(continued from interview ②) actress Ha Jiwon spoke about her efforts to portray her character in "Bigwang".
On the morning of the 25th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with leading actress Ha Jiwon for the film "Bigwang" (director/screenwriter: Lee Ji-won, provided by: Geo Contents Co., Ltd., Playgram, distributed by: Playgram, Geo Contents Co., Ltd., produced by: Ace Factory Co., Ltd., Geo Film Co., Ltd.).
"Bigwang," which opens on the 2nd of next month, is a heartfelt family chronicle in which Dong-ju (played by Kim Si-a), the suddenly appearing daughter of top-star couple Jung-gu (played by Ryu Seung-ryong) and Nam-mi (played by Ha Jiwon), leads to their breakup, and eight years later, after being caught up in a shocking incident, Jung-gu stakes everything he has left to uncover the truth to save Dong-ju.
"Bigwang" originally finished filming in September 2021 but took five years to be released. Moreover, as it marks Ha Jiwon's return to the screen roughly six years after "collateral" (2020), it is all the more special. Regarding this, Ha Jiwon said, "To be honest, after we finished filming I was really, really eager for this film to come out into the world quickly. The director and I had many conversations like, 'Will it be released?' But when it did come out, there were a lot of emotions inside this," expressing her feelings.
At a previously held press screening, she had said she "hugged Ha Jiwon and cried" over finally releasing the work after five years. Ha Jiwon recalled, "The director was already in the waiting room. As soon as I saw him I called out 'director' and hugged him, and he choked up. The director really kept working on this film until the end. I felt so much of that without words. Actually the film was postponed for a year because of COVID, but that time was not wasted for the director and me. That delayed year was time for me to prepare for this film, so with all the thoughts and preparation, those things were felt when facing the release," reflecting on the efforts made for the film.
In the film, Ha Jiwon plays Nam-mi, who lived in the spotlight as a top star and then fell to a livelihood-based entertainer. Ha Jiwon said, "Among the projects I've worked on so far, 'Bigwang' is almost number one in terms of how diligently and for how long I prepared during the pre-stage. I liked that process so much that I could let go on set and have fun. In fact, during the pre-stage the director and I were really meticulous and thorough. We did so much without restraint that on set, the director and I could tell just by making eye contact," she said.
Ha Jiwon, who said she discussed many aspects of Nam-mi's external elements with director Lee Ji-won, said, "Shouldn't there be a sense of lived-in life? For Nam-mi, her pride was designer bags and cars. It's pride she held from being a top star. But however much she preserves her pride, the feeling and lived-in quality she exudes should be real. So I purposely cut and permed my hair to make the hair texture worse. The dye tone also didn't quite match. I incorporated those things into a lived-in feel. I also shaved my eyebrows more, and creating Nam-mi's character externally through makeup and costumes was really fun," she revealed.
Asked about the differences between Nam-mi at her top-star days and later, Ha Jiwon explained, "When Nam-mi was a top star, would she have seen the world clearly? She probably couldn't see the world well because she was always thinking about her status as a top star. So she spoke roughly, came off as rude and sharp, and I tried to convey that feeling. Then she begins to see herself placed in life. Rather than pushing this life away and trying to overcome it, she endures by letting go, with a desperate look, in her lines, breathing, and with sweat on her face and makeup showing the gap," she explained. She added that she even underwent a diet to portray the gap of Nam-mi becoming a livelihood-based entertainer.
Ha Jiwon said, "They gave me about two weeks to lose weight between the past and the present eight years later. We first shot the past with long hair, and I wanted more time, but due to the shooting schedule they asked for my understanding. They said, 'There isn't much time, so please lose (the weight),' and strangely if you have a goal it becomes possible. At that time I ate extremely little. Normally you shouldn't do that, but because there was so little time I didn't eat at all. I didn't go to the dermatologist or exercise. I didn't want Nam-mi to look too healthy and smooth, so I literally starved. I only ate a little olive oil with eggs and avocado. Thinking it had to be done within that period, I tried dieting like that for the first time. It was the first time I'd starved so much," she said, adding with a laugh, "I ate a lot afterwards. I'm still eating a lot now."
She also said she made many efforts for the scene in which Nam-mi films a mukbang eating mealworms and frogs to make a living. Ha Jiwon said, "Originally I had a scene I really filmed explosively, but it was so intense the director edited it out. It was such a shame. The production team kindly made similar models for the mealworms. The ones put in the leaf were something else, but the ones in front were real mealworms. Seeing them wriggle continuously in reality was something else. I think it well expressed Nam-mi's 'I can do this too.' It was a mukbang scene that fit well to express the gap," she revealed.
Despite putting in so much effort for filming, Ha Jiwon experienced the humiliation of being given a '20 points for cursing performance' by director Lee Ji-won. Ha Jiwon said, "Twenty points is a bit..." showing her disappointment and prompting laughter. She said, "The director and I recorded every line scene by scene during the pre-stage. You have to get used to the tone and nuance of the lines. But I live with my mother, and worried she might be startled, so I went out to my room's terrace door and cursed at the trees. Since there was no one to do it with, I went out on the terrace, cursed, listened, and cursed again. But the director saying 20 points is a bit... I expected 80 points. Kim Si-a also asked 'What do you think?' and said, 'Twenty points is a bit...' and said it was good," she expressed her disappointment.
She continued, "I think there's a difference between cursing casually and having done it over a long time. Like the difference in the taste of jang when one person has fermented for one year and another for ten years, I think there's a difference. I practiced in a short period rather than ten years, so no matter how much I expressed the emotion, the taste was somewhat different. When we did the ADR, I cursed and the director said 'again' maybe a hundred times. I really did it with that emotion, but the matured taste is different. Since I live with my mother, there aren't many chances to curse," she said with regret.
[photo] Hae and Dal Entertainment
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