models-from-south-korea

"Rather than changing my approach, I think that acting in silence in front of the audience on the stage required me to be very focused and immersed. I was able to grow without knowing it. Whenever I do a project, I think I am growing a little because I sometimes make choices that are different than before."

"To be frank, I have always challenged myself when I decide to go for a character. Though, I do feel scared when I need to play a role that I’ve played before. Therefore, I don’t think there is a safe zone or a comfort zone when I pick a role. But I think it was more difficult to express my characters in The Tyrant and Mangnaein."

"I usually take a fairly long time to understand one character. I would choose about three or four lines that I like from a script, and then repeat them over and over again in my head. This could be when I’m walking, when I’m in the shower, or when I’m eating. Sometimes I also make use of music. I would put on some good music, put myself in front of a stunning view, and then read out the lines. And as I do that, there would be moments where I realise, 'This is it. This is how this character would say it.' From that point onwards, everything else falls into place itself. For this method to work and in order to get closer to a character, studying the script in detail has to come first. It’s important to have a good grasp of a character’s language and habits."

"In stage acting, we can interact with the audience live, so we know their response right away. I think the audience contributes to the play as well because their laughter, or even the sound of their breathing instigates our next move or spurs us to do something more. That was an ecstatic feeling that I cannot forget."

"When I act, I feel a sense of ecstasy being able to portray different characters,” he said. “Being able to intensely focus on one character and essentially live as that character is something that draws me to acting. The fact that there are people who watch the character that I portray through my acting in itself is something that makes me happy. Because of the love and attention of viewers, I am able to improve, and continuously want to improve."

"I was glad to just be able to work together, and I feel like my worldview got wider. I also felt a lot of different emotions after observing the attitude of the actors I worked with. I thought I should be an actor who thinks even more deeply than I do now, and also one that can help motivate others. Start Up was a drama that was like a gift that allowed me to meet Han Ji-pyeong. I'm super happy and grateful that many people are recognizing the effort I put into portraying Han Ji-pyeong’s character."

"Shin Min-a's leading role as Hye-jin and Kim Seon-ho's performance as Chief Hong is the glue that holds the series together. Their magnetic on-screen chemistry is akin to that of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Pretty Woman."

"As you get more wrinkles on your face, you get to feel deeper emotions. I don’t feel regretful about getting old."

"I lose some, but win some as I grow older. I believe aging is more of a benefit for my career, because my experience is reflected in my acting."

"I didn't aim to shed a certain image, but I'm just feeling more relaxed and comfortable after my marriage. I also have become more communicative and try to make the most of my life."

"In the past 10 years, I got married and I gave birth to twins so I became a mother as well. As a woman, I’ve gone through a lot of changes. Marriage and giving birth. These 2 things bring about major changes in a woman’s life in the East as well as the West so that is true for any woman anywhere in the world. Because of that, my perspective on life has changed too and that became my criteria in selecting the works that I want to participate in."

"I hope for many opportunities to show new facets of me that are different from my pre-marriage period. I would like to show these different images of mine, as a mother and as a wife, in a broad range through dramas, movies or other channels. I hope I will have many such opportunities, going forward."

"Well, if I answered that I do not feel any pressure at all, that would be a lie. I just want to warm and touch the heart of our viewers. If just this one goal is met, that would mean success to me. I couldn’t ask for more."

"After I got married, I started my doctoral programme in a graduate school. I wanted to study acting in a more profound way, and I had a great time learning a lot about it. Moreover, I remained faithful to my family. I watched my kids growing up and I found new kinds of joy by starting a family."

"As an actress, I want to try whatever -- whether that’s drama, film, documentary narration or something totally different -- as long as I can show my new facets and convey messages."

"I’ve got different emotions. That is a good thing about being an actress. It is a profession that you can express the emotional changes you undergo when you get old, get married or bear a child. Acting is after all a study of humans."

"I think an actor's filmography represents the direction and the course of the acting that an actor has pursued. I'm filling in my filmography to let people know who I am and how I see the world as an actor."

"I still don’t know how to define or answer what is the meaning behind life and death. And I don’t think I will be able to define them in the future either. It’s difficult. What I can do, is to live my life, which is only given to me once, without regret until it runs its course. That’s I think the best I can do, at the present."

"I don’t really have a lot of desires, or that’s what I think of myself. But if I were to pick one, I would want for people to live peacefully. I don’t understand why some people harass or hurt others, or why they do these things because they envy others — we fight and wound each other and it might be a natural phenomenon that arises among weak humans, but I still hurt thinking about social issues such as Asian hate."

"I think I was pretty much constant, unvarying, for 20 years. So, I do want to give myself a pat on the back for focusing on one career without any dramatic slumps for the last 20 years. But [personally] I don’t want a son like me. I don’t think that highly of myself."

"In the perspective of the audience, the movies that make me think are the most precious. I want to naturally be projected onto the film or role. From there, applying my tendencies and emotions is what I believe is the most natural way for actors to tell a story."

