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 by selling fish at the market without a husband. Cho Hye-lyeon took on two roles as lead and director, and it received great love last season as well. 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 theatre and film at the prestigious York University. She entered the entertainment industry through SBS's "Supermodel selection contest" in 2016, and she has been building her filmography in various works, moving between stage and media without distinction among bit parts and supporting roles. She already has solid stage experience after several plays and musicals. Although she is known to many as "Lee Kyung-sil's daughter," we asked about her story of walking the path of an actor at her own pace, step by step, without rushing.
She started with the 2016 supermodel contest, but she officially debuted as an actress that year by appearing in the film "My Bargain" and took the stage for the first time in an original musical in 2020. She is sometimes mistaken for a rookie actor, but if you look closely she is steadily building her skills.
Last October, a malicious comment saying "You'll end up preparing for nothing for a hundred days" was posted toward Son Su-a, and she drew attention by dealing with it wittily. Noting that the troll's ID included "angel," she replied cleverly, saying "That's too much" and "If an angel says something bad I'll tell all my friends."
Son Su-a recalled, "It doesn't mean I've become so tough that I can brush off any malicious comment coolly. I also get hurt a lot," saying, "I uploaded acting videos to YouTube and the year before last I uploaded self-interviews once a month. I thought of it as a process of people getting to know me as they sought me out, so I did that work, and comments were left there. Seeing that myself made me a little scratched, I think. (laughs) But I couldn't respond in the same way, so I handled it in a way I live today."
She added, "On the internet, people might leave comments to press someone down so they themselves can rise," saying, "So I also have moments when I'm fragile. I get angry too. If the person who wrote that comment sees the reply and changes their mind even a little, that would be a great success. After all, you can't spit on a smiling face," she said with a laugh.
Ten years as an actor is a long time. It would be tiring, but she said, like the famous line from "Parasite," "not having a plan is the plan." "Even when you make a plan it doesn't go as planned. In the past I tried to be a bit strategic, but I had no choice but to leave it to heaven's will. I just do my best. It seems to be a job where you can't set a long-term plan," she said, "I really like thinking of this time as a process of me getting closer to acting. The more I act, the more I want to know myself and explore myself, so that process itself is fun. Every human action has a reason," she said.
Finally, Son Su-a said, "I want to earn money through acting too, but right now that's not possible. Like many actors who have multiple jobs, I do too," saying, "Honestly, the process of taking auditions and waiting isn't easy. Going through that sometimes makes me lose myself, so these days I often think I want to act in a healthy way. Rather than achieving something quickly, I want to act healthily, for a long time, and enjoyably," she said, expressing her wish.
Meanwhile, the play "I love you, mom," which opened on May 1, will run at Seoul Art House through July 26.
[Photo] Son Su-a SNS
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