Actress Jang Young-nam Reveals She Hid Pregnancy During Film Shoot

Actress Jang Young-nam recently shared a surprising revelation about her past work experiences on the TV Chosun show 'Sikgaek Heo Young-man's Baekban Journey,' aired on the 23rd. During the episode, Jang joined the host to explore the winter culinary delights of Tongyeong.

Jang Young-nam expressed her fondness for Tongyeong, stating, "I often visited here because of my son. He loves it so much that he feels like he's lived here."

She also revealed the meaning behind her name, explaining, "I am the youngest daughter in a family with five daughters. My parents expected a son, hence the name 'Young-nam,' which means 'glorious man.'"

Jang, who has a 12-year-old child, shared, "I got married at 39 and gave birth at 42. During the filming of the movie 'Ode to My Father,' I deliberately hid my pregnancy from the crew."

She recalled the challenging scenes, including running with a child on her back by the Busan sea and jumping onto a small boat. Despite being five months pregnant, she performed action scenes that required her to dive into cold seawater. "I couldn't climb up, so senior actor Jung Jin-young helped pull me up," she reminisced.

Known for her clear pronunciation, Jang, who started her career in theater, humorously demonstrated her tongue exercises, saying, "People often comment on my pronunciation. I tend to move my tongue a lot, which might seem a bit excessive."

Jang, once nicknamed 'Daehak-ro's Lee Young-ae,' shared her struggles with parental opposition to her acting career. "My parents were against it. I was kicked out of the house and even slapped when I opened the door. I worked part-time at Namdaemun to earn bus fare to Daehak-ro," she recounted.

Her parents' attitude changed after she won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actress in Theater in her 30s. Jang humorously recalled, "At that time, dramas like 'Autumn in My Heart' were popular. When my mother saw me on TV alongside actors like Song Hye-kyo and Won Bin, all her opposition melted away."

Reported by Kim Eun-jung, TenAsia. Contact: eun@tenasia.co.kr