Kim Joo-ryeong changes after the success of ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Casino’

"I don't usually enjoy crime action dramas, but I didn't know I would be so hooked. The director didn't tell me the ending in detail, so I waited for the last episode without knowing the ending. It was released once a week, so it was annoying at times. Director I complained to the production company CEO, ‘Why did you do this?’ Haha. A lot of people around me were curious, ‘What will the ending be like?’”

Kim Joo-ryeong, who appeared in Disney+'s 'Casino', said that although she was an actor, she watched the ending with the heart of a fan. 'Casino' is the story of Cha Moo-sik (played by Choi Min-sik), a casino legend, who faces a crisis and begins to make the last bet of his life against the persistent pursuit of Korean Desk Oh Seung-hoon (played by Son Seok-gu). The last episode of Season 2 was released on the 22nd.

Recently, I met actor Kim Joo-ryeong, who appeared in Disney+'s 'Casino', at a cafe in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul. Jin Young-hee, played by Kim Ju-ryeong, is the owner of a local Korean restaurant in the Philippines. In the play, Jin Young-hee says that when Choi Chil-gu (played by Song Young-gyu), the director of a construction company, says that he has a grudge against Chairman Min (played by Kim Hong-pa), her mafia boyfriend is being asked to carry out a contract killing. Afterwards, money comes into his bank account and Chairman Min is actually murdered, making him involved in Chairman Min's murder case.

Kim Joo-ryeong said, "When I read the script, it felt like a real story. They say there are about 170 characters here, but it felt like real people." He continued, "In season 1, Jinyoung-hee was an ordinary Filipino woman. In season 2, she was the person who ignited the murder of Chairman Min. The fact that she was a person who unintentionally ignited a big incident was attractive." He then confessed his reason for appearing, saying, "I wanted to work with director Kang Yun-seong, and above all, I heard that senior Choi Min-sik is appearing. It was a good opportunity to learn as an actor."

Kim Joo-ryeong explained the character of Jinyoung-hee, saying, "Although she doesn't like it when someone encroaches on her territory, she is very interested in other people's stories and tells them here and there." Kim Joo-ryeong said that the acting requested by director Kang Yun-seong was 'reality'. Kim Joo-ryeong said, “The director said, ‘I want her to be like a real Korean woman living in the Philippines.’” He continued, “At first, I wanted a dramatic character, but the director wanted an ordinary character. The director left it open to my heart’s content and let me act. “He did it,” he said. When asked how he prepared for realistic life acting, Kim Joo-ryeong said, "I listened to and watched a lot of YouTube videos. Korean residents upload a lot of stories about their lives in the local area on YouTube. If viewers say, 'I look like a woman who lives there,' then it's a success." He answered.

This series was filmed on location in the Philippines. Kim Joo-ryeong said, "This is my first time working in an overseas location. It was my dream. I said I wanted to go film for work, and 'Casino' made my dream come true. It was good. I will work hard to have more opportunities in the future. I think there will be more opportunities as the coronavirus eases. “He expressed his joy. He also laughed, saying, “It was my first time saying English lines in a series, so I was nervous. Even though it was a short line, I was nervous.”

On set, director Kang Yun-seong is said to have created a flexible atmosphere so that lines could be changed and actors could take the lead in their acting. Kim Joo-ryeong said, "Director Kang Yun-seong has that style. He said he had that style from the beginning. There were parts that were created through encounters on set and some new lines. The director was open-minded. I didn't know that things would change on set until the end."

Kim Joo-ryeong also told an anecdote about how flexible he was at the filming site. He said, "The first scene I filmed was a Korean community meeting scene. I saw it during the general reading, but on set, it was the first time I met Oh Dal-su and (Son) Seok-gu in that filming scene. However, they did not follow the script. I was embarrassed at first. They naturally even said the missing lines among themselves. “There was a lot of back and forth. I felt awkward and couldn’t get used to it for a moment, but I quickly got used to it and it was fun while filming,” he remembered. Also, "I have to listen more closely to the other actor's story in order to be able to react. Oh Dal-su's free-spirited acting made me want to learn from him. He led the situation in a fun way without deviating from the big picture. At the same time, I burst into laughter." “It also came out. The director liked the ‘raw feel’ of the scene,” he said.

Kim Joo-ryeong was honored to work with Choi Min-sik through this series. Kim Joo-ryeong said, "He is also a senior at school. I played the role of senior Choi Min-sik's spokesperson in 'Special Citizen'. At that time in the drama, I couldn't dare to talk to senior Choi Min-sik and just followed him around. But this time, aren't we talking to each other? “I thought, ‘Juryeong, you’ve really achieved success,’” he said, bursting into laughter. He continued, "Recently, he said he wanted to do a play and asked, 'If I had to do it, would you do it?' That's why I said, 'I like it.' There's a reason why I chose this work because I heard that senior Choi Min-sik would do it, but I was disappointed that we didn't meet a few scenes in this series. Before starting the work, I even asked the director to make a scene where I meet the senior," he said with a laugh. He also said, "When I watch my senior act, my mouth opens and I become focused without realizing it. He is a Chamu-sik himself. I thought, 'How can I become like that? I want to act like that too.'"

Kim Ju-ryeong, whose name and face became known around the world through Netflix's 'Squid Game'. He said, "I was very busy last year as 'Squid Game' did well. I was busy filming 'Third Person Revenge', 'Casino', 'Survival as a Celebrity Manager', and 'Joseon Psychiatrist Yoo Se-poong'. At the same time, I felt a sense of responsibility and “I felt pressured because there were more eyes watching,” he confessed. He continued, "I felt like I needed to act better. I thought that if I didn't do well, people would ignore me," and "I tried to do too well, so it took a lot of effort. But that didn't help my acting. It was a kind of trial and error. That's why. “My goal for this year is, ‘Let’s go back to the beginning with the mind of a rookie again.’”

It is said that Kim Joo-ryeong also started exercising, which he disliked. Kim Joo-ryeong said, "I am now at the starting line. Regardless of my age, I am just starting as an actor Kim Joo-ryeong. I am looking back. From now on, I think I will follow my own path at my own pace, as if sewing each stitch with care." revealed. He continued, "Actually, I didn't like to exercise, just walking, but these days I get PT. I normally hate exercise, but it's to transform me. It's about strengthening not only the muscles of the body, but also the muscles of the mind. When your body is healthy, your mentality also becomes healthy. School "I'm reading acting books again like I did when I was a student. I'm writing down an actor's diary. I'm not saying I'm going to ignore everything I've done so far, but from now on, I'm just going to build on it one by one. I've promised myself that I'll do well and not lose strength," he said.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr