Actress Ha Yoon-kyung Reflects on Her Role in 'Undercover Miss Hong' and Her On-Screen Chemistry with Park Shin-hye

"Working with Shin-hye felt like being in a real partnership (laughs). We had great chemistry and worked well together. We shot scenes spontaneously without rehearsals, and the results were very satisfying. The filming wrapped up quickly, and I felt at ease in scenes with Shin-hye. I could just focus on acting without any anxiety."

Actress Ha Yoon-kyung recently sat down for an interview at a café in Gangnam, Seoul, to discuss the conclusion of the tvN weekend drama 'Undercover Miss Hong' (hereafter 'Miss Hong'). A graduate of the Korea National University of Arts, Ha Yoon-kyung debuted as an actress in 2015 with the National Theater's 'Ballad for Roxanne.' She gained significant recognition in 2022 by starring alongside Park Eun-bin in ENA's 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.' Since then, she has steadily built her filmography with various projects, including 'See You in My 19th Life' and 'Gangnam B-Side.' In 'Miss Hong,' she teamed up with Park Shin-hye to create another memorable work with a 'womance' storyline.

'Miss Hong,' in which Ha Yoon-kyung starred, is a retro office comedy set in the late 1990s. It follows the story of Hong Geum-bo, an elite securities supervisor in her 30s, who goes undercover as a 20-year-old entry-level employee at a securities firm where suspicious financial activities are detected. The show started with a 3.5% viewership rating for its first episode and climbed to 13.1% by its 15th episode, ending on a high note with double-digit ratings. Ha Yoon-kyung played the role of Go Bok-hee, the eldest sister in room 301 and the dedicated secretary to the president of Hanmin Securities. Her portrayal of a character who appears tough and prickly on the outside but is warm-hearted inside received praise for enhancing the show's immersion.

Regarding her criteria for choosing roles, Ha Yoon-kyung stated, "The script has to be interesting. I believe a script feels engaging because the characters are well-written. So, it's not that I did well, but rather that the character was designed to shine from the start. As an actor, I think my role is to add a little more seasoning to it." When asked about the secret to the show's success, she humbly replied, "I was fortunate to land a good role in 'Miss Hong.' But if I had to say, I wanted to be someone who felt familiar. I aimed to portray a character that made people think, 'I've seen someone like that before.' In genre-specific works, it's important to appear completely new, but in everyday stories, I wanted to feel like a character who could exist in the viewer's surroundings."

When asked about memorable feedback, Ha Yoon-kyung shared, "The most grateful comment is when people say they don't remember my previous roles. Hearing that makes me think, 'I didn't do too badly in this project.' An actor is one person, but they have to show different sides each time. There's pressure in that. I'm always thinking about how to present a new face without being artificial. When people recognize that effort, it feels overwhelming. Hearing 'I didn't realize it was Ha Yoon-kyung' is truly rewarding."

Ha Yoon-kyung expressed satisfaction with her performance, saying, "In this project, I was able to showcase various aspects. I wanted the character to be more three-dimensional than what was written in the script. Even in a single line of dialogue, I aimed to change the emotional tone. Even in scenes where I was supposed to be angry, I wanted to convey multiple emotions beyond just anger. I wanted to express that, even if the character seemed to hate someone, there was more to it. I'm glad viewers noticed those nuances. I tried to portray the complex nature of Bok-hee, and it made acting more enjoyable."

How similar is Ha Yoon-kyung to her character Go Bok-hee? Does she also navigate social situations with a 'capitalist smile'? She laughed and said, "I'm quite good at socializing." She continued, "Bok-hee is a different style. She quickly changes her outward appearance like a mask in a magic show. I can't do that, but I try to enjoy the situation itself."

Ha Yoon-kyung added, "When it comes to socializing, I can't force myself to do it, so I think about how to make the time less wasted. If it's time I have to spend anyway, I should enjoy it to make it less regrettable. Thinking of each moment as a memory helps me naturally show a social side and convey sincerity. I think others sense that too." She further noted, "There are definitely similarities between me and Bok-hee. I'm good at socializing, especially with older people. I don't feel uncomfortable around older adults, which made it easier to portray Bok-hee."

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr