Interview with Jin Ji-hee as Nina in the play ‘The Seagull’
Actress Jin Ji-hee expressed her feelings about her first attempt at theater through ‘The Seagull’.
Jin Ji-hee debuted in the 2003 drama ‘Yellow Handkerchief’. He has now become a mid-career actor who is celebrating his 20th debut anniversary.
He worked with Lee Soon-jae in the MBC sitcom ‘High Kick Through the Roof’, which aired from 2009 to March 2010. Jin Ji-hee was an elementary school student when she appeared in ‘High Kick Through the Roof’. Now, he has shed his title as a child actor and is following his own path as an adult actor.
The play 'The Seagull', based on a play by Anton Chekhov, a representative Russian playwright, is a story of tragic love and desperate conflict between characters, and the search for the reason for human existence and the meaning of life. Jin Ji-hee played the role of Nina in the play. Nina is a beautiful person with a desire to become an actress.
Jin Ji-hee reunited with Lee Soon-jae in 'Seagull' 13 years after 'High Kick Through the Roof'. ‘The Seagull’ is also his first attempt at theater. Accordingly, ‘Seagull’ is a work that has a special meaning to Jin Ji-hee. Ten Asia met Jin Ji-hee, who was trying her hand at theater for the first time.
Jin Ji-hee is meeting the audience with 'The Seagull', which opened on December 21st last year and will be performed at the Universal Arts Center until February 5th. He said, "I felt even more excited on the day of the first performance. I had the excitement and anticipation of 'meeting the audience in person'. I didn't make any mistakes during the first performance. In order to avoid making mistakes until the end, I kept ruminating on my nervousness to go back to the beginning more and more. “There is,” he said.
He continued, "Fortunately, people have given me good reviews, and 'The Seagull' is receiving a lot of love. I feel like I'm performing on stage more because of that strength. Theater has a different feel from other media. I thought I'd be very nervous because I was acting in front of an audience. , I was happy at the moment I was on stage. Of course, I am still a ‘playboy’ who doesn’t have much time to spare,” he added.
Jin Ji-hee laughed, saying, "In the beginning, it was my first time on stage, so I took time to get used to it. Now, little by little, my perspective is broadening. Every time I look at the bright eyes of the audience, I also feel joy like Nina in 'The Seagull'."
Why did Jin Ji-hee, a former student at the Department of Theater at Dongguk University, take on the challenge of performing her first play through ‘The Seagull’? He said, "It's because I'm working with teacher Lee Soon-jae. I encountered a lot of plays when I was a college student, so 'The Seagull' is familiar to me. A work is also a work, but when I heard that teacher Lee Soon-jae was directing, I immediately wanted to do whatever it was." .
Jin Ji-hee said, "It had a special meaning to me when I heard that they were doing the classic 'Seagull', which I studied a lot in school. I read it a lot, and I hated it so much that I got sick of it, but it is a work I am attached to. If the teacher and 'The Seagull' meet, I will think 'What kind of story will it be?' There was an expectation of ‘Will it be born?’ I had very high expectations about how he would direct it through directing.”
13 years have passed, which is more than enough time for Kangsan to change. Jin Ji-hee revealed that she was moved to tears when she reunited with Lee Soon-jae for the first time in a long time. He said, "I felt like I was seeing my grandfather. It's been a long time since 'High Kick Through the Roof', but I think he's in better health than before. On stage, he said, 'Are we having a good time with you today?' "There is a line. I feel happy every time I hear that line. There is no 'yes' in my line, but it comes out without me even realizing it. Even now, after the performance, people introduce me to their acquaintances," he explained.
Jin Ji-hee said, "There was a Nina drawn by the teacher. I asked the teacher a lot about things I didn't understand. The teacher answered all my questions. If I expressed it within the line the teacher thought, 'This is good,' 'This is good,' 'This is good.' He expressed his affection by saying, "I think it's okay if I don't do it. There are boundaries, but he allows me to expand freely within them. There is no major direction, but he acts as an advisor within the picture the teacher has drawn."
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr