Gaining recognition for her performance in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Park Eun Bin shares how much thought she put into her acting.
Portraying Woo Young Woo, a character with Autism in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, the actress conveyed her thoughts before accepting the role a year after it was offered.
As her character depicts a genius lawyer with Autism, the actress tells how she carefully considered and prepared for the drama as she bears the pressure of representing her character if done wrong.
In her 26 years of acting, Park Eun Bin has again highlighted her great acting skills in the drama that ranked #1 on Netflix worldwide by digesting and interpreting the script well.
Through an interview, the actress talks about her efforts and sincerity in working for her role in the drama and expresses her emotions by recalling the reaction of her mother who served as her manager for 15 years.
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On Accepting the Role
For a year, the production staff of Extraordinary Attorney Woo has waited for Park Eun Bin who chose to film The King’s Affection first. In her decision to pass on the offer, the actress confesses she had her worries in digesting the work.
“I thought it was a good work, but I thought that it should not be approached with an easy mind. When I look at the synopsis or the script, it becomes a video in my head to some extent, but what should I do with this work? I had no idea what tone of voice I should be digesting, and I was worried about whether I could express this in my image without anything being drawn.”
Recalling her decision, the actress told how she chose The King’s Affection since it was a work where she could experience the Joseon Dynasty while believing that Extraordinary Attorney Woo could be taken on by other great actors.
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo would be good for great actors other than me, but the production team waited for me.”
On reviewing the work, actress Park Eun Bin did not decide right away and wondered why she had to be Woo Young Woo when other actors could have also performed well.
“In fact, when I went to meet the writer and director, I tried to say this and that and that I was not confident, but he told me a lot of good things.“
Giving the work a chance, Park Eun Bin who was used to making her character alone sought guidance in building her character, and worked hard for the people who believed in her.
“If I had taken that way, I felt that I should not do it alone here. As a result, I thought I should work harder to repay the strong trust.”
Preparations Made For The Drama
After filming The King’s Affection, Park Eun Bin tells how she only had two weeks to prepare for Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
“There was a great urgency not to waste time. I was in a situation where I had to come up with what would be the shortest path.”
In her preparations, the actress has chosen to complete her character without referencing other works, and instead expressed her character in Young-woo’s own worldview.
“Of course, I know there are many great references, but I don’t think that Woo Young-woo herself modeled anything, but that there is a uniqueness that only Woo Young-woo can show in Woo Young-woo’s worldview. I came to the conclusion that this is what I wanted to say through the character.”
Given that her character’s career involves speaking in a courtroom, Park Eun Bin shares how challenging it was to talk fast about legal facts.
“There was no objection to the provisions of the law, but there were incomparably many lines of dialogue, and it was a really difficult task because I had to use a rapid-fire gun as if I was reading an encyclopedia in my head.”
Adding to her challenges, the actress also admits how difficult it was to discuss whales alongside the law.
“It was not easy not only to talk about the legal scene, but also to talk about whales or to say lines by category.“
During filming also, the actress had to act in front of many eyes, including the courtroom’s spectators, defendants, and witnesses. As it may have been an exhausting process, Park Eun Bin recognizes how she also naturally adjusted to the environment like her character Woo Young-woo, who was a new lawyer.
“It didn’t start with a charged state, but it took a process of adapting to Young-woo. The tension level in the beginning was naturally absorbed even if I didn’t set it on purpose. I went through the process of adapting with Young-woo.”
Interest on Whales
As her character is into whales, Park Eun Bin reveals how she was not excited when she was memorizing her lines. However, when she played her role and watched the broadcast, she felt the excitement in her role, which viewers may have enjoyed.
“Whenever I talk about whales, it was a bit overwhelming when I look at the script. I felt for many moments while working on this work that there was a different charm from the difficulties I had while filming.”
On that note, the actress recalls how she enjoyed the drama’s fourth episode but had a difficult time filming her scene in the courtroom.
“Personally, the interesting episode was the fourth episode of Dong Dong-sam Brothers’ quarrel. That episode was fun. It was the episode I wanted to see episode 5 asap. However, the court scene itself in the fourth episode was so difficult.”
Relating Woo Young-woo’s interest in whales, Park Eun Bin shares how rabbits are her point of interest.
“So many people know that I want to hide it, but I like rabbits. To me, rabbits are like whales.”
Representing a Character with Autism
Among the difficulties she faced while acting as Woo Young-woo, actress Park Eun Bin talks about her decision to portray Young-woo without limiting herself to her condition.
“I think there is no choice but to talk about reality. It was covered through the drama, but in the case of dramas, there is freedom of creation. In this regard, I thought that I should not limit myself by limiting the character Woo Young-woo to the autism spectrum.”
In that respect, the actress has chosen to focus on conveying the message of the drama while considering the community she is representing.
Throughout the process, the actress describes how she acted with hope while portraying Young-woo who faces the world and undergoes the process of growth.
“I struggled the most about what part would not hurt people with autism and their families as much as possible. So, I thought that the answer I found was that as Woo Young-woo, I had to understand the sincerity of Woo Young-woo…”
In addition to her challenges in portraying Young-woo, the actress tells how she was determined to fulfill her duty in making viewers be on her side.
“Getting viewers to support Woo Young-woo was both a task as an actor and a job that I had to do as a Young-woo. Rather than just being in need of help, I can ask for help when I need it, but I came to think that a friend who tries to do it alone is Young-woo.”
Overcoming that task, the actress also tells how she considers her character as a friend and shares the heart of Young-woo’s parents.
Bidding Farewell To Her Role
Concluding the filming of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Park Eun Bin felt glad how they completed the work safely.
