Jin Ji-hee, “Is it burdensome to have the image of a punk? Thanks to you, I know my name.”

"I think I'm here because of the character called 'Bbangkudongkku'. Without that work ('High Kick Through the Roof'), it wouldn't have been easy to make a name for myself. It's not easy at all to make a name for yourself in this field. Until I die. “I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t recognize me.”

Jin Ji-hee left a strong impression with the line, ‘You bastard’. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to becoming famous through a character at a young age. This is because there are cases where they are unable to break away from their existing image and are forever remembered as child actors. Jin Ji-hee, who was slowly shedding her image as a child actor, attempted a full-fledged transformation by taking on the role of her first adult villain.

On the afternoon of the 30th, Jin Ji-hee was interviewed at a cafe in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and told various stories related to the MBN weekend miniseries 'The Perfect Marriage'.

'The Perfect Marriage' is about a woman, Han Yi-ju (played by Jeong Yu-min), who returned to the past after her death and proposed a contract marriage to take revenge on her husband and family, and a man, Seo Do-guk (played by Seong-hoon), who accepted the contract marriage to take her as his wife. ) is a destiny-exploring, regression, romance and revenge drama. It is based on a web novel of the same name.

Jin Ji-hee played the role of Han Yu-ra, the youngest daughter of a rich family, in ‘The Perfect Marriage’. Han Yu-ra is a person who must get what she wants, including trying to steal her older sister's man. It was well-received for its immersive portrayal of Han Yu-ra's harsh and vicious side.

Jin Ji-hee plays a villain for her first adult role. He said, "I was aware of the questions after hearing the questions during the production presentation. It wasn't without pressure, but fortunately, the response from those around me was good."

Regarding Han Yu-ra, a somewhat toxic character, Jin Ji-hee said, "I didn't understand the whole thing. If a normal person could steal her sister's boyfriend and do that," she said, "Actually, in some ways, there are many pitiful parts. I really liked Seo Do-guk. "If you look at Yura's point of view, it may be unfair. She must have been rejected by the person she loved and must have been very hurt. Rather, I sympathized with Yura a little bit in that regard, and sometimes my stress was relieved by the way Yura expressed herself," he said.

In the play, Han Yu-ra also becomes pregnant. Did you feel any pressure from your child role image? Jin Ji-hee said, "I was ready. I'm in my mid-20s. However, because the viewers' perspective is important, I discussed it a lot with the director. I was worried that it would be burdensome, but Yura's setting and situation in the beginning were difficult. “This was clearly revealed and I was able to understand it in the second half,” he said, adding, “I also fell in love with the character without any worries.”

Eugenie from SBS' 'Penthouse' written by Kim Soon-ok, and even Han Yu-ra from 'The Perfect Marriage'. Jin Ji-hee, who has shown strong characters so far, said that she also wants to do healing dramas. Jin Ji-hee said, "Maybe it's because I've recently taken on a strong character, but in the future, I want to try calm and healing works. I'm also looking forward to seeing if a different charm will come out when I do such works. Since I only ate mala, shouldn't I also eat warm bone broth?" I joked.

Jin Ji-hee seems to have broken away from her child actor image a little through this work. He said, "I still feel like I'm somewhere in the middle," and "I think I've escaped with this work. The feedback from people around me is the same, and when I look at it, I can't really see the images or faces I had when I was young. I think I recognized those aspects while doing this work."

At the same time, he shared his thoughts on Lee Se-young of MBC's 'Veign Woman Park's Contract Marriage' and Kim Yoo-jung of SBS's 'My Demon', who were also former child actors. He said, "I am proud that my older sister and friends who were child actors are active as the main characters of a drama. Isn't there a saying that child acting ends with child acting? If you look at the older sisters and Yoo-jeong as well, they say, 'That's not true. Child actors actually serve as a good base.' “It’s nice to see these aspects of myself being able to develop my acting skills and character,” he said.

Jin Ji-hee, who used to shout ‘ppangkudongkku’, is now approaching her mid-20s. How much has Jin Ji-hee changed from when she was a child actor to now? Jin Ji-hee said, "I feel like I've found my identity. Since I've been acting since I was a child, I think I know a lot, but it hasn't been long since I started to become self-conscious. I think I grew up with a lot of self-consciousness in this work. When it comes to building a character, I also think about my age. “As I got older, my perspective became more diverse, and it blended well into my acting,” he said.

Finally, Jin Ji-hee, who celebrated her 20th anniversary since her debut, said, "I would like to praise myself for being amazing. I have devoted 20 years to one job. I think it was a good choice and I am working hard to make sure I have no regrets in the future."

Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr