ㅈㄱㅇ · @ch0sshi
23rd Nov 2017 from TwitLonger
[TRANS] SEOHYUN INTERVIEW with Spot TV News ① ㅡ http://bit.ly/2A0kdiI
(skipped some bits, kinda focusing on parts with quotes)
Girls' Generation member, Seohyun, has confirmed her potential as an actress through 'Thief. Mr. Thief'. "I poured everything into it." Seohyun has grown one more step as an actress through 'Thief, Mr. Thief', which she felt was like a 'test'.
Seohyun said the 6 months she spent filming the 50-episode drama felt like a "testing period." She was given one or two days to rest in a week, but as the drama was reaching the ending, filming was almost like a live broadcast. Seohyun invested all of her time only in memorizing and analyzing the script. Seohyun honestly said, "It was a long drama, so it was burdensome, and I felt responsible since it was my first main role."
Seohyun did her best in order to become her character, Kang Soju. She struggled, trying not to be a burden to others she was working with. She first focused on the most standard thing, the 'script'. Seohyun sometimes didn't take her script on set on purpose. After seeing her do that, actor Kim Ji Hoon complimented Seohyun saying, "Not bringing your script is something you can only do when you know you won't have problems with your lines, regardless of the situation. Seeing that alone, I could tell just how much she prepared."
Seohyun stated, "I thought that I just need to do well. Everyone else was a veteran [actor]. It was my first main role, I didn't have much acting experience, and I didn't want to cause any damage. Memorizing your lines is the most basic thing. I wanted to do that basic thing well. I did carry my script around, but I did my best not to rely on it while on set. If I keep looking at it, I felt I would start losing focus, so I tried my best not to look at it. I think he saw that positively."
Not only that, but Seohyun attended action school for her role of Kang Soju. For about a month, she learned to roll, how to fall, kicks, etc. Seohyun said, "It was really fun. The instructor said 'action is in my blood'. It was a bit tiring, but learning actions was fun." Seohyun also monitored 'Thief, Mr. Thief' every day. She added, "I think I did the action [scenes] well, it was worth it. I got hurt a lot and got bruises. We tried to film without a body double, but we couldn't do it without them at all."
Seohyun said she liked the strong side of Kang Soju, that's why she really wanted to do 'Thief, Mr. Thief'. She stated, "The synopsis was fun. The drama theme carries a realistic criticism of the world. I felt it would be good for lots of people to watch. The character was also charming. Aren't women the main viewers [of dramas]? There are a lot of male characters that are cool, but not many cool female characters. Kang Soju is very small but strong, and a leader, so I liked her. That appearance made it more fun and I liked it."
Seohyun and Kang Soju have lots of similarities. "The general public thinks I live a proper life, I'm quiet and calm. That is one side of me. But that was just what was shown through a variety show about 6 years ago. I've changed every year, too. I've gotten a lot more excitement/energy. People told me that I'm 'like Soju' a lot while filming. Because of my usual bright appearance, someone asked if I'm kind of 'maniacal'. I maximized that bright appearance through my character. I really got energy while living as Kang Soju. I gained strength while looking at Soju, and felt that I should be like her. It was like well-fitting clothing."
Girls' Generation's promotions and the members' support helped a lot when acting as Kang Soju. Seohyun realized the importance of taking care of your health while filming this 50 episode drama. She said, "I wasn't sick once during the 6 months. The director told me he 'acknowledges [how healthy she is]' at the drama ending party.
While filming the drama, I also had Girls' Generation's 10-year anniversary activities. I received lots of help from people around me. When I went to dance practice after my drama filming, the unnies would cheer me on. People would also cheer me on when I went to the drama set, so I felt responsible. I didn't want to cause any inconveniences, so I ate better, too. My cheeks get chubby easily, so I usually eat salads and sweet potatoes, but this time around, I just ate whatever I could. So I was able to maintain my strength well."
Seohyun also strongly recommended Girls' Generation's choreography. "There's a weird synergy. Girls' Generation's choreography also helped me develop strength. The choreography for 'Holiday' was like aerobics. When I started doing the first verse, I thought I was just getting older. But, after doing it for a while, I started losing weight. I recommend it to people who want to start dieting. I ate a lot, but started losing weight in my face. This is the effectiveness of dance."
Actor Ji Hyun Woo, who acted opposite Seohyun, was a big help, too. "Ji Hyun Woo sunbae/senior was really good to me. I had a good costar. He confidently said that he was good to me, and he's right. I also told him I'm really grateful. In the drama, our roles were the same age, but, in real life, there's actually quite an age difference. He treated me comfortably. He told me we should talk informally first. I usually don't talk informally well to others, so I told him it would be difficult, but that I would try. He approached me first more.
Even when filming, he helped me be more free. For instance, if you tell someone not to do something, they could get cold feet. He told me, 'You're doing well. Do what you want. I'll adjust to it all'. So I tried to do what I wanted. I gained confidence doing that. I think he tried to help me draw out other sides of me. I'm thankful for that. He had a lot of lines. I'm really grateful that he cared for me even when he was having a hard time acting himself. I was really fortunate."
The scenes with Ji Hyun Woo added something extra. The two conversed a lot on set, and they tried to increase the synergy between Kang Soju and Jang Dol Mok by suggesting things, too. The drama itself was heavy, but their romance was another important point. They wondered what they could do to help make viewers' hearts flutter a bit more.
"The director solved it naturally. The scene where we're shopping at the grocery mart, the script said 'Dol Mok and Soju playing around at the grocery mart'. The director also said we could just use everything, to act however we want. It felt like I was taking an improvised acting test every day on set. It was a really good experience. That doesn't mean we ignored the script. We were given freedom within the script, that why there were funnier scenes. The grocery mart scene was really like a feast of adlibs."
Seohyun has developed as an actress through 'Thief, Mr. Thief'. She confessed, "Because my co-actor was so good to me, I wanted to do well. Ji Hyun Woo sunbae told me you don't act by yourself, that you can't do everything by yourself. I got a sense of responsibility when he told me you have to work together, and felt that I need to my best as well."
And so, Seohyun poured everything into this drama. She revealed, "It feels like I did three mini series. I gave it my everything. I felt I needed some imagination while filming 'Thief, Mr. Thief'. I wanted to expand my mind for ideas. I wanted to pile things up so I could act better next time."