[Interview] Kim Hee-sun, "'Tomorrow' Is the First Drama I Chose Without Thinking About the Results"

MBC's Friday-Saturday drama "Tomorrow" (directed by Kim Tae-yoon and Sung Chi-wook, scripted by Park Ran-I, Park Ja-kyung and Kim Yoo-jin-VI), which ended on the 21st, is an underworld office human fantasy drama where the grim reaper who guides 'the Dead' saves 'people who want to die'. The webtoon-based drama was well received for its high synchronization rate between the actors and characters, episodes using various materials, and solid story development.

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Although the ratings were slightly low in the 2-3% range (Nielsen Korea, nationwide standard) due to competition, high-quality works formed enthusiasts and achieved more than that.

Kim Hee-sun played the role of Goo Ryeon, 'a grim reaper who saves people' in "Tomorrow". Goo Ryeon warmly embraces those who have made extreme choices as the team leader of the crisis management team who gives opportunities to those who commit suicide. Kim Hee-sun perfectly learned the dense narrative of the complex character, Goo Ryeon, and expressed it in her own color. From deep acting to loveliness and comedy, she did as she pleased. Viewers were sometimes sympathetic and sometimes comforted by Kim Hee-sun's acting.

"Tomorrow" is also a special work for actress Kim Hee-sun. One year, she was heartbroken when she heard an article that said there were many people who made extreme choices, and she was offered to appear in "Tomorrow" and agreed with the message of the work and decided to appear. This drama is Kim Hee-sun's first choice without thinking about the outcome. She wanted to give courage and comfort to many people like this. Her sincerity reached viewers, and a good response followed after the broadcast. Kim Hee-sun said she was touched by the comments, and that she also grew a lot through "Tomorrow".

The following is an interview with actress Kim Hee-sun from "Tomorrow".

- "Tomorrow" is over. How do you feel?

▶ "Tomorrow" is a story I wanted to tell someone. Just looking around us, there are many friends who are having a hard time because of this and that. I thought it would be nice to have a drama to comfort them. Luckily, I played in "Tomorrow". Obviously, it may be a little different from the work I've done so far. I wanted to talk about a problem that we could think about at least once in our lives, and it seems that such meaning has been conveyed well through "Tomorrow".

-How did you appear to end up with this work?

▶ Unfortunately, Korea has the highest suicide mortality rate among OECD countries. I saw an article that more than 13,000 people made extreme choices in 2019, and it was so heartbreaking. So I thought I should do this drama. This is the first work I chose without thinking about the results. I didn't think I'd regret any results. It was a work that I had no choice but to choose because I thought it was the right thing to do it when I could if I could play a role that was a little encouraging and comforting.

-What is the message you wished to convey through "Tomorrow"?

▶ The importance of life. I also wanted to convey warm messages and courage to people in need. I think I also learned how to look around, sympathize with pain, and comfort sadness while watching "Tomorrow" after filming. It's a drama that's grown a lot for me, too.

-Is there a memorable episode for you from the drama?

▶ In the sixth episode Goo Ryeon says, "Because you protected the country", is the most memorable in the scene where she expresses her gratitude and consolation to Yeong-cheon. We were able to enjoy everything at the expense of precious people such as Yeong-cheon. At the same time, I thought that I should keep remembering and not forgetting my gratitude for them that I had forgotten for a while, and at the same time, I made myself reflect.

-What did you do to make Goo Ryeon stand out from the webtoon original?

▶ I did my best not to differ from the original character, but rather to synchronize with the webtoon. I thought it was basic. The story of the character, Goo Ryeon, is very different from the original story, but I thought that the pain and wounds she has would not be much different. If I hastily tried to change the character with this narrative, I thought that she'd be a different person in the current situation. Therefore, I tried to be her and tried to make her like me. I tried to make both the mindset and the external part like Goo Ryeon. Of course, it wasn't easy. I thought synchronizing with the original was the most basic thing to do so I tried to look as similar as possible through hair, costumes, and speech. The pink hair stood out the most, but I went on a diet to synchronize with the original. I wore a lot of colorful clothes when I was acting in the present Goo Ryeon, but I thought that Goo Ryeon only wore the Hanbok in her previous life, so when she became the grim reaper, she held back her sorrow with colorful costumes and shoes. So I used what I had to wear clothes similar to the webtoon or bought them separately.

-You drew attention with your pink hair and your beauty

▶ This hairstyle was created by repeating color dyeing and hair manicure once every four days. Now my hair is so damaged that it's snapping. I think I'll have a hard time for a while. However, I tried to be faithful to express my convulsions, and fortunately, people around me said that pink hair and red eyeshadow look better than I thought. Thank you so much to the staff who worked so hard. I'm lazy by nature (laughs). It's really hard to manage my appearance, but I try not to get stressed out, and I try to eat what I want to eat, but I try to eat as healthy as possible. I try to drink as much water when I have time. In particular, I focus on moisturizing my skin, and I also used a face pack made by myself. For example, I have made a natural pack using brown sugar, honey, and readily available vegetables. In addition, I rarely exercise, but in this work, there are many actions and outdoor scenes during filming, so I tried to exercise even a little bit in between filming. It's a work that made me do a lot of new things that I didn't do before.

-How was working with Rowoon, Lee Soo-hyuk and Yun Ji-on?

▶ Rowoon is young but mature. He is so mature and good that I can't feel the age difference. Lee Soo-hyuk seems chic, but he is very delicate and caring. He is a good friend who takes good care of his surroundings. Yun Ji-on is very faithful to her work. She is a good junior who is diligent and good at self-management. All three are juniors, but I have a lot to learn from them. Not only the three mentioned, but also all the staff, actors, and seniors helped me enjoy my work. That's why I think it was a more meaningful work. Thank you all and I hope to see you again in the next work.

-How was the reaction toward the drama from the people around you? Is there a memorable comment?

▶ I was encouraged and grateful that my family and friends around me told me that the drama was so good. Especially, it was rewarding because my daughter enjoyed watching it. A memorable comment was, "If only one person is comforted and encouraged by tomorrow, I think this drama is a success. That one person is me". This comment was really touching. It was the reason why I did this drama. It's a thankful and grateful thing.