[Interview] Ku Hye Sun – Cosmopolitan Nov 2011

This is what Ku Hye Sun said. Is this the expression when a dream is achieved in reality? Even when people barely achieves one of their dreams, Ku Hye Sun readily/easily achieves them in a bundle. ??????????? she starts talking about a different dream.

I’m enjoying watching ‘The Musical’. How does it feel like to be acting again after a long time? Actually, before this, I filmed a drama in Taiwan. But it has been a long time since I’ve been in a korean drama. Firstly, my parents seems to enjoy it more than me. My parents felt it’s a pity that I haven’t appeared much after ‘Boys Over Flowers’. Currently, they still find it fascinating to see me appear on television and like it very much. ‘The Musical’ seems to be a drama to showcase your many talents, such as singing, acting, dancing and your cheerful personality. I heard that it enables you to evenly display your strengths. Is that the underlying reason why you chose this project? Haha. It’s not so. Actually, up til ‘Boys Over Flowers’, there were many times that I took on projects becoz people advised me to, and there were not many times when I’ve decided on a project on my own. Therefore, there were times when I’ve been wearing inappropriate clothing (is she saying this figuratively? then it may mean the projects did not fit her real self). However, this time, I chose the project on my own. Recently makjang dramas are more popular, instead, I wanted to be in a project that is able to give hope and dreams. This bright message of hope can be found in ‘The Musical’. That’s why I’m drawn to it. Since the drama is about musicals, there are be a lot of scenes where you have to sing. I find that you sound like a professional, did you personally sing it? Yes. The bulk of it was sung live. Amongst all the scenes, only around 2 of them were recorded (post-recording). I was very nervous so I asked the director for permission to drink a few cups of 복분자 wine before I sang. However, when the scene later went through editing, it was too obvious that I had drunk alcohol (when she sang) so it wouldn’t do. Therefore, I had to record the singing part again. Since it’s the first time you’re involved in a musical, aren’t there any difficulties? It’s not really a musical but a drama, so the burden wasn’t that great. Moreover, Go Eun Bi isn’t a naturally gifted singer. It’s only Choi Daniel who says ‘no, there’s a possibility for her’ and believes in her which is fortunate for her. However, that said, it was still difficult. Since I’ve not been a singer, I feel lacking in that aspect. Choi Daniel used a stand-in for the piano playing scenes, right? Hahaha. Yes but he worked extremely hard. He could play some parts himself so he practiced very hard before coming. His fingers are really pretty. During the first half of the drama, Go Eun Bi said “I feel as if I’m struck by lightning when I sing and dance.” When I heard that line, I felt that it was you saying it from the bottom of your heart. Have you ever felt that way when you are working? All things considered, it seems like I feel that way when I’m making a movie as a director. I came to be an actress at a certain time by luck and have led a comfortable life since then, however I still have the feeling of an unquenched thirst when I’m acting. Therefore when I get to rest I would make my music and draw. As I continued that way, I started to have a vague notion of wanting to make a movie and eventually dashed for it. During that time, I felt as if I was struck by a thunderbolt for the very first time. Acting and directing are all interesting careers, but the most 나다울 때 (?) for me is when I’m directing. The actress Ku Hye Sun on TV is always firm and genuine and won’t succumb when facing difficulties. The Ku Hye Sun we see outside dramas is an author, director and writes her music, giving off a serious/earnest as well as an artsy feeling. Which side do you find yourself leaning more towards actually? I don’t know. I used to say ‘that’s how I am’ last time, however recently, I can’t define it. It seems to change according to the days. I seem to have both sides to me. You shyly mentioned that you’ll be launching your dreams when you had an interview with Cosmopolitan two years ago. Don’t you think you’ve achieved this dream in such a short span of time. You’ve directed the movie ‘Magic’ and then ‘Peach Tree’ and the latter was also amongst the 상영작 list in BIFF this year. How does it feel like to have actually achieved your dream? Haha. Seems to be that way. During that time, the dream of being a movie director seems so far away. however, it has already become a reality. However, I’ve adapted to it a lot. When I’m at the film site, I feel like one of the staff. After achieving one’s dream, it’s still possible that one finds it not as fulfilling as anticipated, just like after achieving something, it doesn’t feel like much, or it is not the right path for me. Of course, one does not always feel happy all the time. Making movies is not an easy career. When on the filming location, there were many times that I thought ‘it’s lonely, I feel solitary.’ When I’m filming a movie, I almost don’t get to eat (???) and feel very tired. On the other hand, sometimes I think I’m doing it to be able to taste the stress. Although it seems somewhat abnormal, I’ve gotten used to it, so I enjoy that feeling. I’ve heard rumors that you’re very easy-going and free in the filming location, to the extent that people start questioning if you’re an actress. That’s really true. I even wear the same clothes every time. Well, it’s because you’re pretty even if you keep wearing the same thing. Isn’t that a sign of your confidence? Ah-woo, of course not. At the film site, I’m the one who’s the most shabbily dressed. It was too serious that one day a staff approached me and asked me why I don’t change my clothes and pleaded me to change it. I replied saying it’s going to get dirty anyway so why change. The person replied since it’s getting dirty anyway then why wash it. haha. I don’t dress-up at all at the film site.

Isn’t that because you’re totally immersed in the movie? haha. are you satisfied with ‘Peach Tree’ after all the hard work? Yes, for me, I’ve done everything I wanted to do my way. At first I try to say it indirectly. The one in red is good, the one in blue is good, but to say it directly, it would be ‘please use the reddish one’. So the staff responded asking ‘how do you want it done?’ since they are confused. So now i’d say clearly “No, please use the red one.” When I feel bad, I’ll frankly say that I feel bad. I quite often argue with the staff when filming the movie. I think I become closer with the male staff after fighting together. I’ve heard people say that ‘Magic’ was a hard movie to understand, that they’re left with a question mark after watching the movie. How is it with ‘Peach Tree’? There are parts where I myself felt it was difficult for me (to understand) up til now (referring to ‘Magic’). However, this time, I tried to make it easy (to understand). My thoughts have changed. Although it’s important to show what I want to through a movie, it’s also important to communicate with the audience. Therefore if I had been putting a dot in a circle and declaring it a flower before this, now I try to show it with a close resemblance of a flower. You have quite a cast. How did you enlist these seasoned actors? Ah, this is the first time I’ve managed to cast all the actors in a row. Actually I worked on the music before writing the scenario for ‘Peach Tree’. So I went to look for the actors along with my movie scenario and the music for ‘Peach Tree’. I’m very grateful that all 3 of them agreed to join in the project. Jo Seung Woo, Ryu Deok Hwan and Nam Sang Mi agreed according to this order. Are you satisfied with their acting? Did you ever think ‘ah, it would be better if I acted myself’? Or-woo, never did that cross my mind. There were many parts that the actors themselves completed/brought more perfection to it compared to what I did. Although I’m not sure about other parts, but I never ‘touched’ (interfered with) the acting but said “Just do it the way you think most fitting”. Then what are the aspects you ‘touched’ on the most? Everything except acting. hahaha. I would say things like ‘that won’t do’, ‘remove that’, looking into very fine details. In particular, when it came to the music, I almost tried to do it totally the way I want it. Out of the 10 songs in the Peach Tree OST, I wrote 8 of them so that it will mirror the feelings I want to express. As for the part concerning arts, I approached the props team and provided my direction in each aspect. Be it as a writer or a director, as the list of projects one produces increases, the content of the stories also increases in variety. However, there is oftentimes a subject matter that appears repeatedly and transpire across one’s various projects. Such a thing could have happened intentionally or unintentionally. I’ve discovered the same thing in your projects. You dealt with death in ‘Cheerful Caretaker’, ‘Magic’ and also in your novel ‘Tango’. Is there a particular reason for that? Ah, now that you mentioned it, it seems that way. It also happened in ‘Peach Tree’. So there wasn’t any particular reason for it? You’re right. It wasn’t my intention. I don’t really know. Why did it happen this way? It makes me wonder (???). If death wasn’t included, it seems like I couldn’t come to a conclusion about their lives. When the person dies, then I think life really ends. Why is it that when a korean drama ends with a marriage, people label it officially as a happy ending when no one knows for sure whether the person lived happily after the marriage. So in order to declare an end to it by putting the symbol of a ‘period’, I broached on death. I didn’t deal with the subject because I was particularly interested about ‘death’ itself. However, I think that death amplifies the effect and brings the message across the best. There are also parts that you wouldn’t realize unless the person dies.

In the movie ‘Magic’ there was this line directed to the person who worked really hard but wasn’t born a gifted cellist, ‘Do you think you’d be able to achieve all that you want? There are people who don’t make it no matter how dilligent they are.’ Listening to the lines, a corner of my heart sinks with it and yet I also have to admit that that’s true. I think one has to have the talent in order to be successful. Which one do you think you more closely resemble, a prodigy or a hard-worker? Haha. I don’t know. I don’t think I especially have any talent and I don’t work hard either. Compared to that, I’m just ‘crazy’ for a little while. Only a while. I don’t know how to say it, but when that idea pops up, I just keep on working on it. When I think I have to go somewhere, then I go. Isn’t that what happens to geniuses? It’s not like that ‘flash’ that happens to geniuses, it’s just that I always have to do what rises in my mind. However, that ‘flashing’ moment doesn’t just happen to anyone. You’re not just working in one or two areas, but you’re covering movies, song-writing, arts, acting and writing novels, it’s truly unbelievable. What is the driving force behind such tremendous energy? I think during the times when I’m melancholic and sad, the inspiration arises, just like how wounds become a source of energy. One can’t concentrate when one’s dating or living happily and silently in a sea of people, isn’t it. However, when I am broken-hearted and experiencing hardship, I write well and more creative ideas pop up. As a female, I find you cool when I see you achieving so many things at a young age. Although you’ve achieved a lot compared to others, right now at this moment, I believe you must have some other dream. What is your next dream? Erm, to experience true(genuine) love? It’s an answer I did not expect. I thought you’d mention something about movies or arts! Not long ago someone asked me, “why are you doing movies?’,'why are you born?’. That was the first time I thought about it. I wonder why was I making movies? and why was I born? I arrived at the conclusion that it is because I want to love, because I want to know what love is. Since I was young, I live receiving love and I only give love in measures (meaning out totally). However now, I really want to experience a true love where I give unconditionally. It doesn’t have to be just the relationship between me and a guy, that type of love can be in various forms. When I really know what true love is, wouldn’t the fears dissipate? Even though I’m experiencing it now, there may be things I still don’t know about (???). Seeing that you mention it, I’m really curious as to who your ideal man is. A regular guy probably wouldn’t do. I think only someone who is perfect and multi-talented like you can capture your heart. Haha. it’s not like that. There’s the moment when you just fall for the person, when you see a genuine side of the guy. There are times when you get to see the embarrassed or grateful side of the person when you don’t expect it to be so. Hor. I didn’t expect that either. The smart you with a naive guy, the picture doesn’t match (??). Although I said it that way, I wasn’t referring to someone who acts like a fool or is like a moron. haha. (I don’t understand the next part–??) I am not referring to that type of foolish person, but someone who has distinct views (strong opinion) but may crumble in a split second. Is there an character in a drama or movie that closely resembles your ideal? Ah, it’s a guy who’s like Kim Myung Min-sshi in the drama ‘Beethoven Virus’. He seems so perfect and is also obstinate. However when his puppy ‘Thoven’ falls sick, he simply crumbles. Although he seems perfect and without a single crack, but when faced with love he simply collapses. If I can meet such a person and fall in love, then I will be able to live happily forever, wouldn’t i? Source: Cosmopolitan Translation: webby @ soompi Share This