ENTERTAINMENT
Kim Ji-woo said, "I like being called cool."
On the 2nd, we met actress Kim Ji-woo at the EMK Musical Company office in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Kim Ji-woo plays the role of Oscar in the musical 'The Rose of Versailles'. Oscar is the youngest daughter of the Jarjayes family, raised as a son to become a royal guard officer, protecting Marie Antoinette. Kim Ji-woo is triple cast alongside Ok Joo-hyun and Jung Yoo-ji.
Oscar is a woman disguised as a man. Kim Ji-woo shared, "Since I was born and raised as a daughter, it was challenging to understand the emotions of someone raised as a son. When I watched the cartoon as a child, I thought 'Oscar is cool,' but I never thought 'What if I were Oscar?'"
When asked about her experience living as a son, she humorously replied, "I didn't know men's uniforms were so hot." She added, "Women have space inside their petticoats and skirts, but uniforms are different. The heat rises up through the shirt. I thought men must have a hard time in the summer." She continued, "To look cool and beautiful, you have to endure pain. To get the right angle for the cape, we needed good fabric. I told the costume designer, 'I'll endure the heat.'"
Kim Ji-woo also had to work hard to portray a disciplined soldier. She said, "I asked Sung-sik and Hae-jun (who play Andre) for advice. They helped me a lot." She added, "Growing up as a soldier, my movements and speech had to be disciplined. Watching videos of myself, I noticed I walked like a woman. When I swung the sword, my hips moved first. It was hard to correct my posture and movements."
When asked if she received training for sword fighting, Kim Ji-woo replied, "We have a martial arts session an hour before each performance." She also shared an incident, "During a performance, I accidentally injured Seung-won, who plays the Duke. Despite practicing, accidents can happen. My sword went up instead of down, hitting his hand. It was scary. He told me to continue as usual, but I'm still a bit scared."
Kim Ji-woo enjoys hearing compliments from the audience and fans. She said, "It feels good to be called cool rather than pretty. I wondered if this is how men feel when they hear such compliments." She added, "I prefer being called cool over handsome. It feels new and satisfying. It made me think I was doing well in my role as a soldier."
She also mentioned that her 'girl crush' charm has attracted many female fans. Kim Ji-woo said, "It's great to be loved by women. Actresses like Uhm Jung-hwa and Youn Yuh-jung are admired by women. I hope to age gracefully like them. Although I'm not there yet, being loved by women feels like a different kind of recognition."
The original musical 'The Rose of Versailles' is based on the manga by Riyoko Ikeda, considered one of the greatest masterpieces. It tells the story of true freedom, love, and humanity through the fictional character Oscar, set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. The original manga, serialized since 1972, has sold over 20 million copies.
'The Rose of Versailles' will be performed at the Chungmu Art Center Grand Theater in Seoul until October 13.
Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
