"My personality is so that I don't have expectations to avoid being disappointed. I don't express it too much. Even if something good happens, I feel good on the inside, but I feel anxious quickly. I think that's similar to An Soo-young. So, when I see people who honestly express what they feel, I get jealous. I also do it. When I was young, I thought it was bad. What my mom says the most is, ‘Enjoy it like your age.’ This year, I want to enjoy it like my age.”
On the 13th, actress Moon Ga-young, who met at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul for an interview about the end of the JTBC Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Love Understanding', said this about her goals for this year.
'Understanding Love' is a melodrama that tells the story of people with different interests meeting and understanding the true meaning of love. Moon Ga-young played the role of Ahn Soo-young, the goddess of KCU Bank's Yeongpo branch and a high school graduate and teller at the deposit counter.
'Understanding Love' captures not only the excitement and freshness of love, but also the emotions caused by love, such as hesitation and boredom, from various angles, and the workplace scenes that evoke a sense of kinship provide a sense of immersion, earning it the reputation of being a 'hyperrealistic melodrama'. Together, we solidified our fan base. Although the viewership rating was in the 3% range, it received a good response in terms of OTT and online topicality ranking indicators.
In response, Moon Ga-young said, "I think I'm happy to feel the process of word of mouth and see it with my own eyes. Many of my acquaintances contacted me, and 'True Beauty' had a younger audience, but 'Understanding Love' was also liked by my parents and their friends. “I am satisfied that the age range has broadened because of this,” he said.
Moon Ga-young, who was born to a physicist father and a musician mother, said, "I got a call from my father a few days ago. While I was eating with friends, the topic of drama came up, so I called on speakerphone. Until then, my father's children watched my dramas, but this drama My father's friends loved it so much that they talked about old times and their first loves. I received a phone call for the first time at my friends' place. When I hung up, I felt very strange. I had a subtle feeling that my parents were proud of me and said, 'You did a great job on this project.' “I sent a reply,” he said proudly.
Ahn Soo-young, played by Moon Ga-young, is a character who believes that love is a sand castle that can collapse in an instant. Although she is kind to everyone, she is not kind to herself and has a pain that she cannot easily share with anyone.
Moon Ga-young said that she never did not understand the character of Ahn Soo-young from beginning to end and said, "Even if others did not sympathize, I predicted that this was the meaning of the work itself. The director and writer also said that 'understanding of love' is an extremely Sangsu's understanding of love. I gave it to him. That's why he may have felt frustrated because everything about Ahn Soo-young wasn't revealed. But I think it would be the same as the feeling you get when you hear or see someone's love story."
Moon Ga-young read the script and ordered the original novel on the spot. He said, "Originally, I had to see and touch the book offline to buy it, but for the first time, I ordered it online. I was that curious about the original."
Moon Ga-young, who attempted to transform her acting through this work, explained, "It's not that I haven't shown some of my bright side so far, but thanks to timing and luck, I got a work that contained the story I wanted to tell and showed a different side of me." .
How about synchronization with the character? Moon Ga-young said, "I can't say 100%, but there are similarities. She doesn't like to show it, is patient, and thinks a lot. Ahn Soo-young is also a different side of Moon Ga-young. Rather than a high level of concentration and character analysis, she is a person who thinks a lot. “I just needed the determination to show a different side of me,” he said.
When asked about her usual dating style, Moon Ga-young said, "I think the four of us - Soo-young, Sang-su (Yoo Yeon-seok), Mi-kyung (Keum Sae-rok), and Jong-hyun (Jung Ga-ram) - are evenly similar." She added, "Like Sang-su, she is sincere and does her best, but Soo-young also does her best. "I don't show it to this extent and am patient and cautious. When I have free time, I think I resemble Mi-kyung's way of speaking and refreshing manner, and like Jong-hyun, I also show consideration for others."
