A woman who can’t live her life. Actress Seo Ji-hye evaluated TV Chosun’s ‘Red Balloon’ Cho Eun-gang like this. half right and half wrong Jo Eun-gang, who supports her incapacitated family, is full of her qualifications to her rich friend, Han Bada (Hong Soo-hyeon). Envying her friend, he covets Hanbada’s life and even her husband. In a runaway situation, he finally lives his own life when he is in a position to lose everything. “Really, why did (Jo) Eun-gang want to live like that?” Seo Ji-hye, whom she recently met at a cafe in Sinsa-dong, Seoul, smiled cheerfully.
Seo Ji-hye decided to appear in ‘Red Balloon’ only following seeing writer Moon Young-nam. She didn’t care if there was no script or if she didn’t know the plot. During the five months he jumped in with blind faith, he lived as Cho Eun-gang, spewing out countless emotions. Writer Moon Young-nam and director Jin Hyeong-wook asked him for only one thing. “He told me to become a white drawing paper. I emptied my mind and went to the first shoot.” For Seo Ji-hye, who has experienced several works in the meantime, ‘Red Balloon’ remained a fresh experience.
“I really wanted to work with writer Youngnam Moon. Seeing her in person made her more confident that she did well. My heart skipped a beat when I heard Jo Eun-gang’s emotional range ranged from 0 to 100. It was a fun challenge. I didn’t even know that the viewership ratings would reach this level. haha.”
A lighthearted smile was tinged with relief and pride. Seo Ji-hye is the complete opposite of Cho Eun-gang. She always looked at Jo Eun-gang, who was trapped in her thoughts, and she said there were many times when she didn’t understand. She said, “Should I say that she felt like eating sweet potatoes?” It was refreshing to see her talking regarding her character without hesitation. When the reporter asked how a person like this played Jo Eun-gang, Seo Ji-hye said, “That’s right!” She laughed out loud. Whenever she hits a wall, the ones who catch him are, of course, writer Moon and director Jin. She understood Jo Eun-gang’s psychology by filling the gap with her real self. What he interpreted most painstakingly was the relationship between Jo Eun-kang and Han Bada.
“When rivers come together, they become the sea. The relationship between U˘ngang and (Han) Bada is the same. Maybe friendship is like that? There are times when we fight, we reconcile and rely on each other, but at some point we hate it once more… . Human relationships are created through the accumulation of various emotions. I think ‘Red Balloon’ showed such subtle emotions. It was also fresh that U˘ngang was a bad girl. It was thrilling to break the stereotype that the main character has to be nice. She got a lot more support than I thought.”
Jo Eun-gang has low self-esteem. He suffers from a sense of relative deprivation. The environment I grew up in made it that way. The evil done to Hanbada originated from a twisted mind. The drama embodies Cho Eun-gang’s emotions by arranging dramatic situations. Seo Ji-hye focused on expressing Cho Eun-gang in the script. When she felt helpless, she read the script over and over once more. She made it her first priority to present herself well rather than convince viewers of her character. The more immersed I was, the sweeter the ending was. In the last episode, Jo Eun-gang throws everything away and starts his life over. Cho Eun-kang, who always sacrificed himself for others, only learns to love himself when he goes to the land of no relatives. Viewers had mixed feelings regarding the development of the villain, but it was a perfect ending for Seo Ji-hye.
“I saw the reaction of how the sea forgives U˘ngang. I see it as reconciliation rather than forgiveness. Usually, when a friend fights, they say reconciliation rather than forgiveness. Of course, it was a big mistake for U˘ngang to have an affair. Jealous of her coveted friend, everything got tangled up. However, between the sea and U˘ngang, there are 20 years that have not been fully covered in the drama. In the end, the two friends reconciled and I think everything ended well.”
Jo Eun-gang’s fingerprints in the script contained the words anxiety and tension. “Because I’m not really a bad person. If he had been a wicked man, he would not have been nervous… .” A variety of emotions flashed through his eyes as he looked back at Cho Eun-gang. While acting, he pondered every moment on how to express and how to express emotions. In the work of finishing his thirties, he has gained a lot. “He realized it was okay to be a little more drastic. My confidence has also grown. He also grew to want to try something he hadn’t done before. I want to try action… . It’s okay if it’s difficult to adapt, so I want to learn more through trial and error. He used to want to be a thin and long actor. Not anymore. He wants to walk naturally like water flowing. He thinks he’ll be satisfied with any future, as long as he’s only acting. Acting is always fun for me.”
Reporter Kim Ye-seul [email protected] View articles
