Kang Hye Jung 강혜정

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Harper's Bazaar article

Movieweek article part 1+part 2+part 3

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[iNTERVIEW] Kang Hye-jung

10Asia (Korean) | <Part 1> <Part 2> (English)

2009.12.17

Kang Hye-jung is beautiful. Her round eyes and exotic smile set well with her small face to make her look like a young girl. But however frail she may look on the outside, the characters she has taken on are far from being weak and fragile. She will become a woman with a horrible fate or an idiot who does not know anything rather than play the role of a dainty Cinderella or feeble Snow White. That is why it seems a bit strange that she has become a neither shrewd nor stupid but average 29-year-old single woman named Song-i in film "Girlfriends" but we cannot reject her choice simply because it is outside our expectations. Without doubt she was once an actress who reigned in a sphere of acting which could not be substituted by any other and gained much attention for it. There is no reason she cannot go back to that realm because she has taken a few steps away from it. She is still unlike any other. That is why she is beautiful.

10: From the start of your film "Girlfriends", your character Song-i blames her age of 29 as the cause of her problems. You're at a similar age -- do you sympathize with her?

Kang Hye-jung (Kang): Not on a personal level but I've heard about it a lot from people around me. It's not exactly as it happened in the movie but I had many friends who thought of getting married because they didn't like their work or the situation they were in. As for me, I'm married and have a child so I can't sympathize with it entirely but I do understand where they're coming from.

10: But even without marriage, isn't 30 the age where you look back on your life? It's when you truly become independent.

Kang: I think I felt that more when I was 29 because I became independent when I was 20. I left my house without a penny in my pocket, roaming my friends' houses and finally got a place of my own after making money. Back then, I felt like I was rich just from the fact that I got my own space. I think turning 30 won't be anything special or strange for me, just like it wasn't when I turned 29 from 28.

10: You basically matured before everyone else. One's experiences are an asset for an actor, isn't it?

Kang: I do think I also experienced a lot of things that I shouldn't have had to. Although I think that is why I was able to take on such roles in my early 20s.

10: That's why when we think of your filmography from your early 20s, it's quite surprising that you decided to take on a romantic comedy like "Girlfriends". Is there something you wanted to achieve within the genre?

Kang: I wasn't thinking about giving a serious meaning to my role with a certain philosophy about it. This is a film which you just laugh over while watching and think about what to do next when you come out of the theaters.

10: Well the overall atmosphere is like that but Song-i isn't quite the loveable character the whole way through.

Kang: I do think my character came to take on a more nervous temperament because I played the role. She was just a very cute, slightly outrageous and lively character according to the original script but turned into a slightly hysteric and snappy person. I guess I'm sort of like that -- I'm not disgruntled with everything that goes on but I'm the type that will say things in a nice way. (laugh)

10: You are someone who always left your mark on the films you worked on. But it's actually become difficult to tell where you are trying to go with your more recent films.

Kang: I think it's almost impossible for an actor in Korea to pursue their career according to their own plans. The movie industry isn't large enough so we're making our decisions based on a limited number of scripts and I myself too, cannot stray from the system. I went for the roles I really wanted to up till "My Home" but I wanted to feel more at ease when I chose this film. All the characters I took on in the past had some sort of a grief within them and they would either ignore it or let it blow up. Some were starting to say I'd become used to playing a certain type of character while others said I'm still choosing to take on the more difficult and strong-minded roles.

10: I think it may be an issue of ambiguity rather than how forceful the characters you play are. The roles you used to take on were characters that could not be understood until the viewers saw the film to see how you portrayed them but nowadays, it seems you are rather placing yourself within set boundaries. It sort of feels like the sphere you had created as an actress is shrinking.

Kang: The characters I played didn't stand out that much so there were many times when that responsibility came back to me.

10: It's probably because of people's expectations toward your choice of characters. You give off the vibe that you are someone who will decide for yourself on what you want, more than other actresses do.

Kang: There were many great films around the time "Old Boy" came out. And they were on the rise when they started to disappear. Both the scenarios and subjects of films are limited now. I was aggressive in my decisions and I had time to think but it's difficult for a film to actually go into production.

10: Then can we take it that the circumstances make it difficult for you to appear in a film that people want to see you in?

Kang: Many factors have to work together to meet up to the level of expectation people have experienced in my previous films. But it's too early for that right now. Another issue is whether I still have the same energy to meet up to everyone's expectations. I guess I would only be able to find out by trying, before I say I can or cannot. And on the other hand, I sort of feel like going against expectations. (laugh)

10: Your husband Tablo has said on TV is that you still have not become a softy when it comes to taste in roles. (laugh) I've thought that maybe you haven't come across the right window of communication.

Kang: That's why I once became frustrated. I thought about why there wasn't a movie that could take me in fully, if there was no role that would fulfill me... And it's not that I felt like I was suffocating while working on other films. I liked it when I was working on a role but I do think there was a clump that I just could never manage to loosen. I felt like going crazy and leaping around. I used to be like that in the past. I guess it also depends on where my heart is set.

10: Do you mean the fact that you don't have the heart to be as bold or rash as before?

Kang Hye-jung (Kang): I don't think I'll be able to be as crazy because I'm under different circumstances now, but I used to be really crazy about acting in the past. I was completely addicted. I would scream my head off saying that I would keep filming even if I ended up getting a hole in my head. But I don't know the path I should take although I myself should realize what I'm craving for above anything else. I guess it could be the same thing that people are looking in from me. And even if I do find an answer, it wouldn't be solved right away because every circumstance is articulately intertwined with each other.

10: You must've been concerned about a lot of things but it doesn't seem you were in too much of a rush to find answers. I think I also noticed a confidence in you -- the belief that you'd end up finding an answer.

Kang: When I get a role in the past, I would bring that character's personality to real life and try to experience that character in a natural setting. For example, with my character Sang-eun in film "Herb", it would feel completely different playing her role after having acted like her in real life. "Girlfriends" on the other hand was a film I took on because I wanted to experience planting my own characteristic into my character. The reason I'm not in a rush is because I think it won't be too late to worry later on after I've tried various roles. I was actually in a slump when I started filming "Girlfriends". And I don't know who it was but someone told me 'live your problem'. I think it means that you'll find an answer once you start living with your problem and I think it's true. I had such a hard time trying to solve my problem when I didn't have an answer. But my husband was beside me to listen to me so it helped to lessen my worries.

10: I know you can't not talk about your husband but it seems you're talking more and more about your personal life nowadays. Don't you ever become stressed with having to talk about what is going on outside your work?

Kang: People aren't actually curious or excited to hear about my work. They're interested in other things. So I won't insist that I talk about other things although I am careful about what I say and don't say.

10: You've been receiving attention from everywhere and so much recently that reporters took photographs of you heading off to your honeymoon while your in-laws appeared on a morning talkshow. I have a feeling you wouldn't have been able to stand it in the past.

Kang: You have a keen eye. I would have not put up with it, ever. I used to be very particular about revealing my personal life. For example, whichever neighborhood I go to, I'd answer I live nearby if someone asked where I live or I always change the information I give regarding my siblings.

10: Was it because you wanted people to see you only as the actress Kang Hye-jung?

Kang: I started acting when I was 17 which garnered unnecessary attention to my younger sister and older brother. I didn't want my family to face restraints because of me. There were cases they would be troubled because of me. I found out that my sister, whose name is very similar to mine, didn't speak with a single person while in school. And when she told people upon graduation that I was her sister, nobody believed her. (laugh)

10: How is it being in your current situation? There's a new person in your life who will be identified by you.

Kang: What are you talking about, I'm the one who's identified as Tablo's wife. (laugh)

10: It seems that you won't lend that identification to your children that easily either.

Kang: We'd keep our children hidden in our huge garden if we were making as much money as Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp but that's not the reality we live in. Everyone will know who they are when they just go out to the playground. (laugh) But we won't reveal who they are on purpose.

10: You seem to be happy. I sort of feel bad that us as the general public may have been forcing you to seem depressed.

Kang: I get depressed and go through tough times when I'm working on a movie. But I don't have a hard time easing out of my role when I'm done filming. So that's probably not why Heath Ledger died either. Everyone praised him for his acting in "Dark Knight" and everyone wanted him to be the Joker. But I don't think he ended up like that because he was having a hard time from the role. It was probably because of something else.

10: But doesn't being happy at work also help you to be happy at home?

Kang: That's exactly how it was while filming "Girlfriends". But I'll choose a movie if I think, 'Wow, this is fun,' after reading the script. I don't know what sort of choice I'll make next. And I may not be able to give a reason for my choice. I'm going to have a baby soon too so I think I'll be given scripts depending on how I'm doing after that. That's why I'm looking forward to it.

10: Then what are your expectations for "Girlfriends"?

Kang: I hope it does really well. I don't pick a film thinking about how well it will do on the box office but I'm always hoping it reaches the break-even point. And we're the only romantic comedy pic so don't you think we have a shot at it?

Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong nine@10asia.co.kr

Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@10asia.co.kr

Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr

<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Kang Hye-jeong's Movie Picks

10Asia (Korean) | 10Asia (English)

2010.01.21 | 2010.02.18

Kang Hye-jeong has experienced quite a curve during her career as a movie star. The unpredictability in her career shows how eventful the journey was from her starting point leading up to the present. Watching her play the role of Yuki in her debut film "The Butterfly" -- it was directed by Moon Seung-wook and showed Kang's potential as an actor -- makes it hard to think of anyone better for the part. The film "Oldboy", which implanted her name in peoples' minds, also falls into the masterpiece category. Her character Mido in "Oldboy" proclaimed that Kang cannot be fit into a stereotype that had been established by previous Korean actresses and Kang earned a name value of her own. She continuously used that value in her consequent movie roles -- as the beautiful wife of a kind-hearted filmmaker in "Three, Monster" and portraying the character Hong in the impossible-to-describe film "Rules of Dating". Kang Hye-jeong was an intense actor and her movies were like powerful punches on the hearts of moviegoers.

After the film "Welcome to Dongmakgol", however, Kang little by little started going off the predictable path that public expected her to take. She played the adorable and cute girl parts in "Love Phobia", "Herb" and "Kill Me" -- also something the public did not expect to see from her. And in the film "Girlfriends", she played the ordinary twenty-something woman who goes through growing pains at the age of twenty-nine. "I actually went through some things that other people have not experienced or need not experience pretty early in my life. And I was able to create an aggressive and independent character in my early twenties based on such experiences. I was a kid who either ignored pain or let it burst, like my characters in "Oldboy" and "Rules of Dating". But after a while, the ups and downs in my life started getting less frequent and less noisy."

One may question Kang's choices of roles upon looking just at her filmography but her movies had actually followed the traces of her life. The "anxious" girl who during her stormy, early twenties "had a lot to let out" has now passed the "calming" phase and is entering the turning point in her life as the wife of a man and the mother of a soon-to-be-born child. Here, Kang Hye-jeong recommends beautiful movies that either resembles winter or warms cold hearts in the wintertime.

1. "Love Actually" (2003, directed by Richard Curtis)

"I saw this movie by myself at a movie theater in Jong-ro which doesn't exist anymore. I sat in the first row and it was really sad because everyone else came with their date. (laugh) But around this time of the year, like on Christmas Day, it is not bad to go see a romantic comedy by yourself. I think it would be fun to watch "Girlfriends" alone, like I did. (laugh) My favorite episode in "Love Actually" was the one with the Portuguese woman and English writer. When the actress first appeared on the screen I didn't find her very attractive, but then I gradually started noticing her more and more. Then when she answers "Yes" in English when the man proposes to her, wow, she looked so beautiful at that moment. I felt like such moments were the subtle beauty of film for actresses."

Is there a movie that is more perfect for winter and Christmas than this film? The seven couples in the film are either sharing their love with each other or experiencing a hurt in their long relationship around Christmastime. As some couples bear the fruit of their romance while others shed tears, you will find yourself smiling watching these people who make up stories as cheerful as Christmas carols.

2. "Notting Hill" (1999, directed by Roger Michell)

"This is a similar romantic comedy film but a little different from "Love Actually", isn't it? "Love Actually" tells many stories that each move you in a different way, because the director wanted to bring together the most beautiful love stories in the world and show them all in one movie. "Notting Hill", on the other hand, takes the story of one man and one woman in a long take but it is also touching. I especially liked the music in the film and I keenly realized how important the correlation between movie and music was. Watching Hugh Grant walking on the streets and seeing the seasons change on the screen while "Ain't no sunshine" plays in the background -- that was more beautiful than any movie that I have seen recently."

"Notting Hill" is a masterpiece of romantic comedy, the biggest hit film of production company Working Title before "Love Actually" came out. The love story between the ordinary man and the endlessly radiant lady is a modern twist of the typical romance -- often represented by the Prince and Cinderella -- which was adapted into a romance between a Hollywood actress and a bachelor bookstore owner. The happy ending between Hugh Grant and Julie Roberts, who may be past their young, prime years but shows what mature beauty is, melts our cold frozen hearts.

