SEOUL– Actress Kim Go-eun said Friday her decadelong acting career has been marked by the constant process of facing and overcoming challenges, but simultaneously acting and singing for her first musical film “Hero” was the toughest of them all.
In the upcoming musical adaptation “Hero” about Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910), Kim plays a fictional character Seolhui, Empress Myeongseong’s last court lady who later becomes a secret spy for independent fighters abroad.
The movie depicts the brutal moment in which a group of Japanese assassins stab the empress to death and burn her body in a palace in 1895, when the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) was under Japan’s influence. Actor Chung Sung-hwa co-stars in the movie as the lead protagonist Ahn.
“I cried out so much while filming the burning scene (of the empress), so afterward, I tasted blood in the back of my throat,” Kim said in an online press interview.
Since her memorable debut in film “Eungyo” (2012), the 31-year-old has appeared in popular television series “Cheese in the Trap” (2016), “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (2016) and “The King: Eternal Monarch” (2021). This year, she played the lead characters in TV series “Yumi’s Cells” and “Little Women,” both of which drew favorable reviews from fans and critics alike.
Director Yoon Je-kyoon, a bankable filmmaker behind megahit films “Haeundae” (2009) and “Ode to My Father” (2014), said he had the actress known as a good singer in mind for casting from the beginning.
Kim gladly took the role, but her first rehearsal didn’t go as smoothly as she wished.
“It was a big challenge to sing and act simultaneously,” Kim said. “I always had some fears before starting a new project and tried to overcome such feelings, but this film particularly posed a tough challenge to me.”
As the female character tries to approach Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister and resident-general of Korea who lays the ground for annexing Korea, she disguises as a Japanese geisha and succeeds in getting close to the high-profile target for Korean independence fighters.
To embody the character, Kim had to practice her singing, dancing and Japanese to a level of near perfection and delve into her complex emotions before committing herself to her risky plan.
“I went into a room to practice my singing for at least two hours a day, sometimes half a day when my schedule allowed, to hone my skills,” she said. “As it was the first time for me to learn Japanese, I practiced my lines over and over again.”
“Hero” will hit local theaters on Dec. 21.
Source: Yonhap News Agency