(Yonhap Interview) Actress Ok Ja-yeon successfully depicts character development in 'Mine'

연합뉴스 / 2021-06-28 06:00:41

▲ Actress Ok Ja-yeon, who starred in the local cable channel tvN's just-ended drama "Mine," poses for a photo prior to an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on June 28, 2021. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- From being a host of evil spirits in the fantasy drama series "The Uncanny Counter" to a woman full of maternal love in tvN's recently ended weekend drama "Mine," actress Ok Ja-yeon never fails to perfectly fulfill her role.

In the women-centric drama "Mine" on tvN, actress Ok Ja-yeon (33) plays Lee Hye-jin, who enters into the Hyowon Family--a conglomerate owner family--as a private tutor for the chairman's grandson Han Ha-joon, who is actually her biological son.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Ok said, "This work is likely to be a big turning point for me as I was able to act as one of the main roles in this drama."

"I've never played such a big part before, so at first I was left dazed about the role I was given. However, as time went by, I started to feel more pressured. Actress Lee Bo-young told me we had no choice but to endure this responsibility. Taking Lee's words into consideration, I really tried my best during every scene."

From expressing the desire to regain a child and a man as well as the feeling of guilt and betrayal of losing a child, Ok displays a wide range of emotions in "Mine." However, the actress revealed she wasn't able to show her full potential, "I wanted to apologize to the audience for not being able to communicate various emotions during the drama series."

"Hye-jin was hurt at a young age that she wasn't able to mentally mature as an adult. Some people who have suffered in the past tend to justify their actions when they too, hurt others. However, Hye-jin didn't run away; instead, she asked for forgiveness and tried to grow as a better person. While I was acting as Hye-jin, I wanted to show the progress of how a person can overcome their pain and develop into a bigger person."

Ok added, "While Seo Hee-soo (Lee Bo-young) and Jung Seo-hyeon (Kim Seo-hyung) have found their respective authentic identities or 'mine', the most important state for Hye-jin is to be with her son Ha-joon. I'm sure Hye-jin will be finding her identity in the future."

The actress didn't forget to thank her senior co-stars who were also the leading roles of "Mine." "It was difficult to act at first because they were top actresses, but I was so grateful when they made me feel comfortable. I've learned how to quickly focus on the characters from Lee Bo-young while also learning to constantly build my character from Kim Seo-hyung."

As for actor Lee Hyun-wook, who played Han Ji-yong, Ok said, "Lee knew all the worries I was going to experience," adding, "I relied on him a lot as Lee continued to advise me and give realistic feedback."

Ok Ja-yeon began to draw the public's attention with the movie "The Snob" in 2019, and progressively left a strong impression with her roles in the movie "Ashfall" (2019) and drama "The Uncanny Counter" (2020).

"I've play a lot of roles that give strong first impressions because of my appearance," Ok said. " I'm not too worried about what my next work is going to be. I have shown various sides of myself as an actress in different works so if I qualify for a certain character in future films or dramas, I'm ready to fulfill that role."

Ok chose the role of a genius if she had to pick a part she wanted to challenge.

"I want to play a genius who lacks in social skills but is extremely smart such as hackers, mathematicians, or linguists. I don't know why but most of these roles were acted out by male actors. I think it'll be fun to try it out. I want to star in a very realistic melodrama as well."

Ok, who debuted by starring in plays and has been acting for 10 years now, explained, "At first, I started acting due to my immaturity and ambitious spirit, but now I feel like I can continue to act because I'm most happy when I can forget about myself and completely immerse in my character."

"It is actually impossible for us to 100 percent relate with others. The experience of actually getting to understand a character very closely is charming to me. I still have a lot of room for improvement, but I want to become an actress who doesn't merely "act" but someone who actually understands the character in-depth."

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