Familiar yet new, and when you get to know her, she’s truly bad, the ultimate villain. This refers to the obstetrics and gynecology fellow Myung Eun-won (Kim Hye-in) in the tvN weekend drama ‘Someday, a Wise Resident Life’ (hereafter ‘Unsl Jeon’). If she was a mild fox in the previous work ‘Hospital Playlist’ (hereafter ‘Sluiseang’), this time she evolves into a spicy villain, constantly grabbing the viewers' attention.
Passing off work to juniors is basic, and her specialty is clever lies. Not only does she bully the female lead Oh Yi-young (Go Yoon-jung), but she also steals a paper co-written with the male lead Koo Do-won (Jung Jun-won). Even though she crosses the line every episode, the ratings are soaring, making her the key contributor to the early excitement of ‘Unsl Jeon’.
“I acted more shamelessly to bring out the triple personality.” Actress Kim Hye-in (32) vividly and deliciously portrayed such a Myung Eun-won. Thanks to her anger-inducing villain performance, the charm of the bright residents shines even more. Viewer immersion is skyrocketing. And behind this passionate performance lies the actress's fierce contemplation and a burning will, prepared for negative comments.
Q. You participated in the spin-off ‘Unsl Jeon’ following ‘Sluiseang’. What did you discuss with the production team?
A. I’m really grateful and excited to be part of ‘Unsl Jeon’ after such a special work as ‘Sluiseang’. (Laughs) Before deciding to participate, I discussed with the production team about how to portray Myung Eun-won. While she was a ‘mild fox’ in ‘Sluiseang’, this time we talked about showing her as a more evolved ‘spicy villain’. We even set a goal of ‘Let’s get more hate this time!’ Thanks to that, I think I felt more fun and energy than pressure while acting.
Q. As you aimed, Myung Eun-won’s performance in ‘Unsl Jeon’ is remarkable. Do you feel the hot reactions? Any memorable comments?
A. I didn’t expect such a big reaction. (Laughs) That’s why I feel even more grateful. A memorable reaction? The comment ‘Myung Eun-won was Myung Eun-won’ sticks in my mind the most. I also saw reactions like ‘I don’t want to see her when Myung Eun-won appears’… At first, it hurt a little, but I thought it meant that viewers were really immersed in the character, so I quickly felt okay. Rather, I felt more grateful. Thanks to all those reactions, I think the character Eun-won has come to life even more.
Q. Since there are so many kind characters, Eun-won seems particularly more of a ‘villain’. What was it like when you read the script?
A. When I read the script, just looking at Eun-won’s parts, it felt like she was going to quiet places and detonating bombs everywhere. Watching it on air, I found that the other characters were much kinder and purer than I thought, making Eun-won’s actions stand out even more. Also, the director gave Eun-won her own theme music, and the editing really highlighted her annoying charm, which I think made viewers feel even more anger.
Q. How did you interpret Myung Eun-won? Were there any key points you focused on in expressing the character?
A. In ‘Sluiseang’, I thought, ‘A fox doesn’t know she’s a fox’, and I tried to portray Myung Eun-won as someone who believes she is a good person. However, in ‘Unsl Jeon’, Eun-won’s evil deeds and fox-like behavior are much more overt, to the point where she can no longer deny it herself. As she moves to Jongno Yulje-ro and her goal of wanting to become a professor becomes clear, I thought it was necessary to show her by any means necessary. So I intentionally acted each line more shamelessly, confidently, and annoyingly.
I interpreted Myung Eun-won as a person whose face completely changes depending on the situation. In front of juniors, she is the worst senior, in front of professors, she is sycophantic to the point of being servile, and in front of patients, she is surprisingly kind and professional. I tried to show that triple personality as realistically as possible. I also focused a lot on the keyword ‘the banality of evil’. I wanted to portray her as a character that anyone might have seen in real life, not overly exaggerated. That’s why I felt the most proud when I saw comments like ‘There’s definitely someone like this around’.
Q. This time, you worked with many young and popular actors. I’m particularly curious about your chemistry with Go Yoon-jung, who was initially the target of bullying.
A. In ‘Hospital Playlist’, the seniors were so experienced that there was a very solid and stable energy on set. Thanks to that, I learned a lot as a junior and was able to keep up. On the other hand, in ‘Unsl Jeon’, since there are many peers, the atmosphere was much more relaxed and filled with positive energy. We were able to comfortably joke around and laugh, which helped us act naturally and relieve tension.
I was worried because there are many scenes where Eun-won puts Yi-young in a difficult position, but actress Yoon-jung was so cool and easygoing that I was able to act without worry. I’m really grateful that we could naturally sync on set.
Q. The scenes with actress Lee Bong-ryun, who is called a witch but is not at all, also became a hot topic. How was your chemistry with Lee Bong-ryun?
A. Senior Bong-ryun is really warm and cheerful. The cider scene with Myung Eun-won in episode 2 was my first filming day, and it was also the first time I was working with her, so I was really nervous. However, she made the set so comfortable that I think I was able to act naturally thanks to her. It was an honor to act together, and it was a great learning experience for me. I have very fond memories of her always taking care of me warmly on set.
After the cider scene with Myung Eun-won aired, there were really many reactions, and I looked up all the comments. Everyone was cursing refreshingly, which made me feel proud. (Laughs) Eun-won has to be cursed like that to be a successful character.
Q. What is the synchronization rate between Myung Eun-won and your real self? (Sorry ㅎㅎ)
A. Um... about 10%? (Laughs) I think I resemble her a bit in terms of speech and calmness, but honestly, when I see Eun-won’s actions, I wonder if there’s really someone like that in reality. So I hope my synchronization rate is 0%. If there were a senior like Myung Eun-won in real life, I think I would have immediately considered changing jobs. (Laughs)
In my daily life, I actually prefer to share and grow with others. While reading the script, I found myself increasingly disliking Eun-won, making it hard to get attached to her. So if there are people who have struggled because of someone like Eun-won in real life, I want to apologize on behalf of her.
Q. Have you ever met a fox or villain colleague in real life?
A. I have. There were definitely memorable moments. However, looking back over time, I think those people had their own reasons and situations. Those experiences have rather become nourishment for me in portraying the character Myung Eun-won.
Q. Since the previous work received such a good response, opinions were divided after the release of ‘Unsl Jeon’. What is your personal satisfaction and impression of the work?
A. I believe ‘Unsl Jeon’ has its own charm. It tells a different story from the previous work, and while ‘Sluiseang’ was already a completed Avengers, ‘Unsl Jeon’ feels like a story of rookie characters growing while bumping into each other, which resonated with me a lot, and I was comforted by the characters’ growth. Personally, I am satisfied and it has been a very educational experience.
Q. What are the viewing points that Myung Eun-won introduces for the upcoming ‘Unsl Jeon’?
A. Despite having a bad person like Eun-won, even when difficult situations arise, it seems that the growth stories of each of the ‘Eung-ae’ characters who are steadfastly growing will be the viewing point.
Q. What would you like to say to Myung Eun-won?
A. In the last interview for ‘Sluiseang’, I told her to stop being a fox and help Min-ha a lot, but she got worse… It’s a bit cautious, but (laughs) I want to say, ‘Eun-won! You’re the only one who doesn’t know, everyone knows your evil deeds, so stop!! Let’s live kindly like Koo Do-won!’
Q. I’m curious about your future activity plans.
A. I want to greet you through various characters. There are still many aspects I want to show, so I will continue to strive to present new sides of myself. I want to be an actress who can incorporate slightly different colors into each work. I would appreciate it if you continue to look forward to it.
The tvN weekend drama ‘Unsl Jeon’ airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM.