“I was very relieved that we finished it safely. There was a lot of tension until the end. There were many scenes that were burdensome and had to be done as an actor, so I did my best until the end.”
Doing her best in the process, the actress revealed she cried on her last day of filming together with other production staff members who have gone through a lot. Emotions welled up as the actress recounts their hard days passing by.
“After a long time, I felt like I did well in the end, so I think I cried with complicated and subtle emotions. When people cry next to you, you feel the same way. It was tears that I could understand even if we didn’t tell each other.”
Letting go of her character, Park Eun Bin strives her best in living her personal life after portraying Woo Young-woo.
“Character on and off are clear. Of course, I can’t say for sure about the current situation and I don’t know how it will change, but I personally pondered a lot about how to pursue the balance of character and my life in acting. The character lives and breathes as a character, and when the filming is off, to lead my life fully is the life I want in terms of happiness.“
Encouraging Reactions and Learnings
When asked about the high ratings that the drama received, Park Eun Bin reveals that the team was already grateful if it reached 3%, and feels extremely happy when it exceeded.
“They said that they thought it was a hit even if the ratings of only 3% on the ENA channel came out. But they came out beyond that and talked a lot about the work, so I felt proud.“
Moreover, actress Park Eun Bin also admits how she felt nervous and pressured about the idea of a lot of people watching since there may be parts she didn’t know of.
“I didn’t personally aim for the ratings, and rather than saying that it went viral as it went on, it sent an explosive response from the beginning, which made me frightened. I tried to approach it seriously, not that lightly, and I was confident in authenticity, but there could be some parts that I didn’t know, or were ignorant of.”
Instead of expecting high ratings, the actress humbly watched and worked on her character during the drama’s broadcast. She also attributes the success of the drama to the team rather than to herself.
“What I learned through Woo Young-woo was that I should be able to embrace all of them, so I watched with humility and a waiting attitude. I didn’t get too carried away (of popularity) because I thought it was an interest towards the whole team.”
Among the encouraging reactions she received, Park Eun Bin tells how she was touched by stories of people who shared the same condition as Woo Young-woo.
“There were overseas fans who introduced themselves as Aspergers, and I found out for the first time that the family of an acquaintance I hadn’t known for years actually had the same disorder. Their touching stories helped me a lot.”
Ending the drama, the actress looks up to Woo Young-woo for being unafraid to face the world.
“Young-woo is a brave and courageous person. I thought that she was much more mature than me to have the courage to try even if there were some fearful and uncomfortable parts.”
Learning a lot from her character, actress Park Eun Bin carries her reflections and takeaways from the drama.
“Personally, I learned a lot from Young-woo. The best part was accepting people as they are and not judging them by their own standards.”
Memories While Filming
Praising her team in Hanbada, actress Park Eun Bin shared how the team was able to recharge each other’s energy throughout filming.
“It was the best in itself. I laugh a lot in the present situation, but Woo Young-woo had a lot to memorize and it was a lot of work for 7 months in a row, but the team seems to have filled that void together.”
For her most memorable scene, the actress recalls filming an emotional scene from episode 8, and tells how she draws her character’s emotions.
“There are times when the character’s emotions are completely absorbed. Trying to capture Woo Young-woo’s sincerity is a combination of Park Eun Bin’s feelings and Woo Young-woo’s sincerity.”
Although the script was saddening in that episode, the actress follows what was agreed by everyone on how she should depict Woo Young-woo who is challenged in expressing her emotions in the scene.
“On the first day I met Jin Kyung sunbae, I started filming from the ending. I thought I was meeting Jin Kyung, who I had been looking forward to, but at that time, I felt sadder than I thought while reading the script. I thought I should refrain from expressing this to my heart’s content.”
In Young-woo’s growth process, love has also taken part, and Park Eun Bin shares how growth can be experienced in various ways other than love.
“Personally, I don’t think that growth is possible only through love in human affairs. However, although the writer said something similar, Young-woo said that inviting others, consisting of me and you, to a world that is only filled with oneself is a wonderful growth…”
Personal Concerns and Future Plans
Being an actress for 26 years, actress Park Eun Bin reacts and debunks the rumors of devoting her life to acting.
“I’m grateful for finding filmography in my childhood, but it seems to be mixed with more distorted information than is necessary. There’s a lot of fake information. I don’t have a grand dream of pursuing truth as an actor. I don’t want to be a craftsman. The claim that I am giving up my life for acting is really not. I’m enjoying my life in my own way.”
In her longtime career, the actress had her mother as her manager. As she takes on the role for the drama, actress Park Eun Bin gets emotional remembering her mother’s reaction.
“Because she has been my manager for 14 or 15 years, she is more meaningful as a manager than a mother. She knows everything about me. I am grateful for receiving so much love this time, but in the case of a mother, I can’t say everything, but I have to endure things alone. I think I felt complicated and subtle emotions together.”
While also looking forward to the sequel of the drama, the actress notes how new challenges may arise in filming another season, and claims that nothing has been discussed yet.
“As much as it has received a lot of love, I think that if you release a sequel, you will have to have confidence beyond the original to repay your expectations. At the moment, nothing has been discussed on specific matters, so we cannot guarantee what it is.”
On thoughts of her personal concerns, the actress maintains an easygoing attitude toward the future.
“I’m still 29 years old. I think I’ll be thirty soon? (laughs) Actually, I don’t tend to think far into the future. If I pass through today well, I think a happy tomorrow will be waiting.”
Talking about the future, as Park Eun Bin has just finished filming, the actress states her plans on taking a break before going into her next work.
“When a series of things pass and I’m in a quiet state, I personally want to take a break and go on a trip. I think it will be the second half of the year when I think about what I should show you as my next work.”
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Source: JTBC news
Photos: Namoo Actors
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