Photo Courtesy of: tvN Movies
Korean actors Shim Eun Kyung and Yeo Jin Goo were in town yesterday to promote the launch of the new Korean blockbuster movie channel, tvN Movies. During the press conference, the young stars shared some of the struggles and benefits growing up in the public eye.
22-year-old Shim Eun-Kyung made her acting debut at the age of 9 and has gone on to star in numerous dramas and movies, with ‘Sunny’ and ‘Miss Granny’ that propelled her to fame as one of the highly sought-after actresses in Korea.
The 2014 comedy-drama ‘Miss Granny’ was the first movie that allowed her to shed her child star persona, where she received a lot of praises for her acting capability.
“For ‘Miss Granny’, there was a lot of pressure because it was my first leading role as an adult, and I had to act like an elderly. I had a lot of conversations with the director on how I can perform the role better,” said Shim, explaining that it ‘wasn’t an easy transformation’.
Photo Courtesy of: tvN Movies
“Transiting to an adult was something that I put a lot of effort in, however, I am very thankful that I’ve been given a lot of opportunities to actually transform myself. I’m also thankful for a lot of people, as they know that I am putting a lot of effort to this.”
She added: “I don’t think I received a lot of attention as a child star, but even if I did, I feel it was important (in my growth) and very thankful for it. However, I don’t believe this is everything in my acting life as there are more important stuff to focus on.”
“I totally didn’t expect the show to be this popular and to receive so much love from Korea and the different parts of the world. Three to four years ago, I wouldn’t even expect the film to have remakes, or even imagine to be able to have the opportunity to sit here and be interviewed by reporters,” she shared.
Photo Courtesy of: tvN Movies
For the smiley actor Yeo, many may remember him as the young crown prince in the 2012 drama series ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’ which also starred Kim Soo-Hyun and Han Ga-In. In 2013, Yeo then played his first big-screen leading role as the title character in action thriller Hwayi: A Monster Boy, for which he won Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
For the 19-year-old actor, he is clearly at ease with the attention. “I enjoy the limelight, I started out really young, and then people started recognising me on the streets. It was not a bad feeling,” he shared.
“A lot of people in Korea do think that I look older than I am, so I would say that kind of helped me. I am going to try harder and work harder to meet their expectations.”
At the press conference, Yeo mentioned that he never expected himself to be an actor, and wouldn’t call it a ‘dream’ of his. Nevertheless, he shared that he ‘never regretted’ his acting path.
“There was never a time when I regretted acting. Perhaps it’s also because I am a very optimistic person, and so in the future too, I don’t think I will regret going this path.”
tvN Movies screens 'Miss Granny' and 'Hwayi: A Monster Boy'
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