Kdrama 'Graduation' Helped Jung Ryeo-won 'Graduate' From Her Anxieties

연합뉴스 / 2024-07-10 09:11:00

▲ This photo of Korean actress Jung Ryeo-won is provided by Blitzway Studio. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- Unlike typical dramas, the recently concluded tvN drama "Graduation" did not have a separate poster shoot. Two of the three posters were made using still cuts, and the remaining poster, featuring the two lead actors sitting across from each other at a school desk, was taken during a break, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Jung Ryeo-won, in an interview at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul, on the 9th to commemorate the drama's conclusion, shared, "It was a photo we took to post on social media, but it ended up being the poster. I felt like I had succeeded in portraying the romance well," she laughed.

"Graduation," set in Daechi-dong's academy district, showcased the natural chemistry between Jung Ryeo-won and Wi Ha-jun. Jung portrayed Seo Hye-jin, a star lecturer who produced the most perfect scores in Korean at a nearby high school. She emphasized that "Graduation" felt like destiny. "I wrote in my diary on March 13th that I wanted to work with Director Ahn Pan-seok, and on May 12th, I received the script for 'Graduation.' The moment I heard it was his new melodrama, I said, 'Tell them I'll do it right away.' It felt like meeting my first love," she recalled.

▲ This photo of Korean actress Jung Ryeo-won is provided by Blitzway Studio. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Directed by Ahn Pan-seok, known for melodramas like "Something in the Rain," "One Spring Night," and "Secret Love Affair," "Graduation" brought Jung a newfound satisfaction in her acting. "For the first time, I felt content with my acting while working with Director Ahn," she said.

"'Graduation' helped me graduate from my anxieties. It's definitely a lifetime masterpiece," she laughed. "I always wanted the director's approval, but Director Ahn never gave definitive answers. I had to say 'okay' to myself, learning to tell myself 'it's enough.'"

Playing a Korean language teacher, Jung worked hard on her lecture scenes. "I observed classes in Daechi-dong secretly and stayed late at the academy to practice writing on the board until dawn," she said. Despite her efforts, she felt a bit disappointed that not many of these scenes made it into the drama. "I felt like I had sharpened my knife a million times but only used it once," she noted.

Though she decided to join the drama without reading the script, Jung was initially taken aback when the romance didn’t start immediately. "I expected a gentle drizzle from episode 1 to 16, but it felt like a tsunami hit from episode 5," she joked. "When I read the line 'Did you read between the lines?', I screamed out loud. I understood why the main character was a Korean teacher. It was refreshing and exciting to see people who knew how to communicate clearly and directly."

▲ A still photo of romantic series "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon," starring actors Jung Ryeo-won (R) and Wi Ha-joon. Photo courtesy of tvN. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Jung Ryeo-won, who debuted in 2000 with the group Chakra and has appeared in dramas such as "My Lovely Sam-soon," "History of a Salaryman," and "Diary of a Prosecutor," reminisced about her career. "One of my most memorable moments was attending the 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2007 as a Best New Actress nominee. I was so nervous that my hands were shaking, and I had to calm myself in the bathroom by looking in the mirror and saying, 'No one else knows you're nervous. It's okay,'" she remembered.

Now in her 40s, she approaches life with a more relaxed attitude. "I used to fear showing unprofessionalism or making mistakes, but now I tell myself, 'It's okay to make mistakes. So what?' I've never told myself I was enough until the last day of filming 'Graduation.' That’s why it’s my lifetime masterpiece," she laughed.