In the play, Ahn Soo-young makes a self-destructive choice by lying that she spent the night with So Kyeong-pil (played by Moon Tae-yu) in order to cut off both Sang-su and Jong-hyeon. Regarding this, Moon Ga-young said, "The reason why I couldn't exclude or eliminate that choice was because it was the ending of the original work. The second reason is that although it was Ahn Soo-young's selfish choice, I think it was the best choice. I've had that experience too. It hurt me. I have had a desire to cut off all the things I do and uncomfortable relationships. When things are too difficult, I want to cut off relationships like cutting a wire, but I can't put it into practice. Suyeong is not a healthy method, but I wanted to cut everything off by destroying myself. “I think it was an irreversible choice that prevented me from returning to Sangsu,” he said.
Moon Ga-young plays her first professional character through this work. He said, "I felt good when I received my name tag. I also liked being able to say I was a banker when someone asked me what my role was. After filming was over, I had to go to the bank and I saw things I couldn't see before. It was like I was a banker. “I felt like I had quit going to school,” he said with a smile.
When asked if there were any external aspects she paid attention to for her character, Moon Ga-young said, "The biggest change was that I cut my bangs. I wore clothes that many people can easily find and purchase and that can be worn in everyday life. Among the reactions from viewers, it was the clothes I wore. “What I remember is that the clothes were not expensive and could be easily purchased,” he said.
What was it like working with Yoo Yeon-seok? Moon Ga-young said, "Yoo Yeon-seok is a melodrama master, so it was easy because he kept the focus so well. Even though we didn't rehearse much with Yoo Yeon-seok, we worked together really well. Even though the two had long lines, they waited long enough. This work made me realize the fun of melodrama." "Also, it wasn't my intention, but as I filmed it, I looked into Jonghyun's eyes while filming and spoke like an older sister, but when I met Sangsu, I couldn't look him in the eye. I realized that there is a difference between comfort and excitement."
The actual age difference between Moon Ga-young and Yoo Yeon-seok is 12 years. In response, Moon Ga-young said, "I jokingly told Yoo Yeon-seok that he looks young and I'm the opposite, so we'll meet through contacts." She added, "There are many works I've done with my peers, but comparatively, I've done a lot with my seniors. Even when I was young, I liked working with my seniors." "I was used to it because I was used to it. On the contrary, I felt very awkward during 'True Beauty'. I was used to it because it was a scene I always did when I was with my seniors," he said.
How are you satisfied with the ending of Sangsu and Suyeong? Moon Ga-young said, "It was an ending like that of Sang-su and Soo-young. It's an open ending, but I think it could be a happy ending or a sad ending depending on the viewer. Still, I don't think the two people went to eat pork cutlet together. Even though their gazes were different, they walked toward the same place. Because,” he said.
What meaning did ‘Understanding Love’ have for Moon Ga-young? “I think it will be a good reference point when choosing a work. Regardless of popularity or box office success, it just needs to be a story that well tells the story I want to tell. It is a work that shows me that the path I have walked so far has not been a bad path, and that I have seen my own footprints with my own eyes. “I think it will remain as a work that gave me the ability to choose good works first in the future,” he said.
Moon Ga-young, who was given the title 'Mello Queen' following 'Roco Queen', said, "I'm so happy. I'm very grateful to have been given a position in a genre. I'm also proud. It's proven that many people like me doing melodrama. “I’m so happy because it’s so good,” he said. “From now on, I want to get a qualifier for breaking seals one by one, and I also want to get a qualifier recognized for my acting skills. Yesterday, I wrote in my diary that I want to become the top through acting. When asked how to name an actor who is good at acting, I ranked 10. “I can only think that 9 out of 100 people will mention Moon Ga-young’s name,” he said with a laugh.
"I came to understand that love is really difficult. The reason why love is difficult is because I don't know myself, so I thought that if I knew myself better, love would become easier. That's why the relationships I've had also became very precious. I wanted to know someone's feelings. "I learned that the effort itself is a beautiful heart. I also realized once again the importance of relationships with family and friends."
Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr