Actor Son Naeun shared her thoughts on finishing Manager Kim.
Son Naeun conducted an interview on the finale of the SBS Friday-Saturday 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 at Sangsaeng Savings Bank where Manager Kim (So Jisub) works, and a member of the special missions unit who played an active role.
She revealed early in the drama the image of a trendsetter sensitive to fashion from head to toe and a bubbly MZ bank clerk, and after the twist that she was an agent in the special missions unit was revealed, she delivered thrills with action scenes that skillfully handled weapons such as guns and knives.
That day Son Naeun said of Manager Kim's successful finale, "I am bewildered and grateful to have received unexpected love. Will I ever meet a work that receives this much love in my life? I think it will be memorable," and added, "I want to say thank you to the many senior actors and staff who worked hard to create this work while watching the broadcast. I also want to tell viewers that although the work is over, I am grateful for all the love you gave us."
The role Jung Sang-ah, played by Son Naeun, did not exist in the webtoon Manager Kim. Son Naeun explained, "Because the character did not exist in the original, it was comfortable yet burdensome since I could create her. I talked a lot with the director early on and asked what the director wanted Sang-ah to be like, and he said since Sang-ah is an agent, he wanted her movements to be light and agile."
She added, "I tried to apply those points to her actions and speech. As a bank clerk she was an MZ character, so I didn't know much and looked it up. The writer wrote stage directions about her hanging key rings all over, and that seemed like a good idea."
Asked how she paid attention to her appearance, she said, "When she is a bank clerk I thought about how friends her age would dress, and because bank clerks must be neat I tried to wear clothes centered on that. As an agent I wanted her to look a bit rougher, so I cut my hair shorter and dressed more strongly in comfortable, functional outfits," and added, "Because I had to match the tone with the seniors, when I was with them I lowered the base tone and adjusted the makeup. I almost didn't wear much, but preparing Sang-ah left a strong impression on me."
Manager Kim started with a 9.5% rating in episode 1 and in just two episodes exceeded the pledged 13%, recording 15.7%. It then surpassed 21.6% in episode 4, breaking the 20% barrier, and continued to exceed 20% ratings for seven consecutive episodes through the final episode 10, ending with a nationwide 23.0% rating. (Provided by Nielsen Korea)
When asked on set whether she expected the hit, Son Naeun said, "While filming, the seniors were all actors widely loved by the public and skilled at acting, so I thought many people would watch and love it," and confessed, "I never expected the ratings to be this high. It was so strange that ratings hit 10% from the first broadcast."
Asked whether she felt the actual popularity, Son Naeun said, "I don't quite feel the popularity yet, but everyone I meet talks about the drama, so I feel it from that," and said, "Staff and acquaintances I worked with also contacted me, and overseas fans commented that they were watching well on social media from various countries."
Son Naeun said, "Seniors and fellow actors I worked with also contacted me. They messaged that they enjoyed watching," and regarding reactions of Apink members, which included speculation of breaking ties after she missed Yoon Bomi's wedding, she said, "The members are each working hard in their own places. But our supportive feelings for one another do not change."
On the difference between activities as a singer and as an actress, Son Naeun said, "Both are work that bring me a lot of joy. So when I do singer activities there are pros and cons, and acting is the same. I also think the acting and the music I did before are similar and share many resemblances. It seems to help broaden my spectrum."
Regarding her earlier confession that she felt burdened by the label "idol-turned actress," she said, "It is true that I am an idol-turned artist, and I don't want to deny it. Because of that time I exist, and I think it's a grateful label. I said such views are burdensome, and though they are burdensome, rather than overcoming them I try to accept them. I'm learning to mentally control myself to not worry and focus on acting."
In Manager Kim, four different fathers appeared expressing different forms of paternal love. When asked whether she found any part similar to her real relationship with her father while watching the four characters, Son Naeun said, "I thought Manager Kim was more like my father. He is taciturn, and our household has only daughters so he is the only man and therefore careful. There are many things he doesn't know, and watching Manager Kim struggle in his relationship with his daughter made me think my father might have been like that in the past."
Asked about her father's reaction to seeing Manager Kim, Son Naeun laughed and said, "He talks about his father a lot today. He would be happy to hear so much about himself," and mentioned the warm reaction, "My father usually doesn't watch dramas. Even when I'm not in them he doesn't consistently watch dramas. But he watched this series every episode, and a week before the finale he said he wanted to watch Manager Kim, timed his outings to return for it, and really enjoyed it."
[photo] J Wide Company, SBS Manager Kim
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