[Continued from Interview①] Actress Hong Hwa-yeon talked about the subtle love line with Yoon Hyun-soo in ‘Running Mate’.
Hong Hwa-yeon has met the public this year through SBS’s ‘Treasure Island’, ENA’s ‘Your Taste’, and now ‘Running Mate’. After showcasing adult roles, she is now portraying a student in a school uniform. She expressed her pleasant feelings, saying, “I actually filmed ‘Running Mate’ first, but viewers saw ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘Your Taste’ first. After the release of ‘Running Mate’, I was relieved to see comments saying, ‘She looks like a student in a school uniform and is fresh’.”
Having presented three works in the first half of this year, Hong Hwa-yeon has begun to feel a change in her recognition and popularity.
“I’m really grateful that the timing worked out well. I think it’s even better that I was able to show the potential of student roles after showcasing adult acting. There are people who looked for ‘Running Mate’ after watching ‘Treasure Island’ or ‘Your Taste’, so I think it has helped the work a bit, and I’m glad about that.”
Portraying the cute yet annoying top student Jeong-hee, Hong Hwa-yeon depicted the bickering teenage friendship with No Se-hoon (played by Yoon Hyun-soo). After the first part was released, there was a debate among viewers about whether Jeong-hee liked Se-hoon.
“In my opinion, I don’t think Jeong-hee likes Se-hoon. Se-hoon distances himself from Ji-hoon (played by Lee Bong-jun) in the story, and while it’s not to that extent, he shows a closer relationship with Jeong-hee. It’s not a romantic feeling, but I think Jeong-hee, who didn’t have friends, formed a human connection with Se-hoon as a friend.”
In response to Hong Hwa-yeon’s dismissal, Yoon Hyun-soo, who was sitting next to her, made a gesture of disappointment, saying, “If it were No Se-hoon, I think he would have thought, ‘Jeong-hee likes me a bit’ during the scene where they high-five for the first time after the election.” To this, Hong Hwa-yeon replied, “This part is what makes Yoon Hyun-soon and the character (the socially awkward) No Se-hoon similar,” which drew laughter.
After playing the lead role Ye Eun-nam in ‘Treasure Island’ and Chef Jang Young-hye in ‘Your Taste’, Hong Hwa-yeon is expanding her acting spectrum with ‘Running Mate’. How does she want to be remembered by the public as an actress?
“There were people who said they didn’t recognize me as Jeong-hee in ‘Running Mate’, and I really liked that. It means I was able to show a completely different side of myself. Whether it’s a historical drama, playing a student, or a working adult, I want to continue showing new sides of myself and greet the audience with various good roles.” [Continued in Interview③]
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