"I am extremely grateful for all the attention and anticipation for my work, but I will admit that sometimes it does put pressure on me. Honestly speaking, I tend to be someone who follows my own heart and is drawn to and chooses productions that resonate with me."

"Even when I choose projects, if before, I looked only at my own character, I am now more interested in what the producers are trying to say through this project and what kind of statement they want to make."

"Usually, I'm attracted by screenplays that stir my curiosity. I try to ask myself why the writer wants to tell this story."

"As long as you have a television screen or a streamer, we are living in an era where we can connect and enjoy any content from any place around the world very easily."

"I tend to pick projects that give me a sense of freshness. So my filmography, especially after hitting my 30s, has become a lot more diverse."

"But if there’s something you gain, there’s also something you can lose. Therefore, I try not to showcase my personal life."

"When I become a character in a movie or drama … I can think about the character only and not the complicated matters of my own life. I feel ecstasy in those moments and it’s what keeps me going as an actor. It’s not about the money, it’s not about the honor."

"I was in a phase where I was contemplating what my next project should be. Because as I got older, the roles I was offered were mostly villains or other such fierce characters."

"I am not sure if I can work in Hollywood or overseas entertainment business with my insufficient English skills, so I cannot say anything for certain at this moment. But I hope to meet the international fans with the works that I am currently shooting."

"I do not separate the scripts and decide on doing either movies or drama series in a certain year. I always think of what I can do best and how I can entertain the public when I first receive the script."

"A role with strong characters is easy if everything is set up in the beginning and you just need to push forward. However, with a role of a man in daily life, I paid a little more attention to make this man look natural."

"I found the concept of Squid Game interesting from the beginning. Although it was a survival competition between adults, the games were actually played by little kids. Despite being a survival game genre, it carefully explained the sorrows and hardships of the people who participated in the game. I think this made the movie different from other works as it effectively revealed the stories of the characters one by one without exaggerating them."

"I have seen some reactions on social media and on YouTube, and I have been trying to wrap my mind around them. I watched a lot of YouTube reaction videos, videos of the viewers themselves watching Squid Game in real time. I had never seen these so-called reaction videos before in my life. I find that very interesting and funny. So yes, I have kept an eye on how the global audience is reacting."

"I didn't expect this kind of success at all when I first boarded Squid Game as a project. But when I read the script, I understood that it contained elements that could resonate with everyone and work outside of Korea."

"One thing I did differently (from previous works) was that I would go for a walk a night before filming and observe the people on the streets in order to find elements to add to the character."

"Squid Game is a story about human nature that most people can already relate to, yet everything is communicated through easy-to-follow childhood games."

"I think if I got a role or a new series came in, then I’d have to focus on the shooting. At that moment, I don't think I can do modeling at the same time as acting, but, if I don't have a time [where I need to be shooting], then I could do modeling. I could manage. I'm a very flexible person!"

"I used to hear people say that models have very short careers, which I don't really agree with... I think that even when you grow old, you can still continue modeling if you have that willingness. But I think I kind of put a lot of thought into other options as my modeling career was slowly declining. I started to worry about what I should do when I had no job at all. I started to think about my next steps and that's when I figured maybe it could be a good idea to start acting."

"So, I started modeling at 17. In Korea there are academies for modeling. So I went to the academy, and the academy teacher gave me a few jobs, like the fashion school graduation show, that kind of stuff. Then, I realized that there are Asian supermodels."

"At first, I tried to get rid of habits that you would develop as a model, and it was a great challenge to relearn how to walk and move more naturally. But my experience working as a model helped with understanding how to move in front of the camera and how the camera actually sees me."

"I think the emotions that they truly feel within them and what they try to show to others, the mask that they put on, is different."

"I was just so happy that I got a role and could give a performance. I still feel nervous at the thought of meeting an audience through the screen. I never dreamed that the show would become such a global sensation."

"So many things are happening right now, so I'm in the process of digesting everything and putting things in order. I think it's too early for me to say that this is my goal or this is my plan. I’m just going to try and do my best to live every day to the fullest."

"At the beginning, I thought that a model should be a sexy girl or should just be a really gorgeous girl or should be a cute girl or just very calm. Now, as time passes, I found that modeling can be more complicated and I can be inspired by many things besides just poses in magazines."

"Just the fact that so many people around the world are showing their interest puts me in a good mood."

"There is definitely no fear. When I first went abroad as a model, I felt like I was heading to the ground, but now I think I can make a clearer plan and approach it flexibly."

"Some people suggested that I should try something else. It was a lot of things, but nothing really stood out for me. Nothing felt right, and this job as an actor happened by coincidence."

"Like the French, Koreans aim for a subtle and effortless look - while actually paying a lot of attention to the details."

"Diversity has definitely been increasing, but still we have the issue of inclusion, and that is why I am so grateful about playing the role of Nagini in the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise."