Kim Hyang Gi, known for Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Innocent Witness, Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist and Cashero, says she has reached the age where even playing a teenager takes effort.
(Photo: Opener Film, Myung Films)
Kim Hyang Gi sat down for interviews in Seoul on November 11 ahead of the release of her new film Breathless Love. The youth romance follows Hwa Ran, an aspiring webtoon artist, and Yi Wan, an aspiring rapper, a young couple who have nothing but dreams and love. After losing the deposit on a home they took out a loan for in a rental scam, they end up in a basement two floors underground where not a ray of light gets in. Kim Hyang Gi plays Hwa Ran, who works at a call center to make ends meet. Ahn Dong Goo co-stars, and the film opens on November 18. She previously called it "a youth survival romance," as kisskh reported.
"I'm at the age where I have to work at it"
Asked about her recent range of roles, from a mother to a romantic lead, Kim Hyang Gi said she no longer has fixed standards when choosing projects. "In my early 20s, I felt a lot of pressure and wondered whether I should pick projects that avoid my child-actor image," she said. "Now that I'm past my mid-20s, I'm okay with it."
"People still tell me I look young, but what I find funny is that if I play a teenager now, I'm at the age where I have to work at it," she said. "Students today are so different from when I was a teen. The culture is different, and everything moves so fast. Even though I'm in this field, I feel like I can't keep up." Born on August 9, 2000, she is now 26. She added that she has decided to drop her own fixed standards and enjoys talking with the younger crew members she now meets on set.
(Photo: Opener Film, Myung Films)
"I lack talent as a celebrity"
Asked whether she related to the film's young characters chasing frustrated dreams, Kim Hyang Gi said her case was different. "I didn't become an actor because I wanted to. I started acting before I had a sense of self," she explained.
"Personally, I think acting falls under the celebrity category, and I think I'm very lacking in talent as a celebrity," she said. "Being a celebrity means showing off the good things and touching people's desires, and I'm not good at that. I'm weak at communicating and putting myself out there on all kinds of platforms." She said that rather than feeling frustrated, she goes through some inner conflict over it. "I think the confusion and frustration of finding yourself are something everyone needs."
Two years of living alone
Kim Hyang Gi also revealed she has been living on her own for two years. "I've learned what I need and what I don't," she said, adding that she now feels a little uncomfortable staying long at her parents' home. Her older brother lives in the same building. "Since it's my first place, I chose it with safety as the top priority, but I've since realized I want somewhere that's good for walking my dog, with someone nearby who can look after the dog when I'm busy." She also said the variety show I Live Alone had contacted her before she moved out, asking whether she lived alone.
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