With the recent conclusion of Twenty Five Twenty One, actress Kim Tae Ri looks back on her character’s memorable moments.
Portraying a national fencer in tvN’s weekend drama Twenty Five Twenty One, actress Kim Tae Ri expresses her thoughts about her character.
Highlighting the peak of one’s youth, the series is the second drama of the 31-year-old actress after her debut in Mr. Sunshine.
As the drama has attracted attention, actress Kim Tae Ri answers questions about her experiences while portraying Na Hee-do.
Moreover, the actress shares her ideal type, thoughts about the drama’s ending, and more.
On Accepting the Role
Attracted to the character she portrays, Kim Tae Ri shares how it has become the reason to take on the role.
“I think it’s an honor to be able to play that child as an actor.”
Elaborating on her thoughts about Na Hee-do, the actress thinks of her character as someone who has a bright mindset and does fun things, knowing what true happiness is.
“She knows how to comfort herself…I think she’s a strong and healthy kid who can get back on her feet even if she falls.”
Preparing to be a Teenage Fencer
Discussing what she has prepared for her role, Kim Tae Ri shares how she tried to focus on Na Hee-do, even worrying about the tension. Although she has those worries, the actress has portrayed her character the way she thinks is right.
“…I was worried if the tension was too high or if it would look strange, but I just went in the direction I took. I thought it was right, so I did what I wanted to do.”
Surprisingly, the actress is already in her 30s, and she is portraying a character who is in her teens. Because of that, the actress relayed how she prepared her skin for the role. However, with regard to the tone of voice or gestures that her character has, the actress feels no pressure.
“It seems that there are a lot of tones that I usually say when I am in a good mood…Even if I didn’t have time, I tried to go to a dermatologist. I tried with the thought of ‘Let’s make 18-year-old skin’ and ‘Let’s get as close as possible’.”
Having said that the drama covers youthful imagery, Kim Tae Ri reveals how cold it was while filming as high schoolers in uniform during the summer.
“…I thought, ‘Why is it still summer, it’s too cold’. In fact, 80% of the drama’s background was summer, but it was all filmed in winter…I really thought I was freezing to death.”
Other than preparing to portray a teenager, the actress has also put much effort into becoming a fencer by learning the sport around five or six months before filming began.
“Lessons were always at 10:30 am…I did it for an hour and a half a day. I think I took lessons every day like that.”
Coming along with working hard in fencing are the noticeable changes such as thick thighs, which the actress wished to see. Recounting her experience, the actress finds joy in wondering if her other hand became bigger than the other.
“I only do fencing with one hand…The sword is also heavy. As you swing and support the weight, the transition muscles become thicker than the left. It was my small happiness to compare both sides all the time and say, ‘You’ve grown a bit.’”
Ideal Type & Chemistry with Nam Joo Hyuk
Opening up about her ideal type, actress Kim Tae Ri is attracted to people who are unbiased.
“I like people without prejudice. Baek Yi-jin is a geek in that respect…I think people without prejudice are great. Of course, as people go through life, their values and priorities when dealing with people are bound to arise. So people who are more open-minded seem to be great.”
Acting together with other veteran actors in the past, the actress has no regrets about her exchanges when she met and acted with actor Nam Joo Hyuk. She feels proud as she had fun playing lines together with the actor, which contributed to their great chemistry together.
“Acting is fun in the part where you do it together, not alone. Joo Hyuk and I had so much fun, and I think the chemistry between the two was good.”
Other than her character’s romantic interest, the actress also comments on Hee-do’s relationship with Ko Yu-rim, a friend she can rely on.
“…The word ‘love’ seems to be used frequently these days for heterosexual love and romantic feelings. But, isn’t there love between friends? It’s different from romantic feelings. In a way, I think it can be greater than love feelings. I also have a friend who loves me too.”
Finding Similarities with Na Hee-do
Learning from her character, the actress notes how Hee-do can admit her mistakes and learn from them easily.
“She is a child who has no qualifications and can see things as they are. She thinks about what happened and admits it right away…”
Spotting some similarities with her own character, actress Kim Tae Ri states how the characters she also portrayed in the past melted in her image.
“Rather than creating something new, I tend to think that I should start with myself…Even if I don’t think about this or that incident, there are many parts that I can relate to. First of all, Hee-do does whatever she does with sincerity. I think that aspect looks pretty.”
Like Hee-do, the actress also finds herself disliking lies, and rather looks up to sincerity.
“I also hate lies, pretenses, and fakes.I really hate ‘to pretend’ because I have to do something. It seems to be a tendency that resembles Hee-do. Fencing was really hard, but I did it because it was fun. I really wanted to do well. Such sincerity resembled Hee-do.”
Having said that she holds onto sincerity, the actress ponders on the struggles of selecting works with that type of principle in life.
“It’s very difficult for people who are always sincere…How do you advertise when you haven’t used this product? You said you would advertise after trying it for a few days. Or you said that you couldn’t because it was a lie.”
Managing what is expected of her, the actress does her best in upholding sincerity while also considering the other people she works with.
“Then the people I work with are also hard and unable to do anything. I thought I had to put it down to a certain extent. But I am worried that I will become too ordinary when I put it down. I am fighting over that point.”
Reaction to the Ending
Ending with its own highest viewership rating, Kim Tae Ri feels grateful as she has not expected such an overwhelming response.
“I never really imagined it. I didn’t expect any kind of results, but I didn’t know that it would receive so much love. If I had imagined it, I would have made acting more fun. Hee-do is a reliable friend who says everything is lovely. If I had known that in advance, I think I could have organized better scenes in a more fun way.”
With the type of brightness her character possesses, the actress commends herself for contributing to the drama’s success by portraying a positive character that also brings impact to other characters.
“I want to compliment myself for persevering. There is nothing harder than persevering. I think that I did it well.”
Knowing the ending of the drama, the actress sets her stand about the ending of the drama.
“I don’t know about satisfaction or dissatisfaction. I can say that I am satisfied or dissatisfied with a work after it is finished, but I don’t think the ending is something I want to talk about. The position as a viewer is very sad and unfortunate.”
Memorable Moments in Twenty Five Twenty One
Picking a memorable moment from the drama, Kim Tae Ri claims that all scenes as Hee-do are very special and memorable. However, to choose one, the actress becomes fascinated with her character’s grit after being in a slump.
“If I had to pick one, it was when I won the gold medal as a national team member. As an athlete, she went through a slump and eventually won the gold medal…It’s something I’m personally curious about, so I think it’s a special scene for Hee-do.”
For her memorable line, Kim Tae Ri mentions the ending scene of the second episode, where Hee-do promises Yi-jin that he could be happy and she will keep it a secret.
“I love the ending of episode two so much…’Let’s be happy secretly when we’re alone. It doesn’t make sense to live without happiness,’ I think the lines, the scenes and the narration were the best.”
Challenges and Concerns as an Actress
Reflecting on her acting career, the actress sees the need to become more courageous in taking on another character.
“I think I need to get more courage. If I wait, it will come. Acting a certain character again, meeting another scene. I don’t have that kind of courage yet. I’m charging up that courage.”
Related to her worries as an actress, Kim Tae Ri shares her concerns with how she views her motivations in acting.
“Acting is a great stress. But the motivation for making acting my dream and my career for the rest of my life was fun. I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable just by adding a few more works. How should I view such a stressful job? Should I keep trying to find the fun of acting that I wanted to do? There seem to be some question marks about those things.”
To recharge herself, the actress recognizes the benefits of taking breaks.
“It’s hard to become the ideal person I want while doing one’s work. A break is essential. I need time for one day to organize my thoughts, discover problems, and prepare for tomorrow.”
Searching for Inspiration
Talking about her inspirations as an actress, Kim Tae Ri admits how she sometimes finds it difficult given her nature of work.
“I want to be inspired, but I’m not very good at it. My job itself is not a creator who creates something out of nothing. I think I am doing the kind of art that receives texts, analyzes them, and adds them.”
Although she has said those, the actress shares that on occasions she feels inspired, she takes note of it.
“Inspiration is a big thing for me. It doesn’t seem important, but sometimes when I’m inspired, it makes me richer, so I write it down on my notepad.”
Recognizing her efforts in Twenty Five Twenty One, Kim Tae Ri appreciates how she performed in the drama while also making the people around her happy.
“As an actress Kim Tae-ri and a human Kim Tae-ri, I think I did well in this work. First of all, my family and acquaintances like it very much…There were people around who said it would be nice to do a drama, so I did it, and I think it filled their happiness. So it was better.”
Source: JTBC
Photos: tvN | Management MMM
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