Actor Park Boyoung shared her feelings on her 20th debut anniversary.
Park Boyoung held a series-ending interview for the Disney+ original series Gold Land (writer Hwang Jo-yoon, director Kim Seong-hoon) on the 28th at a café in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Gold Land is a golden desire survival thriller in which Hee-ju (Park Boyoung), who obtained 150 billion won in gold bullion from a smuggling organization, fights to monopolize the gold amid an Asura: The City of Madness-like chaos of greed and betrayal. After its first release on the 29th of last month, Gold Land, which rose to No. 1 in the Korean Disney+ TOP 10 TV shows category and captured public attention, concluded with episode 10, released on the 27th.
Park Boyoung, who plays Hee-ju, cleverly twisted and utilized her established image to emerge as an outstanding genre protagonist with both chill and depth. In a development swirling with human complexity of desire and desperation, Park Boyoung infused her clear eyes with both coldness and anguish, and used a low, dry tone appropriate to the situation to add weight to the character. Known to the public for a warm and bright image through numerous works, Park Boyoung proved a more deeply developed acting prowess.
Park Boyoung, celebrating her 20th debut anniversary this year. While holding a commemorative photo exhibition and addressing the characters she had portrayed, what particularly attracted attention was what she said to Ra-hee: "You're talking like passion." Park Boyoung told Ra-hee, "There were days when just surviving was overwhelming; even when you were hurt and shaken, you endured in your own way and kept your place."
This remark was meaningful because it echoed the remarks she made after winning the Baeksang Arts Awards for best actress in the broadcast category at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for Our Unwritten Seoul. Park Boyoung said of this point, "My friends and I often say that the person who endures wins, but how you endured is not important and there is no single right answer. I think surviving and enduring in each person's own way is the best."
Park Boyoung said, "Thinking back to my childhood, when I was scolded a lot, I wondered if I wasn't talented. Still, I didn't give up and endured, so I think I got this far. I've been through many twists and turns, and each time I told myself to endure, and now it's been 20 years. Looking back, I realize there were many events. I kept my eyes straight ahead and endured. I didn't look far and endured."
Although she does not seem to fall easily into burnout and mannerism, Park Boyoung has always been fiercely thoughtful and driven. She said, "Even when working on a project, there are many times I feel, 'It seems the same as last time,' and there are inevitably times when the work has a similar tone, and that really sends me into deep thought. Then there are moments I wonder if I'm working mechanically. Every moment brings a hurdle, but what else can you do? You still have to get through it. Only by doing well is there something next. To do the next well, you have to do this one well, and you must do your best today. I ask myself whether I did my best, and it feels like I can say, 'I did my best,'" adding, "The feedback from viewers when I work has been the biggest for me. Some tell me it was good, but some call it a 'career-defining work' and explain why. Those reasons affect them far more than I could imagine. That gave me strength to live and became the strength to endure today and tomorrow, and I am grateful. The next is a sense of accomplishment."
Looking back, Park Boyoung realized it had already been 20 years. She is fiercely considering how to fill the next 20 years. She laughed and said, "It's already my 20th anniversary, so I wonder if I can fill the next 20 years well. I was bewildered to reach the 20th anniversary, but having come this far, I think I should live the time ahead carefully. I wonder if I should proceed cautiously. I don't have many everyday life worries."
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