Hyun Bin’s wife, mother of a son… Above all, the ‘actress’ Son Ye-jin: “I am still searching for something new” [★FULL INTERVIEW]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actress Son Ye-jin has returned once again with a fresh image. Son appeared in a historical drama for the first time in approximately 24 years, showcasing elegant hanbok lines while portraying a character that was not easy to play.

The Netflix series “Scandal” (directed by Jung Ji-woo) tells the story of a daring and dangerous love bet between “Madam Jo,” a woman with exceptional talent who is confined to living as a woman in the Joseon Dynasty, and “Jo Won,” the greatest romantic in Joseon, as well as “Hee-yeon,” a woman entangled in that bet. “Scandal,” which was previously adapted into a film of the same name in Korea, is not based on the movie starring Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon, and Lee Mi-sook, but rather on the earlier French novel “Dangerous Liaisons.”

Son Ye-jin, who played the role of Madam Jo in the series, said, “It is very difficult for an actor to view their own work objectively. When I watch other works, I watch them without thinking, but my own work is different. This time, I watched it while focusing on the direction and editing music in scenes where Madam Jo does not appear. There were many scenes that felt dramatic even though I did not realize it on set, which was interesting. For the pansori section, I thought from the moment I read the script that I really wanted to be included in it. The scene that transforms into animation like a folk painting was also fun.” She added, “However, actors find their own scenes the most interesting. Since I found the other parts where I do not appear interesting as well, I watched it very enjoyably.”

Son Ye-jin stated, “I heard that Director Jung Ji-woo was making ‘Scandal’ and that he wanted to reinterpret the character of Madam Jo. That character is a person living in the Joseon Dynasty, where there were many restrictions at the time. He said he would depict how a woman’s exceptional talent and desires would be portrayed in a situation where she could not achieve self-realization as a woman or express her own desires, with everything being restricted.” She continued, “That character of Madam Jo appealed to me. It was intriguing, and I felt its appeal as an actress. I thought it would be difficult to act, but that is precisely why it would have such appeal, so I took on the role.”

Son Ye-jin’s appearance in a historical drama marks 24 years since her role in “Chwihaseon” (The Art of Love) directed by Im Kwon-taek in 2002. Son said, “I did a historical drama early in my career, but I have not done one since then. The costumes and hairstyles at the time were too difficult. When acting, the external elements were so hard that I could not concentrate. At that time, wigs were made of real hair, which caused headaches and was painful. So I did not do any after that, but I felt like I would regret it if I missed ‘Scandal.’” She laughed and added, “I had a desire to make a stylish historical drama. I wanted to try the look of a lady living in a beautiful house wearing gorgeous hanbok.”

Son Ye-jin recalled, “Fortunately, Joseon-era yangban did not use wigs, so that was fine. But hanbok was not easy. It is too beautiful, but there was stuffiness and discomfort. I acted while enduring those things.”

With “Scandal” released ahead of the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday, Disney+’s “Made in Korea,” starring her husband Hyun Bin, was also released around the same time. The couple effectively took over the Chuseok holiday together. When asked what works she watched during the holiday, Son Ye-jin said, “We could not watch each other’s works together. I enjoyed watching Season 1 of (Hyun Bin’s) ‘Made in Korea,’ but I have not seen Season 2 yet. I only saw clips, and it looked very interesting. It seems like I need to make time soon to watch it quickly.” She added, “When a work is released during the precious Chuseok period, more people watch it. I am even more grateful that it was released at this time. My husband has not seen ‘Scandal’ yet either.”

While both spouses are busy with their respective acting activities, when asked jokingly whether Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin take turns putting their child to sleep at home, she replied, “Of course,” and shared, “We are really exactly the same. Right now, we are both fully focused on parenting. We are a truly ordinary couple. Since what we do is visible work, some people might think ‘this will happen, that will happen,’ but we are completely ordinary parents. If our child is sick, we take care of them all night, and we divide the housework.”

Additionally, when asked about her son Woo-jin, who receives nationwide attention, Son Ye-jin said, “It is wonderful that people are interested in us. We are a lucky case that got married under the blessings of many people. I understand the interest in our child. If someone else has a baby, I am curious too, so I think it is exactly the same.” She continued, “Because we are raising a child, we try to go to many places. If we avoid crowded places, our child’s environment becomes limited and they cannot have many experiences, so we also go to crowded places and travel. But sometimes there are people who secretly take photos of (our child). We are cautious about our child’s face being exposed. We can endure the discomfort, but the child does not know that yet.” She revealed her mother’s feelings. Son Ye-jin also confessed the difficulty of going to find people who secretly photograph her child’s face and asking them to delete the photos.

Son Ye-jin said, “The hardships of raising a child are all the same. It is truly happy, but it is very hard. In our day, when we went to playgrounds, our parents did not come along, but nowadays everyone has to go together. So it seems like parenting is hard even if you only raise one child.” She laughed and added, “Still, it seems like a very worthwhile thing. Raising a child jointly as a couple makes us mature in another way and reminds us of our childhood. If we did not have a child, when else would we go to amusement parks or zoos? It is really hard, but precious.”

Son Ye-jin has shown a completely new image by choosing the historical drama series “Scandal” following Park Chan-wook’s film “No Way Home” after her marriage and childbirth with Hyun Bin. From romance to historical dramas, there were no boundaries in Son Ye-jin’s choices. Son Ye-jin added, “I still have a strong desire to try works I have not done before. Challenging things I have not tried is always appealing. In that process, I get to show many things I could not show before. Wouldn’t it be boring if viewers saw my already familiar image? So I think I keep looking for something new and unfamiliar, whether in genre or character. Of course, I do not just say what I want; I have to choose from the given scripts, but I want to continue doing such works in the future.”

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*This content was translated by AI.