Actor Son Naeun overcame criticism of her acting and shared her thoughts on receiving praise for Manager Kim.
Son Naeun conducted an end-of-series interview for the SBS Fri-Sat drama Manager Kim on the 29th at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Son Naeun appeared as Jung Sang-ah, an assistant manager in the special missions bureau at Sangsaeng Savings Bank where Manager Kim (So Jisub) works, and was active in the role.
He revealed a bubbly MZ banker persona who was a trendsetter sensitive to fashion from head to toe in the early part of the drama, and after the twist that he was an agent of the special missions bureau was revealed, he delivered thrills with action scenes that skillfully handled weapons such as guns and knives.
When asked whether performing action was difficult that day, she said, "Action was a genre I wanted to try. I practiced and filmed with a joyful heart. It was a genre and character very different from what I had done so far, and although I usually exercise a lot, it took a long time to adapt. As I did it, I became eager to do it well, and there were many things I couldn't show well, so if I have the chance I want to try action again showing my growth," she said.
How specifically did she practice action? She explained, "I went to action school for two months. I learned basic action and practiced coordinating moves to match the scenes. I practiced with senior Kim Sungkyu, who plays Park Kang-seong, my first action partner, and we practiced a lot on set before the cameras rolled," she explained.
Asked whether she had a talent for action, she laughed, "I don't know why, but word got out that I'm good at action, and everyone watching mentioned it. It was a burden, but it felt good, and I think I did it with the mindset that I should do even better."
What was the most difficult part? Son Naeun said, "Actually, I considered the preparation process and the physical aspects, so that was fine. On set, since it's the real thing, there were difficulties in conveying it to the camera. After trying it once, I thought, 'Oh, this is how it's done,' so I was able to do it more smoothly in the next shoot," she said.
However, there were also hardships of winter filming. Son Naeun said, "You could say I fought the cold; we filmed from late autumn into really the whole winter. I like winter because you can layer up.. but if you layer up you can't do action," she said.
She went on to reveal behind-the-scenes details, saying, "That was a bit of a hardship, and because this wasn't a one- or two-day matter, I had to wear the same clothes for a long time, and they were thin autumn clothes. I wondered when this part would end, but when they said I could wear winter clothes, spring came. There was that kind of episode."
With Manager Kim, Son Naeun was reevaluated after overcoming long-running criticism of her acting since her debut. She received praise for not only stable acting but also natural everyday acting and high-intensity action performed at a professional level. Regarding this, Son Naeun said, "I see all reactions. There are bad ones and good ones, and I think various responses are possible. I accept the good ones positively, and harsh criticism becomes a stimulant that makes me resolve to work harder," she said.
Son Naeun said, "My attitude and approach to every project are the same, so I tried to come to this one with sincerity. I want to continue to work hard and become a growing actor," she said.
When asked what growth she felt she achieved in this work, she said, "One reason I chose this project was because of the seniors. I had watched many of the seniors' works and they were performers I wanted to act with at least once. I learned a lot from watching on set," and added, "They were thinking about detailed parts too, and I'm not good at ad-libbing, but the seniors were full of ideas. I think I've become more flexible in those aspects as well."
At the same time, Son Naeun expressed gratitude, saying, "The seniors created a set where acting could be very enjoyable, so I think I felt more enjoyment in acting."
When asked what kind of actor she ultimately wants to become, she confessed, "I always say I want to be someone who leaves a quiet aftertaste as a person. I think that's similar when acting. I want to be an actor who can leave a quiet aftertaste as well as deliver intensity, an actor who can handle a variety of roles."
[Photo] J-Wide Company, SBS 'Manager Kim'
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