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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows Korean actress Go Min-si. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- "It was my decision to lose weight. While the director emphasized that I needed to look beautiful, I thought it would be good to have a raw, eerie, and animalistic feel, with my spine showing," said Go Min-si.
The recently released Netflix original series "A Forest Where No One Exists" (hereafter "A Forest Where No One Exists") features a star-studded cast, including Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-eun, and Yoon Kye-sang, but the most attention-grabbing performance has been that of Go Min-si, who transformed into a killer.
Go Min-si's portrayal captivated audiences as she first appeared with a mysterious and reserved demeanor, then escalated to frenzied acts of violence. In the latter part of the series, when her crimes are exposed and she is cornered, she delivered a powerful performance, screaming with wild, bulging eyes.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows Korean actress Go Min-si. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
In an interview with reporters on the 26th at a café in Jongno, Seoul, Go Min-si expressed her satisfaction with the positive reception of her performance, stating, "This project allowed me to discover a new side of myself that even I didn’t know existed."
"A Forest Where No One Exists" begins when Yoo Seong-ah (played by Go Min-si) arrives at a pension run by Jeon Young-ha (Kim Yoon-seok) with a young boy. She kills the boy and meticulously cleans up the crime scene before leaving. While Jeon Young-ha suspects Yoo Seong-ah of murder, he decides to forget about it to avoid getting entangled in the horrific incident. However, a year later, Yoo Seong-ah returns to the pension, reigniting Jeon Young-ha's fears. She demands to buy the pension, leading to a tense standoff between them.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows Korean actress Go Min-si in the OTT gaint's original series "The Frog." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Although Go Min-si showcased a range of emotions and action scenes in this work, the most time-consuming aspect was visually portraying the external appearance of her character, Yoo Seong-ah. She explained, "Since I was tasked with looking 'pretty,' I paid a lot of attention to the external aspects. We spent a lot of time filming scenes that captured the beauty of the character from various angles."
This meticulous effort from the production team and actors brought Yoo Seong-ah to life, a character with a mysterious aura, clad in glamorous outfits and heavy makeup. Her appearance matched the unpredictable and unreal personality she portrayed.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows Korean actress Go Min-si in the OTT gaint's original series "The Frog." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Go Min-si revealed that it was her choice to reduce her weight to 43kg for the role. "I lost so much weight that the director even told me I didn’t need to go that far," she said.
In the latter part of the series, Yoo Seong-ah's emotions explode. One particularly striking scene is when she screams "Ahjusshi" repeatedly over the phone with Jeon Young-ha, highlighting her character's deranged mental state. Originally, the line was just a short sentence, "Ahjusshi, when are you coming to the pension?" but Go Min-si turned it into a memorable moment by repeating "Ahjusshi" multiple times.
Go Min-si also drew attention with the intense action scenes in "A Forest Where No One Exists." Some of these scenes were so fierce that they rivaled those of male actors, heightening the tension.
In addition to her recent projects like Netflix's "Sweet Home" Season 3 and "A Forest Where No One Exists," Go Min-si has also gained recognition through her regular appearance on the tvN variety show "Jinny’s Kitchen" Season 2. Reflecting on her recent burst of activities, she said, "I didn’t expect that the results of all my work would be released one after another like this. I wanted to show my hardworking side in the variety show and my vivid portrayal of characters as an actress."
Her commitment has not gone unnoticed, as her diligent work on "Jinny’s Kitchen" has been widely praised. Go Min-si's dedication was evident when she minimized her water intake to avoid taking breaks, even earning applause for her responsible attitude.
When asked which was more challenging between acting and variety shows, she chose the latter. "Jinny’s Kitchen was harder because I couldn’t predict what would happen," she confessed.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows Korean actress Go Min-si. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Since the release of "A Forest Where No One Exists," veteran actress Kim Hye-soo reportedly told Go Min-si, "It seems your time has come, Min-si." However, Go Min-si's success didn’t come overnight. After working as a wedding planner, she moved to Seoul from Daejeon to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, knocking on the doors of countless auditions. "I feel like I was rejected from about a thousand auditions," she recalled.
Her perseverance eventually paid off, leading to standout roles, such as a high school student in "Sweet Home" and a bold, lively character in the film "Smugglers," for which she won Best New Actress at the 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Regarding Kim Hye-soo's comment that her "time has come," Go Min-si humbly responded, "It seems that way because the results of my hard work have all come out at once."
"Times change, and I believe that with the changing times, a more mature period for me will come. I need to keep working hard," she added.
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