The world's overbearing mothers were taken aback... Park Ji-yeon delivers a tearful 'True Education' [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actress Park Ji-yeon (42) conveyed a tearful 'True Education'.

The OTT Netflix original series 'True Education' is based on the webtoon of the same name and depicts a fictional 'Education Rights Protection Bureau' under the Ministry of Education, which is directly deployed to the field to protect South Korea's collapsed educational authority and public education and set things right.

Following its release on the 5th, the series has held the No. 1 spot in the global non-English TV show category for two consecutive weeks (based on Netflix's Tuduom statistics), truly captivating global viewers. It has climbed to the No. 1 position in viewership rankings in 45 countries and is continuing its high-flying popularity.

In particular, the 10th-episode 'True Education' delivered gripping entertainment with unique episodes that could plausibly occur in reality each time. Among them, Park Ji-yeon, who played the role of Jin-sang's mother, a 'troublesome parent,' in episode 5, elevated the immersion of 'True Education' with a vivid villainous performance. She has emerged as the 'biggest beneficiary,' firmly imprinting her three-character name on overseas viewers.

In response, Park Ji-yeon recently told StarNews in an interview, "I really didn't expect to receive such great attention," revealing her stunned state of mind. She added, "Even though I was wearing a mask, more people recognized me on the street. It might just be my perception, but some people seemed to flinch a bit. However, everyone said they watched it very well and sent so many words of support. I'm receiving a lot of DMs (direct messages) as well," expressing her surprise.

She continued, "For a few days, even my colleagues around me were so supportive that I couldn't focus on the script. They sent me links to positive review articles, and I'm still receiving a lot of support," offering her gratitude.

Moreover, Park Ji-yeon has received global attention for the first time in 21 years since her debut in 2005. Although she gained attention with the drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' (2022) and Netflix's 'Good Morning, Call Me' (2023), she finally broke free from the shackles of obscurity and shed tears of emotion.

Park Ji-yeon said, "I'm currently sharing my joy in tears with an actress friend who is taking a short break. Everyone is celebrating as if it were their own, and I am so grateful. Everyone knows how hard I've worked," as she struggled to continue speaking and sobbed.

Soon after, Park Ji-yeon said, "Actually, my heart was heavy at the beginning of this year, but 'True Education' became a huge strength to keep me from giving up. I thought it was good and grateful to just keep working on projects consistently, but it seemed there were unavoidable limitations. To be honest, acting is a profession that is chosen, so while I felt myself gradually improving, I felt mentally drained due to my lack of recognition. It's something I started because I love it, and acting should be enjoyable, but I only felt the pressure to perform well, and I began to think I wasn't a good actress. I felt like I was just that kind of actress, and while I kept working on projects, I felt upset thinking I wasn't reaching the level I thought I should. But through 'True Education,' I feel like many people have recognized me, which became a huge strength," she said with tears.

Director Hong Jong-chan took the credit for Park Ji-yeon's passionate performance in 'True Education.' This marks their fourth collaboration, following 'Life' (2018), Netflix's 'Youth Judge' (2022), and 'Mr. Plankton' (2024).

Park Ji-yeon said, "Director Hong Jong-chan trusted me and left everything to me. He didn't give me any special direction, but he did send me a screenshot of a mom cafe post once before filming. He trusted me to act freely on set, which became my biggest strength," she revealed.

She continued, "Director Hong is the director who gave me many first experiences. Thanks to him, I got my first fixed role in 'Youth Judge,' my first villain role in 'True Education,' and he was also the one who sent the first coffee truck to the set. He is truly a benefactor," expressing her gratitude.

No one was happier about the great interest in Park Ji-yeon than Director Hong. Park Ji-yeon said, "After 'True Education' was released, the director called me. He said, 'Ji-yeon, my wife and the people around me talk about you so much. So I rewatched episode 5. Now let's win an award.' The director would always jokingly say, 'You're a lead actress award contender,' after I finished acting on set," conveying their close bond of trust.

Regarding the character of Jin-sang's mother, she said, "When I read the script, I thought a lot about how to ground my performance in reality. I wanted to appear like someone who could exist in everyday life. I am not a parent, but I have a nephew in first grade. So, I followed him on his way to and from elementary school to observe how mothers behave. I also watched many documentaries and looked up related books mentioned in them. I studied a lot to get closer to Jin-sang's mother," recalling her efforts.

Park Ji-yeon also said, "Since I am not a parent, I wasn't that interested in educational issues. But after watching documentaries, I learned that there are actually teachers who have suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, panic disorder, and even passed away. It was so heartbreaking and painful. I was surprised to learn late that stories more dramatic than the drama are actually happening in reality," expressing her sorrow.

Park Ji-yeon then mentioned Jin-sang's mother's famous line, "My son's father is very angry." She said, "I knew the line was actually used. In the work, it appears three times, and I think I was more concerned with how to hurt the other person within the situation rather than how to express it differently."

What about the reaction of her real-life husband, actor Hwang Sang-kyung? Park Ji-yeon joked, "My husband wasn't angry," eliciting laughter.

She said, "My husband and I met as a campus couple (CC) at Hanyang University's Department of Theater and Film and have been dating for 12 years; we are now in our ninth year of marriage. My husband knows everything about me. Even while acting as Jin-sang's mother, I received a lot of help from him. When I asked, 'How about trying it this way?' he would often give opinions like, 'How about trying it this way here?' I was playing my first villain, and my husband is a villain specialist, so he paid close attention to the details," expressing her gratitude.

When asked about the synchronization rate with Jin-sang's mother, her husband Hwang Sang-kyung humorously replied, "Only 15%." Park Ji-yeon smiled and said, "Of course, I'm not quite like Jin-sang's mother, but I do have a somewhat irritable personality. So my husband wasn't surprised and found it funny. We don't fight much anyway, and I have no intention of losing to my husband."

As she expressed Jin-sang's mother so vividly, there were also hidden aftereffects. Park Ji-yeon said, "I worried that I might unintentionally look like Jin-sang's mother to others, so I ended up censoring myself a lot. Recently, I had to talk about work with my stylist, and while texting at night, I suddenly thought, 'I hope he doesn't think I look like Jin-sang's mother,' and shared this timid feeling cutely."

As such, Park Ji-yeon was so immersed in Jin-sang's mother in 'True Education' that she suffered internally. She said, "I thought I would feel a sense of catharsis since it was my first villain role, but I felt really bad. After finishing filming, I felt as if I had become trash. I realized how hard it is to emit negative energy toward others," she opened up.

She also left a word for the world's 'Jin-sang's mothers.' She said, "It was also said in 'True Education,' but I think the line 'We are all someone's precious child' is the most accurate. I believe kindness is what survives. I am someone who thinks the most important thing is the ability to consider others, so I hope everyone looks at the world that way. Isn't it a society where we all live together?" she raised her voice.

Finally, Park Ji-yeon said, "In the end, I believe good people become good actors. You must live well in your daily life to be able to act well. I want to become a good adult, and in the future, I will continue to work hard as always and do my best in the given tasks," she spoke confidently.

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*This content was translated by AI.