Son Su-a plays Sun-young, a friend and lover who has been by Cheol-dong's side for a long time. This is the first time the mother and daughter have appeared in the same production.
Son Su-a, who studied in Canada, majored in theater and film at the prestigious York University. She entered the entertainment industry through SBS's 2016 "Super Model Contest," and without discriminating between bit parts and supporting roles she has built a filmography across stage and media in a variety of works. She already has solid stage experience after appearing in several plays and musicals. Although widely known to the public as "Lee Kyung-sil's daughter," we heard her story of how she is walking the path of an actor at her own pace, taking one step at a time without rushing.
Son Su-a was fairly cast in the production through the official audition for "I love you, mom," but said she felt a lot of pressure about how people would view it since she would be appearing in the same play as her mother. However, some viewers have also looked down on her efforts, saying, "She must have been cast easily because her mother is famous.."
She said, "Anyone can see the audition if they apply, and I applied in the same way from the first round," adding, "But someone else might see it that way, too."
She continued, "So now I feel I don't want to live explaining myself one by one anymore. There were really many misunderstandings, and it's true that I was very sensitive to people's gaze since I was young," adding, "Because I worried about that so much, my activities were not freer as I went through life. There were times I always lived worrying about what others would think."
Son Su-a also recalled, "I definitely think there are advantages and a premium I got because I'm 'Lee Kyung-sil's daughter.' I can never deny that and I'm grateful to my mother for that," but added, "But I was always somewhere explaining myself, saying, 'That's not what I meant~ I'm not like that,' living that way. I often couldn't have a perfectly natural conversation and ended up spending the time just explaining myself."
Having gone through this process and changed a lot, Son Su-a said, "Now if people misunderstand, they misunderstand, and I just think I should be proud of myself and work hard and do well. If I fall short or make a mistake, I'll take the criticism and reflect. That seems unavoidable," expressing her conviction.
Lee Kyung-sil and Son Su-a will finally take the stage together on the 13th. Asked, "Are you making more thorough preparations? Aren't you nervous?" she laughed and said, "Not particularly; I think I just have to practice and prepare hard as usual." (Continued in interview ③)
Meanwhile, the play "I love you, mom," which opened on May 1, runs at Seoul Art House through July 26.
[Photo] Son Su-a SNS, play "I love you, mom"
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