Kim Hyeon-ju: "My past self, what was so great about her… I’ve finally found my own tempo" [★FULL INTERVIEW]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

• Acting across the board in the drama "The 100-Day Lie" and the film "Paradise Lost"

Actor Kim Hyeon-ju, who has returned to the screen after a long absence, candidly shared her changed mindset as an actor in her 30th year since debut.

On the 16th, at a cafe on Samcheong-ro in Jongno-gu, Seoul, we met with actor Kim Hyeon-ju, who appeared in the film "Paradise Lost" (directed by Yeon Sang-ho), and had a wide-ranging conversation about the work.

"Paradise Lost" is a psychological thriller that begins when Ryu So-young (played by Kim Hyeon-ju), a mother who lost her son in a camping school bus disappearance incident nine years ago, is miraculously reunited with her son, Ryu Sun-woo (played by Bae Hyun-seong), whom she had believed to be dead.

Kim Hyeon-ju returned to the screen through "Paradise Lost." She said, "I have been diligently taking on the projects that came my way all this time. But this time I started thinking, 'Why hasn’t the film industry been calling me?' It made me realize how long it had been," she added with a smile.

Recalling when she received the offer to appear in "Paradise Lost," Kim Hyeon-ju said, "I didn’t think about it too heavily. An actor is given a script and performs what they feel, so I wasn’t feeling any burden. In the director’s works, there is always a character with some kind of loss or deficiency, whether they are the lead or not, and I tend to be drawn to such characters."

She continued, "I also remember being happy when I heard that filming would wrap up in just one month," but added, "When we actually started shooting, it wasn’t easy. The process of expressing the character was more difficult than I had imagined."

Kim Hyeon-ju said, "The preparation period wasn’t that long either. We started filming after a few months, and ironically, that allowed me to express raw emotions as they were. When I saw the finished film, I felt a bit of regret because it seemed like there were parts I missed, but I think it would have been the same even if the preparation period had been longer. I can’t do everything perfectly, right?"

She added, "I think the fact that we shot intensively in a short amount of time and were able to express raw emotions actually suited this film well."

Following the Netflix series "Hellbound" (2021), the film "Jeong-i" (2023), and the series "Sun-san" (2024), Kim Hyeon-ju worked with director Yeon Sang-ho for the fourth time on "Paradise Lost."

Regarding why she continues to work steadily with director Yeon Sang-ho, she said, "He is a very cheerful person on set. It might get boring if it were just light jokes all the time, but the director is a very intelligent person, so simply talking with him is fun in itself."

She continued, "I can feel that he trusts me as an actor. But I think it’s even more impressive that he doesn’t necessarily show it openly," expressing her trust in director Yeon Sang-ho.

In particular, Kim Hyeon-ju emphasized that director Yeon Sang-ho is someone who makes new challenges possible for her as an actor. She said, "The director sees different sides of me and opens up new chapters for me as an actor. That’s why I keep choosing to work with him."

She added, "I’ve enjoyed our past collaborations, and giving actors opportunities for new challenges is truly a good thing," explaining, "Actually, I’m someone who likes stability, so I’m not the type who enjoys challenging myself on my own. But the director has a way of guiding me and pulling me forward."

She added, "If he offers me characters I haven’t even thought of in the future, I have no reason to refuse," showing an open mind toward future collaborations with director Yeon Sang-ho.

Marking her 30th year since debut, Kim Hyeon-ju candidly spoke about the changes she has experienced while continuing her long acting career. In particular, she revealed that in the past, she had difficult times because she could not separate her acting from her daily life.

She said, "In the past, even when I was at my own home, my space felt unfamiliar to me, and I would cry all the time. I couldn’t handle it," revealing, "Then I realized I couldn’t live like this anymore. I decided to view acting as a profession, and things gradually changed."

She continued, "I entered school because I wanted to become an actor, but I am not someone who has walked the elite course of studying acting. Because I learned acting on set, I thought I had to pour out everything I had."

Kim Hyeon-ju explained, "By pouring out all my energy like that, I became too exhausted. When a project ended, I felt a great sense of emptiness, and my body would get sick," adding, "I realized I couldn’t sustain an acting career for a long time if I kept going like this. So I started to find my own tempo."

She added, "It seems I wasn’t satisfied with the results I created, and I didn’t feel gratitude for the fact that I was working as an actor," noting, "At that time, it wasn’t easy to realize those things. In the end, it was an answer that could only be found as time passed."

Kim Hyeon-ju revealed that director Yeon Sang-ho often mentions her past self. She said, "The director shows me videos of my old self and asks, 'Is this really the same person?' He seems to like characters who live in their own self-satisfaction. He tells me, 'You need to go back to that time. Where did this person go?'"

However, Kim Hyeon-ju said, "Actually, I don’t like my past self," revealing her candid thoughts about looking at her former self.

She said, "I’m not the type who gets overly elated or depressed by a work’s box office success. If it does well, that’s good; if it doesn’t, I just think we’ll do it again next time, and I’ve taken on projects one by one with that mindset," adding, "Now, it would be nice if the work did well, but I don’t think my life will change drastically because of it."

She continued, "I believe I became who I am today through introspection. Looking back at my past self, I thought about what went wrong, and through that process, I created the person I am now," explaining, "It was a time of truly looking into my real self and building myself."

In particular, Kim Hyeon-ju said, "I also tell the director that this current version is the real me," revealing, "When I look at my past self, I think, 'What was so great about her that she acted like that?' and 'Why couldn’t she be more humble?'"

She added, "I believe that as rice ripens, it should bow its head," noting, "It seems I became who I am today after going through such thoughts and a period of contemplation."

Having found her own pace like this, Kim Hyeon-ju is currently active, moving between the screen and the living room. Following her role as Ryu So-young in "Paradise Lost," she takes on the role of Yoo So-ran in tvN’s 20th anniversary special project drama "The 100-Day Lie," which premiered on the 10th, meeting audiences and viewers with a completely different face.

Regarding the actors she worked with in "The 100-Day Lie," Kim Hyeon-ju said, "I love them so much. They are such beautiful people," expressing her affection by adding, "I am a person blessed with good relationships. I have met many good friends."

She continued, "New friends I meet in the future might feel hurt hearing this, but I’m actually not the type who makes friends easily," saying, "It seems I have met such good people that I won’t need to make new friends for the rest of my life," mentioning her same-age actors Jin Sun-kyu and Lee Mu-seong.

Additionally, Kim Hyeon-ju expressed surprise at the viewers’ enthusiastic reaction to the so-called "adult romance" she showcases with Lee Mu-seong in "The 100-Day Lie."

She said, "I didn’t expect them to be this interested. I had affection for our couple, but I did not anticipate receiving such a huge amount of attention."

She added, "It would be great if you could look forward to more in the future. There are still many stories left. I will stop talking here," urging anticipation for the upcoming developments.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original