Following the success of her iconic and comedic performance, Kim Sejeong imparts her thoughts on her prominent work in Business Proposal.
Concealing her identity after her blind date with the president of the company she works at, Kim Sejeong embodied the role of Shin Ha-ri. She also showcased her endearing romantic comedy performance with Ahn Hyo Seop.
Moreover, Business Proposal hit the small screen with the highest viewer rating of 11.6 percent (Nielsen Korea). Ranking second globally on Netflix, the drama has set a new record for the Korean romantic comedy genre.
Exhibiting her remarkable growth in the drama, Kim Sejeong earned the nickname “Korea’s Emma Stone” for her particularly bright and lovely performance as Shin Ha-ri.
She consequently conveyed, “It’s only been 27 steps, so I’ll take more than 70 steps forward.”
Disclosing her feelings as she finished filming the drama, the actress shares that she even faced an incident due to COVID-19. Regardless of that, she felt grateful as the story ended happily.
“It’s refreshing. I had a lot of work from the preparation process to the filming process. As Hari, there was a lot to prepare, and there were frequent accidents due to COVID-19. It ended happily now, and it became a memory afterwards.”
As the series climbed through Netflix’s top 10 in 55 countries around the world, Kim Sejeong anticipated the series’ global success but did not imagine it would be acceptable in Korea.
“I expected global popularity. Rather, I wondered if it would be acceptable in Korea. I think K-Romance is popular because it touches on simple, small parts. It’s not a big deal, but it’s a small thing, but it makes it special. Giving is one of the strengths of Korean romance. The same is true of Business Proposal. I thought the script would get a good response from overseas.
On Her Decision To Taking The Character Shin Ha-ri
Wanting to try the rom-com genre, Kim Sejeong simply believes she will be able to show a new side of herself as she accepted the role in the drama.
“As a healthy and bright character, I had a lot of opportunities to do humanistic work. I wanted to challenge myself and show a new side of me. So I took on the challenge of a rom-com. The drama itself has a lot of images to show, so I thought that was a strength. Also, that came hard for me. After reading the script, I thought it would not be easy. The more I read, the more I didn’t know.”
Showing clever comic acting in the beginning, she earned the nickname “Korea’s Emma Stone.” Also, she expressed her profound gratitude for the positive response to her performance.
“Fortunately, the response was good, so it felt good. I liked Emma Stone and heard that he looked alike before. It was a nickname that only I knew, but I was happy that many people called it that way. I had to do well, so I felt pressure. I was grateful, I felt a sense of pressure, and there were two emotions.”
Notably, Kim Sejeong initially voiced worry, but gradually developed confidence as she worked diligently on the drama.
“Now I’ve finally become a person who can work hard without fear. It helped me a lot. It was a work that made me think that I was able to shine now because I have always worked hard. If I keep working hard, I believe that good responses will come from other places.”
Kim Sejeong’s Fast-Paced Work
With only 12 episodes in the series, the actress was able to rapidly skip over unnecessary scenes. She subsequently notes that this was advantageous because the 12-episode series was edited successfully and aired quickly.
“As such, it showed many episodes and the story developed quickly. The shortcomings are similar. It is regrettable that there are no parts that can be explained more, character narratives, ways to solve them, or episodes. There are pros and cons.”
If she were to evaluate herself, Kim Sejeong would give herself a 90 since she knows she did her best and worked really hard. Additionally, she revealed that she “memorized the script and worked hard on the set.”
Kim Sejeong rarely refers to the original work when working on the drama. Conversely, after she receives the script, she conducts a virtual rehearsal.
“There’s a reason why people like the original. He played the character with a sense of duty that he should not break his expectations. I thought it was important to know why the original film was loved and to work on it.”
Noting Her Sweet Chemistry With Ahn Hyo Seop
Appreciating Ahn Hyo Seop for being a thoughtful actor, Kim Sejeong considers her chemistry with the actor was really good.