3. "Be Kind Rewind" (2008, directed by Michel Gondry)

"When my husband is hooked on something, he gathers all the information from everywhere and tells me about it. (laugh) I found out from my husband that Mos Def, who appears in this movie, is actually a unique rapper. He is known for doing nice raps just like his nice, decent looks. I think that aspect of Mos Def was reflected in the movie "Be Kind Rewind" because everything about the film -- including Mos Def and Jack Black -- is so adorable. It is a totally unrealistic story but you end up hoping that it is true. And it sort of resembles "Cinema Paradiso" at the ending in that everyone is watching and enjoying the movie that these two guys made. (laugh) When I was watching it, I felt like I wanted to make a lovely movie like this one with my husband someday."

Director Michel Gondry, who is known for his exceptional skill in creating adorable characters, has again introduced to the world two of the most off-the-wall, cute and impossible-to-hate characters. Mike (played by Mos Def) and Jerry (played by Jack Black) try to remake all the movies in the video rental store which were accidentally destroyed. Their movie-making stint somehow become the town's biggest project and a movie studio comes looking for them. Old masterpieces including "Driving Miss Daisy", "Back to the Future" and "Robocop" were re-made with the director's unique, minimal touch.

4. "The Hours" (2002, directed by Stephen Daldry)

"I don't need to explain why this a great movie, do I? It is based on a very famous novel by Virginia Woolf and everyone's acting was perfect in the movie. The underlying emotion of the film is very depressing, but I think that worked best with the message that the movie tried to deliver. Actually, I can't point out exactly why it is so great, I just like the ambiguity of this film. You feel lonely and ambiguous after watching the movie, you know? I get depressed every time I watch it but I like that. Nicole Kidman's nose looks so funny every time I see it too. (laugh)"

Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman. Watching these three incredible actress together in the movie is enough to fill our appetite. But one will find himself amazed by Stephen Daldry's directing skills as the movie randomly goes back and forth among three women's lives, as if following the flow of consciousness, which get weaved into one thread at the end.

5. "The Reader" (2008,directed by Stephen Daldry)

"I actually didn't have a particularly strong impression of Kate Winslet. Oh, maybe just that she was the girl in "Titanic". But I was looking through her filmography one day and it was unbelievable! I was very surprised to see that she was such an influential actress. She had been away from the screen for a long time and then she appears in "The Reader" and wow, it was truly remarkable. She plays an ignorant character who seems to have a obsessive compulsive disorder and even talks strangely, but she looked so beautiful. The talented actors have a certain fixed image but Kate Winslet shattered all that in this movie."

Michael (played by David Kross) and his first love Hanna (played by Kate Winslet) meet again at an unlikely place after Michael has grown up from being a boy into a man. Michael (played by Ralph Fiennes), who refuses to remember his memories with Hanna after their shocking encounter, reaches out to her again when he becomes about as old as Hanna was when she first met him. The voice of the man who reads her a book, which was first heard years ago in intimate romantic talks, sounds off into the world as a positive note of forgiveness and of life.

"I felt stifled for a time, wondering if there were any roles left that could take me or release. I had emotions that I had not yet release but I couldn't jump up and down like a crazy person. But I am trying not to rush myself because it is not too late to worry after I have done everything that I can do. Won't the answer come to me one day if I just live with the problems that I have and not obsess over getting the answer right away?" Like her character Song-yi in the film "Girlfriends", who finds that everything in her life has changed when she turned twenty-nine, Kang Hye-jeong is also standing in the midst of the biggest changes in her life. She has created her own family and has, in her own words, "softened a lot since meeting [her] husband and getting pregnant." But unlike her softened appearance, the burdens that an actor must carry is not soft in the least. The former Kang Hye-jeong, who was conflicted between the public's expectations and her personal growth, would have performed the kind of "crazy, jumping" acting. But the older and aging Kang Hye-jeong is catching her breath under the calm waters, rather than being swept away by the waves. Perhaps Kang Hye-jeong is the process of transforming into her true self, like a butterfly who becomes closer to her true form the more she goes through metamorphosis.

Reporter : Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr

Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@10asia.co.kr

Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr

<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

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February 4, 2010

SBS 'Entertainment Tonight'

kr.news.yahoo.com

kr.news.yahoo.com

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February 5, 2010

Tablo and Kang Hye Jung show their love and affection

by xvntbk on February 5, 2010

news.nate.com

Onscreen romances typically result in netizens hunting down the couple in order to determine whether or not their portrayed chemistry was real. However, for a recently shot CF (commercial film), there was no storm of netizens going buck wild for the kiss between the two stars in the CF. Why? Because the couple is already married with a child on the way, so their kiss was no biggie.

Celebrity couple, Tablo of Epik High and Kang Hye Jung, is known for their PDA (Public Display of Affection) and they continued to publicly shower each other with love even during the shoot of an unspecified CF in Gyeonggi-do. This CF was the first the two filmed for as a couple, and it was even merrier because Kang Hye Jung is currently impregnated with their baby. It has been reported that Tablo was constantly caring for his pregnant wife and that the two were holding hands and exchanging pecks on the cheek throughout the whole time filming.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Kang Hye Jung spoke of her pregnancy, “Every now and then, I feel the baby kick. Before the baby’s due date, I’ve been learning how to change diapers and bathe a baby from experienced women around me.” Kang Hye Jung also revealed that the baby seems to respond more to the father, Tablo.

When asked who gave the most money at their wedding, Kang Hye Jung replied, “There’s a person that we’re both close with and that person gave money to both the groom and bride’s side. That person is Lee Byung Hun.”

Source: allkpop.com

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May 1, 2010

Tablo and Kang Hye Jung become parents of a baby daughter

by GhostWriter on May 1, 2010

Having only just welcomed a celebrity baby yesterday, we get another today!

After Yoo Jae Suk and Na Kyung Eun became parents of a baby boy on May 1st, it was the turn of Tablo and Kang Hye Jung as they became parents of a baby girl on May 2nd.

Tablo wrote on his Twitter, “A night of a magical miracle…Today at 11:05AM, our beautiful girl was born! Hyejung and our baby are both very healthy~

Ah I’m crying because I’m so happy! My woman, who has been going through such hard times, is the best!!!”

YG Entertainment expressed, “Kang Hye Jung gave birth to a baby girl this morning at a hospital in Kangnam. Both mother and child are well and healthy. They are delighted to be parents and promised to raise the child well.”

We congratulate the couple on their first baby!

Source: allkpop.com

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May 2, 2010

Actress Kang Gives Birth to Girl

The celebrity couple of actress Kang Hye-jeong, 28, and top singer Tablo, 30, has become parents as Kang gave birth to a baby girl Sunday.

Kang delivered a healthy girl around 11:05 a.m. at a OB/GYN in southern Seoul. “Kang delivered a healthy girl. Both the mother and baby are in good condition,” said a person close to the couple said in a local daily on its Internet edition.

Kang was quoted as saying, “The baby resembles both mother and father. I will bring up the baby healthy.”

In a broadcast prior to the delivery, Tablo said,” I dreamed a tiger dream. A huge tiger blocked traffic in the center of the expressway as I got out of the car as the traffic jam was severe.”

The couple married in October last year.

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

[Guest minami]

This couple is so adorable! Congratulations on the birth of their little bundle of joy!

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May 3, 2010

Kang Hye-jung gives birth to baby girl

Reporter.Lim Hye-seon Editor.Lynn Kim

Korean actress Kang Hye-jung and singer Tablo of Epik High [YG Entertainment]

Korean actress Kang Hye-jung, who is married to Epik High singer Tablo, gave birth to a daughter over the weekend, according to a press release by her agency YG Entertainment on Sunday.

Tablo also wrote on his Twitter account yesterday that "a beautiful baby girl was born on May 2, 11:05 a.m.", adding that "both Hye-jung and baby are healthy." The remarks were written just minutes after Kang gave birth on Sunday, or as Tablo called it, "the day of mysterious miracles."

The new father appeared ecstatic with the birth of their first child, saying "the sound of the baby's breathing is the most beautiful thing in the world" and thanked his wife, whom he described "the best woman in the world." The two, who started dating since meeting at Epik High's Christmas concert in 2008, tied the knot last October, when Kang was several months pregnant.

Known for taking risky, unconventional movie roles, Kang became a household name after appearing in the critically acclaimed film "Old Boy" by Park Chan-wook, which won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

Tablo is the leader of popular hip hop group Epik High, who debuted in 2003 with the album "Map of the Human Soul". The group gained popularity and critical acclaim with the success of their consequent albums "High Society", "Swan Songs" and most recently "epilogue".

Reporter: Lim Hye-seon lhsro@ Editor: Lynn Kim lynn2878@ <ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved> 10.asiae.co.kr

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Kang Hye-jung, Lee Yoon-ji to Share Stage Role in 'Proof'

Chosun Ilbo englishnews@chosun.com / Aug. 30, 2010 07:19 KST

Actresses Kang Hye-jung and Lee Yoon-ji will make their stage debut with the play "Proof" in which they are double-cast for the lead.

Kang, who is known for her parts in films "Old Boy" and "Welcome to Dongmakgol," chose this play to make a comeback after her marriage to singer Tablo and childbirth. Lee has mostly worked in TV soaps.

"Proof," a drama about a brilliant but disturbed mathematician and his daughter, premiered in the U.S. in 2001 and won the Tony Award for Best Play the same year. It was made into a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins.

The play opens at the Culture Space and You in Seoul on Oct. 1.

http://vod.ietn.co.kr/mov/2010/0917/201009171284711680_s.wmv [Streaming]

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April 20, 2011

Kang Hye-jung denies being pregnant

Jessica Kim jesskim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> l news.nate.com

Actress Kang Hye-jung, wife of hip-hop duo Epik High member Tablo, has denied she is pregnant.

An official at Kang's agency YG Entertainment said that they had checked with the actress who said she was not pregnant.

Rumor had circulated that Kang, 29, had gone to see a gynecologist with her husband, raising speculation that she was pregnant with her second child.

Kang married Tablo in October 2009 and had given birth to her first child in May the following year.

Known for taking risky, unconventional movie roles, Kang became a household name after appearing in the critically acclaimed film "Old Boy" by Park Chan-wook, which won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

She is currently filming "Ripley," an upcoming MBC TV series also set to star Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hye, Park Yuchun of trio group JYJ.

The drama, telling the story of a woman who lies about one thing and begins to lie about everything, is set to premiere in late May after current series "The Duo" finishes its run.

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May 17, 2011

‘Miss Ripley’ taking cue from Shin Jeong-ah?

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

Actress Lee Dae-hey says not focusing on scandalous former curator

Everyone loves a good scandal.

Embezzlement, a fabricated academic degree, an affair with a high-level government official, and the woman-behind-it-all, former curator Shin Jeong-ah, kept the presses running with juicy fodder throughout the summer of 2007.

It was life imitating art ― the perfect soap-operatic story. One woman dupes the art world, climbs the social ladder and, almost, gets away with it.

It would have been a crime not to dramatize the scandal.

MBC picked up on the premise for their upcoming Monday-Tuesday night series.

While the backdrop was switched from art to hotels, the plot bears striking similarities to Shin, with heroine Jang Mi-ri (Lee Dae-hey of “The Slave Hunters”) lying about where she graduated from and manipulating two powerful men to get her foot in the door.

Inasmuch as the drama took its cue from her, Shin, who released a tell-all autobiography in March, told reporters at a press conference for her book that she intended to tune into the series.

That moment is not long in coming. The series, titled “Miss Ripley,” will start May 30.

The cast of MBC’s “Miss Ripley” (from left to right) ― Kim Seung-woo, Lee Dae-hey, Kang Hye-jung and Park Yoo-chun ―

cheer on their series at a press conference at Banyan Tree Club and Spa Seoul in Seoul on Tuesday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)

While Shin may have served as a motif for “Miss Ripley,” lead actress Lee was quick to assert that she will not be focusing on the former curator at the drama’s press conference Tuesday. “A motif is just a motif,” the 27-year-old said. “They (Shin and my character) are completely different.”

Any such statement, however, will probably do little to deter audiences from making comparisons. But as Lee said, “Miss Ripley” does not seem to derive inspiration from Shin so much as it is does from the movie adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”

The thriller, which was remade into a Hollywood movie featuring Matt Damon in 1999, details one man’s transformation into an identity-stealing murderer.

The hero, Tom Ripley, maps the darkest corners of the human mind. Through him, the audience explores the primitive human desire to become what one admires even if it means murder, forgery and lies.

It was after this character that the condition Ripley’s Syndrome was christened, and it is in heroine Jang Mi-ri, that the syndrome ― which refers to a psychological condition where the patient builds a delusional fantasy based on lies ― may manifest itself, albeit on a much less severe scale.

Actor Kim Seung-woo, who will be playing Jang’s love interest, confirmed that the drama was inspired by this syndrome and that, indeed, actors ― because of the nature of their profession ― may be quite susceptible to the condition. “There is a reason why actors need to rest after they finish filming a work,” he said, before revealing that he has been receiving counseling to help him transition from his characters back to normal life as a husband and father for two years now.

Unlike the movie, however, which is bloody and tragic, “Miss Ripley” promises to read a little lighter.

Actress Kang Hye-jung, who is playing Jang’s childhood friend, said that the upcoming drama would be brighter and more hopeful than the film. That does not mean that “Miss Ripley” will be a cheery fun-fest. According to actress Lee, the script has been very serious thus far, allowing little room for laughter.

Viewers will most likely find moments of respite in the romance that unfolds between Jang Mi-ri and resort empire heir Yutaka (JYJ member Park Yoo-chun).

Fans of Park, who his taking his second major stab at TV drama, can watch him act out the well-mannered and gentle hero. “My character is always polite and smiles constantly but inside he is all sharp edges,” Park, one-third the boy band formed by three TVXQ idols-gone-independent, hinted that Yutaka is far more complex than he initially appears.

According to news reports, Park’s star power spurred the sales of the rights to air “Miss Ripley” in Japan where part of the series was filmed.

“Miss Ripley” starts airing May 30 on MBC, Monday and Tuesday nights at 9:55 p.m.

Captures from nate.com

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Captures from

innolife.net

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May 24, 2011

Love, ambitions & lies in 'Miss Ripley'

By Kwon Mee-yoo meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr

Liars are dominating the small screen in the Monday/Tuesday time slot. Gong A-jeong of “True Romance” on SBS is faking a marriage to defend her pride, while Lee So-yeong of “Baby-Faced Beauty” on KBS lies about her age to get a job.

Another impostor is joining the race for fake lives — actress Lee Da-hae stars as Jang Mi-ri in MBC’s new soap “Miss Ripley,” and this heroine is a woman of large caliber compared to other leading ladies.

Jang grew up in an orphanage and was adopted by a family in Japan. However, she had to survive on the streets before escaping to Korea. Life in Korea proves to be tough as well, as she finds employment difficult with just a high school degree, and she even gets sexually molested by an executive during a job interview.

Her breakthrough comes when she is hired at a top-class hotel after fabricating her academic record, making herself a graduate of the University of Tokyo. On her way up the social ladder, she takes advantage of two men in the hospitality business that fall for her.

As the title indicates, the drama is inspired by the Hollywood movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” a story of an underachiever who uses his talents to forge someone else’s life. “I always thought it’d be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody,” Ripley said in the movie and so does Jang in the drama.

Makers of the TV show vacillated between “Goodbye Miss Ripley” and “Ripley” in choosing the title but ruled out using the word “goodbye.” The director said there is a superstition about the word hindering the success of dramas.

Lee’s character is said to be have been inspired by Shin Jeong-ah, a former curator convicted for fabricating her academic credentials and embezzling funds. Lee said the role is a turning point in her acting career. “I know she is a villain and unforgivable under common standards. However, I sympathized with her and want the viewers to understand why she made such extreme choices,” Lee said during a press event in Seoul on May 17. “However, the motif is just a motif and Jang is not an onscreen version of Shin.”

The four principal actors of the drama are display distinct individualities. “It is as if we’re at different points and finally meet at a crossroads. We are so dissimilar, but we create great harmony,” Lee said.

The two men that fall in love with Jang are played by veteran actor Kim Seung-woo and singer-turned-actor Park Yu-chun of JYJ.

Kim said he wanted to portray deep, profound love and was attracted to the drama for this reason. His character Jang Myeong-hun is the general manager of the hotel where Mi-ri works. “He suddenly falls in love for the first time in his 40s. I think actors in my age would express such emotions well,” Kim said.

He also revealed that he sees a psychiatrist after filming a movie or drama. “Actors are psychologically affected after playing someone else’s life. I’ve been going through counseling for about two-and-a-half years now and I think it is not something to hide,” Kim said. “I might go see my shrink after shooting this drama, as Jang will be wounded by this love.”

Park, who successfully transformed into an actor from a pop idol through “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” last year, plays the role of Song Yu-hyeon, the heir of a famed resort company. He said he related to his character’s personality. “Song is very gentle and has good manners. He is not arrogant like other rich people,” Park said. “This is first time for me to act in a drama set in modern times and it feels great to work with such great actors and actresses.”

Despite the burden of a sophomore complex, Park showed confidence in his character and the soap, emphasizing the classic, serious aspect of the drama.

Actress Kang Hae-jung takes the role of Na Hui-ju, a friend of Mi-ri from the orphanage. Her character work at the same hotel as Mi-ri, and risks danger if she reveals the truth about this Miss Ripley. She has returned to the small screen after four years. “Na was not a big character at first, but she is growing up throughout the drama,” Kang said.

The drama kicks off next Monday at 9:55 p.m. on MBC.

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May 23, 2011

JYJ’s Yoo Chun Enjoying Baseball Date with Tablo's Wife Kang Hye Jung

on

soompi

May 24, 2011

Spoiler: 'Ripley'

JYJ’s Yoochun & Kang Hye Jung go on a ballpark date

Source: Newsen via Nate by chloejn at allkpop.com

JYJ fans finally got another glimpse into Yoochun’s new drama, “Ripley“!

For the upcoming May 30th broadcast, Yoochun stars as the “perfect man” ‘Song Yoo Hyun’, while Kang Hye Jung stars as the innocent ‘Na Hee Joo‘, who grew up in an orphanage.

In the drama, Song Yoo Hyun and Na Hee Joo met by chance in a hotel. They form a close relationship upon learning that Na Hee Joo was Song Yoo Hyun’s best friend’s cousin.

The two each planned to bring a friend to watch the baseball game, but both friends didn’t show up, leaving Song Yoo Hyun and Na Hee Joo to watch the game together.

The filming for this episode took place at the Mokdong Ballpark on May 3rd on the day of a real Nexen Heroes versus Kia Tigers Korean baseball league game. In order to film their realistic cheering, filming went on until right before the start of the game.

Filming this scene was fun for both Yoochun and Kang Hye Jung because they were both fans of baseball. The two immersed themselves completely in the ballpark date scene as they cheered on the Nexen Heroes with their thundersticks.

Production representatives said,

“In order to realistically film Yoochun and Kang Hye Jung cheering in the ballpark scene, they learned the cheers from the actual cheerleaders for the scene. Because both like watching baseball, they properly expressed enthusiastic cheering.“

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June 3, 2011

Ripley’s Park Yoochun and Kang Hye-jung looking cute

Via TV Report by girlfriday | dramabeans.com

Looks like the second lead is finally getting some more face time with the hero. These latest stills from Miss Ripley‘s upcoming Episode 4 show stars Park Yoochun and Kang Hye-jung finally connecting over a “flower date.” Looks more like flower-shopping than a date, but I’m excited to see these characters have more screentime together, as they’re a bright cheery breath of fresh air whenever the drama gets too angsty.

And there sure is a lot of angst in Ripley, though so far it’s the fun kind, (as in well-constructed, well-motivated, character-driven) as opposed to the pull-your-hair-out kind (as in illogical, circling whirlpool of disaster). Though so far these two characters have been outweighed in the chemistry department by a smoldering Kim Seung-woo and Lee Da-hae, they’re the front-runners in the cute department, that’s for sure.

I kind of can’t wait to see their puppy love take hold.

Episode 4 will be broadcast Tuesday, June 7, and Miss Ripley airs Monday-Tuesday on MBC.

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June 7, 2011

“Miss Ripley“ Lee Da-hae finds Kang Hye-jeong's graduation certificate and smiles

Source: TV Report by asianlook via askactor.com

"Miss Ripley" Lee Da-hae smiled wickedly as she is about to succeed in forging her education.

On the MBC TV drama "Miss Ripley", Jang Mi-ri (Lee Da-hae) forges a Tokyo University Graduation certificate to be a formal employee in the A hotel.

She finds out that her friend Moon Hee-joo (Kang Hye-jeong) who grew up in the orphanage with her was from Tokyo University and approached her. She wanted to get her hands on her graduation certificate and forge it.

Her plan worked. Hee-joon invited her over to her house as she was so happy to have met her again. Mi-ri finds the certificate in her house and smiles a wicked smile.

Hee-joo does not realize the deliberate approach by Mi-ri. She suggests they 'be like old times' and Mi-ri replied with a smile in thinking she will steal the certificate.

Mi-ri pretends to sleep next to Hee-joo but comes out from the house with the certificate. She then copies it and forges her education.

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KHJ as HeeJoo in Miss Ripley ep 2

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KHJ as HeeJoo in Miss Ripley ep 3

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KHJ as HeeJoo in Miss Ripley ep 4

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KHJ as HeeJoo in Miss Ripley ep 4 (some more caps at previous page, too)

More caps at