[Sportschosun Ahn So-yoon] Actress Gong Hyo-jin, 46, found a bond through the film 'The Journey to Gyeongju' that felt as special as a real family.
Released on the 26th, 'The Journey to Gyeongju' is a family revenge drama about four mothers and daughters who set out on a journey of death after an eight-year wait for their youngest daughter, Gyeongju, who never returned from a school trip. It is director Kim Mi-Jo's first commercial film, following her debut feature 'Gull,' which earned praise for its solid direction at major film festivals in Korea and abroad. Gong Hyo-jin transformed into Jangju, the eldest daughter who always obeys her mother.
Gong Hyo-jin once again played a mother-daughter relationship with Lee Jung-eun in 'The Journey to Gyeongju,' following 'When the Camellia Blooms.' With Park So-dam and Lee Yeon, she showed convincing sisterly chemistry that resonated with audiences. In a recent interview with Sportschosun, Gong said, "When you go on location to a specific region, you naturally become close. We wake up, eat together in the morning, and rest together too. It rained often, so we spent a lot of time gathering and hanging out. I think the reason we became this comfortable and close is that people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s all came together. Because we were in different age groups, we couldn't really fight. (Laughs) When we were all together, we mostly talked about the project."
Earlier, Lee Yeon even shed tears in an interview with reporters while reflecting on her acting career. Gong Hyo-jin joked, "Today, Jung-eun's mom saw the article about Yeon crying and said, 'I'm jealous of Yeon's hot tears.' I said, 'What's wrong with her?' and So-dam said, 'She cries more than I do.' (Laughs) She says she didn't cry that hard, but I guess she must have felt lonely as an only child." She continued, "Yeon is very neat and tidy. When she texts me, 'Senior, I'm in Itaewon,' I reply, 'Okay, have fun and go home safely.' Then she sends back, 'Yes~' (Laughs) So-dam is an MBTI J, or judging type. She struggles when plans change. Except for So-dam, the rest of us are all P, or perceiving types, so we live without much planning. Not long after filming 'The Journey to Gyeongju' ended, we missed each other so much that we even made plans to travel together. But Jung-eun's schedule was too packed. So we all went to Sacheon, where she was filming 'My Daughter Is a Zombie.' I also wanted to keep a record of it, so I filmed it for my YouTube channel. We visited the set of 'My Daughter Is a Zombie' and met Jo Jung-suk and Jo Yeo-jeong too. They are all friends we overlap with, aren't they? Jung-suk even bought a lot of sashimi, but he couldn't make it to the VIP screening this time. Then he told me to appear on his YouTube channel. So I said, 'Don't use me again.' (Laughs) Even so, Jung-suk is like an angel. He is exactly as people see him."
She also praised director Kim Mi-Jo, with whom she worked for the first time. Gong said, "The director's passion was incredible. We had done post-recording, but she called me back and asked if there was anything else left, then told me to say 'Mom!' one more time. So I said, 'Mom might be somewhere over there.' I had faith that, thanks to the director, a great film would be completed." She added, "I watched the film twice. The first time, I tried to look at it critically. The second time, I felt something more emotional. During filming, it rained a lot and we were pressed for time, but the director would look at the rain and say she was boiling inside. We kept reassuring her that everything was fine. Since Lee Kyung-mi, I've never seen this kind of passion from a female director."
After releasing 'The Journey to Gyeongju,' Gong Hyo-jin is also winning viewers' hearts with the currently airing MBC drama 'Married Woman Killer.' She said, "In the past, when a project was loved, I would sometimes get carried away. Even when 'When the Camellia Blooms' was doing well, I can't remember how I handled the stage greetings for 'Crazy Romance.' I was so busy filming the drama that I only later realized it had drawn 3 million viewers. I know very well what it feels like when a drama and a film both do well at the same time. These days, both the movie and the drama are getting a lot of attention, so it feels unreal. Ratings can plateau or drop, so I try not to get too excited. Since the present can be the happiest moment, I just want to enjoy it."
She also spoke about her family's reaction, including her husband Kevin Oh. Gong said, "After I started working in society, I was the special daughter in my family, but in my in-laws' home, I was just an ordinary daughter-in-law." She added, "Now I want to become an ordinary daughter to my mom and dad too. 'Married Woman Killer' posted good ratings through episode 4, and my husband and my in-laws in the United States congratulated me. It felt like the joy doubled. My parents may have experienced this kind of feeling before, but my in-laws may be experiencing it for the first time. They are sharing this happiness with me, so it feels even more abundant. I truly hope the ratings stay strong until the end."
Ahn So-yoon, antahn22@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
