'The Glory' Soyo Ahn revealed that she was able to immerse herself in the character thanks to Song Hye-kyo and Lim Ji-yeon.
On the 29th, I met actress Ahn So-yo, who appeared in Netflix's 'The Glory', at the Ten Asia office building in Jungnim-dong, Seoul. Ahn So-yo played the role of Kim Kyung-ran, the manager of the select shop Siesta and the stylist of Park Yeon-jin (played by Lim Ji-yeon). Kim Gyeong-ran was also a victim of school violence by Park Yeon-jin's group during her school days.
Ahn So-yo, who worked with Song Hye-kyo, said, "I didn't see her much in real life, but I felt a kinship with her character. She was a senior and I had a 'dramatic I' personality, so I had a hard time talking to her on set. 'Hello, I'm Gyeong-ran' and greeted her from afar. "I was just watching, and as soon as we started filming, the senior became Dong-eun. Instead of being a difficult senior, I came to treat her as Dong-eun as well. The waves of emotions that were fluttering behind those calm and determined eyes were conveyed to me completely," he said. Regarding Lim Ji-yeon, he said, "She is easy-going and bright. She had a comfortable atmosphere, but when we started filming, she became 'bad Park Yeon-jin.' She acted well, so I was able to naturally immerse myself in her."
Kim Gyeong-ran is the person who struck the final blow with a bottle of alcohol to Son Myeong-oh (played by Kim Geon-woo), who was losing consciousness after being beaten by Park Yeon-jin. Regarding the filming at the time, he recalled, "I think there was a little more tension than usual. There was blood on the floor, and actor Kim Geon-woo, who played Myeong-oh, was also lying down." He continued, "Many people were interested in that bottle. In fact, the bottle is heavy and hard. There were two bottles on set. One felt like a hard cushion and the other was a real glass bottle. Even if the cushion is hard, if it is hit hard, it will break. “I thought it would hurt, so I kept asking actor Son Myung-oh, ‘Is it okay if I do it like this?’ Actor Myung-oh kindly told me that it was completely okay, so I shot it down in one go and filmed it with all my might.”
Ahn So-yo said, "All the scenes were difficult, but wasn't that scene an important point in playing this character? Until I met Dong-eun, I was avoiding (the anger and revenge toward the perpetrators) to the point that I buried it deep inside and didn't recognize it myself. "When I met Dong-eun, I was reminded of myself and Dong-eun when I was young. A wave of buried emotions arose again. Haven't I watched them break down little by little and have a hard time? I must have felt a little sad," he said, emphasizing Gyeong-ran's emotions.
How does Kim Kyung-ran live after that? Soyo Ahn said, “I’ve thought about it many times. Because it heals my heart.” He continued, “Many people say, ‘This is how Kyungran must have lived,’ or ‘Is Kyungran living happily?’ A lot of people ask questions on social media. Of course, it will be difficult for everything to get better all at once. I think Kyung-ran will now become a person who takes care of herself. Before that, if she left young Kyung-ran uncared for for a long time, she will now hug her and take care of her. “I think I will move forward one step at a time. I think I will learn new things and challenge new things,” he said, expressing his affection for the character.
'The Glory' is a Netflix series that depicts the story of a woman whose soul was broken by violence in her childhood, who risks her entire life to carefully prepare a cruel revenge, and the story of those who fall into the vortex. According to Netflix's TOP 10 as of March 29, 'The Glory' recorded 413.05 million cumulative viewing hours, ranking 6th in all-time viewing hours in the Netflix TV (non-English) category. This is an achievement that follows ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Our School Now’ as domestic Netflix series works. Part 1 of 'The Glory' entered the TOP 10 list for 5 weeks, and Part 2 maintained the top spot in the non-English language category for 3 consecutive weeks immediately after its release.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr