The meeting between Kong Hyojin and the film 'Gyeongju trip' (screenplay-director Kim Mijo, provided by Lotte Entertainment·Michigan Venture Capital Co., distribution by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Studio High Five, co-produced by Euphoria ENT) felt like fate. She once declined the project because of scheduling issues, but after going round and round she joined again.
'Kong-bbly' Kong Hyojin returns in the film 'Gyeongju trip' as the reliable eldest helper in her mother's revenge plan, eldest daughter 'Jangju'.
An actress who has been praised for her natural, everyday acting across film and drama, Kong Hyojin offers deep empathy through the film 'Gyeongju trip'. 'Gyeongju trip' is a family revenge drama about four mothers and daughters who, after eight years of waiting for their youngest daughter Gyeongju, who never returned from a school trip, embark on a "killer" trip to avenge her.
Kong Hyojin, loved as the irreplaceable 'rom-com queen' and the self-proclaimed 'Kong-bbly' who led box office success with each appearance in works such as 'People in the Upper House', 'When the Camellia Blooms', 'Miss Hongdangmu', 'The Birth of a Family', and 'Love Forecast', 'Jealousy Incarnate', 'The Greatest Love', 'Pasta'. Having established herself as a trusted actress with unique character interpretation, she plays Jangju, who always puts family first, anchoring the film 'Gyeongju trip' emotionally.
Jangju is the reliable eldest daughter who long helped her mother Oksil (Lee Jung-eun) at the repair shop 'Ok Fashion' and looked after her younger siblings. Even after starting her own family, Oksil remains her first priority; she joins the revenge trip for the youngest but privately worries about what will happen to her own family if things go wrong. Playing the tense, mentally strained mother and the peacekeeping eldest daughter who scolds her squabbling siblings whenever she can, Kong Hyojin directly suggested character details such as thick white sunscreen and eyebrow tattoos, rendering the character's layered emotions realistically.
Initially she had declined once due to scheduling, but Kong Hyojin ultimately chose 'Gyeongju trip' again as if by fate because the script's deep resonance and lingering afterimages stayed with her for a long time. She expressed her affection, saying, "After reading the script, the power of the writing was so strong that a tender afterimage remained for days. I really wanted to breathe life into this narrative." Director Kim Mijo, who revealed she had been a long-time fan of Kong Hyojin, praised her: "Jangju appears mature and independent but is actually the most dependent and constantly shaken character. With Kong Hyojin's unique persuasiveness, she perfectly embodied the complex K-eldest daughter."
In particular, six years after 'When the Camellia Blooms', she reunites with Lee Jung-eun to portray a mother and daughter, promising an intensely close mother-daughter chemistry. Kong Hyojin said, "I really wanted to see Ms. Jeong-eun's mother once more. Any actor would covet the role of mother Oksil when reading the script, but if it is Ms. Lee Jung-eun as the mother, I felt I wanted to stand beside her and support her strongly," foreshadowing a different mother-daughter chemistry from previous works and raising expectations for a high-quality acting rapport.
Kong Hyojin's performance, which delicately portrays the inner life of a K-eldest daughter and will draw deep empathy from audiences, can be seen nationwide in theaters on Aug. 26 through the film 'Gyeongju trip'.
Meanwhile, Kong Hyojin will also appear in the concurrently airing MBC new Friday-Saturday drama 'A Bona fide Killer'. Her charm radiating across both the screen and the living room is attracting attention.<
[Photo] Provided by Lotte Entertainment
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