So Yoo-jin, a working mother receiving reliable support from Baek Jong-won

“I have a performance one day during this Lunar New Year holiday. The academy is also closed, so I have to watch the kids. I’m busy with the performance and the kids go to the academy, but I have to be with the kids during the Lunar New Year holiday.”

So Yoo-jin is given various modifiers such as 'actor', 'MC', 'Baek Jong-won's wife', and 'working mother'. This Lunar New Year holiday, actress So Yoo-jin returns to being a wife and mother. Of course, this is limited to days when there are no performances.

The play 'The Seagull', which opened on December 21 last year and will be performed at the Universal Arts Center on February 5, is based on a play by Anton Chekhov, a leading Russian playwright. It 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.

So Yoo-jin played the role of Aruka in the play. Arcagna is an actress who dominated her era and is in love with a young famous writer. He is also called ‘Sorkkana’. So Yoo-jin started out as an actor, and still has a great desire for acting.

So Yoo-jin chose three consecutive theater works, starting with 'King Lear' in 2021, followed by 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982', and 'The Seagull', which is currently being performed. He said, "Children are the biggest reason I chose theater. Once the schedule for dramas and movies is set, there are a lot of changes, such as location, etc. There are many things that go out in the morning and come back at night. But for plays, the practice time and performance time are fixed." He said.

He continued, "My first and second children are now in the second and first grades of elementary school. If I don't do plays, I can watch my children better, but I think I'm the type of person who wants to work. I want to work, but I felt sorry for my children if I got caught up in work. . That's why I chose theater. Children need to settle down when they are in the first or second grade of elementary school, and it takes a lot of work from the mother. But I have a desire to work," he added.

So Yoo-jin said, "So, like a mother who commutes, I give my children missions, and I like that I can move my work and schedule according to the time zone. My husband is also very satisfied because I can do my work in a planned and precise manner when I do a play. I sent the performance schedule to my husband. “If you give it to them, you can say, ‘You must be at the performance right now,’ rather than saying, ‘Why aren’t you answering the phone?’ We are stable with each other. That’s why we ended up doing plays in a row. It was fun to act while also taking care of the kids,” he said with a laugh. .

The reason So Yoo-jin chose ‘Seagull’ is because of Lee Soon-jae. He said, "I really enjoyed working with teacher Lee Soon-jae during 'King Lear.' As I said before, I thought, 'Why do I like teacher Lee Soon-jae?' It's been 7 years since my father passed away, and my father is older than teacher Lee Soon-jae. “He is 10 years older than me. My father is as knowledgeable as teacher Lee Soon-jae, and I feel like we just enjoy being together,” he said with a laugh.

Also, "Teacher Lee Soon-jae doesn't talk much. When a teacher like that smiles and pats me once, I gain trust. I feel reassured and grateful. I also gain respect for the teacher. I didn't want to miss being with the teacher. Directed by teacher Lee Soon-jae. “Rather than choosing it because of that, I chose it because I like being together,” he said. “The direction of directing that the teacher pursues is convergent. There are rules, but there is freedom within them. There is emotion in the teacher’s directing. And we can act together. “Because of this, I can feel many traces of the teacher,” he said, expressing his affection.

Arcagna is an actress who dominated an era and is in love with a young famous writer. So Yoo-jin takes on the challenge through Arcagna in ‘The Seagull’. He said, "Arcaena is a character that challenges me. It is not the character that came to mind when I thought of 'So Yu-jin'. It is a completely different character. I also practice and perform on stage, and I hope the audience sees me like that." He said.

Not only that, “Arcaena is a character who is obsessed with fame even though her reputation is falling. She loves her son, but she doesn’t know how to love. I am now a mother of three children and am good to them. She is the complete opposite of me. However, it was fun to study a character who was the exact opposite of me. Although I appear to be an actress and have a child, I have lived my life as an actress for over 20 years. So, I have a lot in common with Arkana. At first, I couldn't sleep, but finding a consensus was difficult. “It was fun, and the role opposite me was also attractive,” he said.

So Yoo-jin said, "I say the same lines, but it's always different. Even if I wear the same clothes and say the same lines, some days the performance changes depending on my biorhythm. But the audience is seeing it for the first time. It's always new because I can't fall into my mannerisms. I do the same thing." Even so, the audience's reaction is different every day. When I act, the audience's reaction is new and amazing. In fact, isn't this experience only possible when there is an audience? The audience's reaction can be felt directly on stage. That's why the charm of the stage never ends. “I don’t think there is one,” he said.

So Yoo-jin receives strong support from her husband, Baek Jong-won. She said, "My husband made five boxes of seaweed. Isn't it good to have seaweed when you eat? He also makes seasoning sauces and cup ramen. My husband respects teacher Lee Sun-jae. Teacher Lee Sun-jae says he likes bread, so he sends me a lot. My husband always sends me a lot. A lot of people say, 'Teacher, you're really amazing.' They also ask about the teacher's health. He said he likes the red bean porridge that was launched at 'Alley Restaurant,' so we keep sending it to him. We do it out of our heart. We also support 'King Lear.' “He did a lot,” he explained.

What kind of work will ‘Seagull’ be remembered by So Yoo-jin? He said, "I ended up doing three plays a year. I hope this will be an opportunity for me to become an actor who doesn't feel awkward not only on stage but also with my appearance. For me, three plays a year, King Lear, ended last year. I made it easy for the audience. So, even though it is a classic, I hope that the play is not difficult and is enjoyable to read. It is a work that has that much meaning to me.”

Lastly, So Yoo-jin said, "I like the stage, but I also want to do dramas. I'm also open to appearing in dramas. I don't care about anything either. Since I'm doing a period drama right now, I jokingly said, 'I want to do fantasy.' If I finish performing on stage, I'll have a time machine. "It feels like I'm riding home. Just like now, period dramas, historical dramas, and fantasy are good. All genres are good," he emphasized.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr