fantasize

first of all, congratulations on winning best new actress award at 59th baeksang arts awards for your role as nam hae-yi. you seemed really surprised, were you?

i was so shocked, i was against amazing actresses who had all given incredible performances. i truly hadn’t expected to win any awards so when my name was called i kind of blocked everything out. i saw myself on the screen and i felt really awkward. i don’t remember anything i said. laughs i remember coming off the stage and saying to my manager that the trophy was too heavy.

is the trophy heavy?

it is! heavier than you’d think.

did you find the role to be challenging?

hae-yi was very loved in the drama, and it felt great to be loved as hae-yi. i loved every minute of playing her, even when she did things that annoyed me laughs. i had lots of thoughts before i started the drama. i was worried i might not have been able to play her well. but i knew if i turned it down i’d have lots of regrets. it was a lot of pressure but i’m glad to be getting so much positive feedback.

do you get along well with your co-stars from ‘crash course in romance’?

yes, we still talk and meet often. they’ve been in the industry a lot longer than i have so i got a lot of good advice and talked about my doubts with them. i really cherish those relationships so i hope they last for a long time.

why did you start acting?

i was scouted by someone from my company. it was really shocking. i think they originally wanted me to do modelling but… i’ve always wanted to be an actress. i’ve always loved movies and dramas and so i asked to take lessons.

you have also been receiving a lot of love for your character of bang youngjoo in our blues. that role must have been difficult for you?

i needed to understand youngjoo, but it was hard to get into her difficult situation and connect with her complicated emotions. i wondered if my experience of acting was too narrow and not enough to properly express her heart. i tried hard to follow the instructions that the director and writers had made for me and i felt so much better when the director complimented me saying that i was doing a great job.

what kind of roles would you be interested in going forward?

MORE ABOUT YEONHWA:

her favorite sweet snack: chocopies and honey butter chips, she has a massive sweet tooth. (Instagram)

she always carries lip balm and hand cream and perfume in her bag. (netflix)

if she wasn’t an actress, she’d have liked to have worked in fashion. (instagram)

her family thought she would be a lawyer. (instagram)

she studied history at seoul national university

best three films she recommends: 1. helter skelter (ヘルタースケルター) 2. little women 3. scream.

scream is her favorite film because she thinks it’s really fun and it’s the kind of movie she would like to star in. (w korea)

her favourite book is dracula, she has lots of different copies. (instagram)

favorite fruit: strawberries.

she likes lattes.

she likes pizza.

she likes flowers.

when asked to choose only one food to survive on, she chose kimchi fried rice. (instagram)

she prefers lighter beverages rather than sweet fruit drinks. 

she prefers ramen with egg (as opposed to without) and kimchi.

if she had to choose between going without food or sleep for one day, she would rather go without food.

on her day off, she prefers to stay home and rest, usually binge-watching dramas or films. (instagram.)