“The fact that he was able to fill the melodrama with ad-libs means that he had good chemistry. Read each other’s flows. We saw each other’s efforts to accept what this person wanted to give. So it became a melodrama that wasn’t uncomfortable. Ahn Hyo Seop is such a considerate actor.”
Regarding the bed scene in the 11th episode, which became a hot topic, the actress admits to having fewer concerns because she did not experience any difficult moments for Ha-ri and Tae-mu. However, she claimed that she would have acted poorly if she had seen Kim Sejeong.
“The director was also very considerate on the spot. I could’ve filmed more, but they didn’t. It could have been a bummer. As an actor, I actually filmed with no regrets. I’m thankful, and I filmed it in a good mood. I couldn’t watch it because I was embarrassed.”
Having a lot of sweet scenes with Ahn Hyo Seop made her feel weird at first, but because she didn’t want to get caught, she feigned not to feel anything. She noted that despite her embarrassment, she was “more thankful and took part in the shoot.”
Her Utmost Effort and Preparation During Filming Business Proposal
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Kim Sejeong managed to find a scene full of laughter while filming the drama.
She has also been required to take a week off work unexpectedly due to quarantine regulations.
For her most memorable ad-lib moment, she chose the scene in which she wished to propose to Tae-mu. Considering she wanted to portray the marriage as a passing event rather than a memorable one, she desired to create the illusion that nothing extraordinary occurred.
“I didn’t prepare anything special, but I tried to mix it into one small conversation. The scenes where we chatted were all done with our ad-libs, but most of them were aired.”
Furthermore, the actress’ particular focus on her character is her food diet.
“Dieting was chaotic in the middle. We went back and forth a lot.I tried to love Tae-mu a lot. I tried to figure out as soon as possible what Tae-moo was like that Hyo Seop wanted to show and what Tae-mu was like that Ha-ri really fell in love with. I thought that I should not understand Tae-mu, who is characterized and only shown. I tried to figure it out more three-dimensional.”
Recognizing how difficult it is to balance romance and comedy, Kim Sejeong contemplates how she would make comedy work even better.
“In romantic comedies, you shouldn’t just try to be funny. I had to be funny in love. Understand why laughter was needed in this scene so that it could be funny without mistakes. The character should not die, even in laughter. It should have felt like Ha-ri was making Tae-mu laugh. So I put more emphasis on comedy.“
Kim Sejeong’s Message To Her Fans
Promising to continue doing well and doing her best, Kim Sejeong encourages fans that, regardless of the ordeal, she will overcome it with joy and happiness.
“If you simply look at it as ‘Will the next movie be successful again?’, you can’t guarantee that. I don’t even know. But I’m going to overcome it and do it well. I believe that Sejeong will finally become a grown-up. I’m more confident if I talk about Sejeong in the future than the box office success of the next movie.”
Acknowledging the pressure that comes with being dubbed the “Next Generation Rom-Com Queen,” the actress accepts it and uses it as inspiration to work even harder.
“I’m under pressure. What’s certain is that the burden is raising me. Thanks to the pressure, I was able to work hard because I wanted to do well. If a rom-com comes in the future, I will definitely feel burdened because I want to do better.”
Wishing for everyone to view her as Kim Sejeong, she emphasizes that acting, singing, and musical acting are all professions.
“It is homework from now on. I just want to be remembered as Kim Sejeong. Actors, singers, and musical actors are all jobs. I will sing, act, and stay on stage. I want to remain as Kim Se-jeong, who is good at everything without deciding on one.”
Kim Sejeong learned, “let’s not be afraid of things,” after joining an acting study group through a musical. She was hesitant to demonstrate her shortcomings due to her strong tendency to be a perfectionist, but she “learned a lot by studying.”
Source: jTBC News | Photos: Jellyfish Entertainment | SBS
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leaso
April 13, 2022 at 11:39 amenjoyed this rom com very much..sejeong portrayed her character really well and made it realistic and very genuine…she is naturally funny and her facials were on point..i could see why taemoo fell in love with her…cheers and all the best for your future projects…ive had to search all related activities on the internet and youtube related to this young ladt and im thoroughly impressed…