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Actress Kim Hi Eo Ra opens up about the aftermath of her school violence controversy.
The Savior is a mystery horror film that follows the miraculous events that befall Young Beom and Sun Hee after they move to the blessed land of Obok-ri, and the shocking realization that all of it is the price paid for someone else’s misfortune.
Kim Hi Eo Ra plays Choon Seo, a woman who desperately struggles to free herself from an inexplicable curse.
The film marks Kim Hi Eo Ra’s return following her 2023 bullying controversy. In early September 2023, reports surfaced claiming that Kim had been part of an alleged school bullying group called Big Sangji at Sangji Girls' Middle School and was involved in acts of school violence. The actress admitted to being a bystander of bullying but denied getting involved in the act. Following the controversy, Kim had to step away from the limelight. In April 2024, it was reported that she had made amends in the matter by coming to terms with the accusers.
The Savior was a career-saving opportunity for Kim after she spent time in the United States following the controversy. It also marks her first leading role in a commercial film.
Kim Hi Eo Ra said, "I was scared and nervous," adding, "It was my first time leading a commercial film, but I was really excited. It was such a thankful opportunity, and I kept thinking that I must not become a burden to anyone. I didn't have the time to think about box-office performance or business aspects. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be a burden and people would say that it was good to cast me."
When asked about how she joined the project, she shared, "I had come back to Korea from the U.S. and was wondering how long I could enjoy this comfort that wasn't really comfort, or whether I should even take a part-time job. That's when the director sent me the script. I was at a café with a friend, and I apologized and read it right there on the spot. It is a main role, but she was so compelling that I immediately thought, of course, I have to do it."
She continued, "Choon Seo only thinks about her son, but at the same time, she is a person without any will to live. She thought life was bleak living alone with her son, but realizing that just seeing her son walk or play basketball is a miracle felt very human, and it resonated with my own situation as well."
"As an actress, I want to explore a variety of roles and seek more opportunities, so I approach every project and character as if arming myself with new weapons and try to give it my all. But this time, rather than drawing on the skills I've accumulated, my desperation surfaced in every moment. I think it captured my raw, unfiltered emotions."
She also described her character Choon Seo: "I modeled her as a high schooler's mom. I imagined an immature woman who, having given birth without really knowing anything, focuses only on her son, even more so than a rural mother working in the fields. These were choices she had no option but to make in her own immaturity, but I also thought about how, to others, her behavior might not seem ordinary."
Kim Hi Eo Ra also revealed the reason she went to the U.S. while taking time to reflect following the school violence controversy. She said, "If Choon Seo was trying not to lose anything, I was trying to accept the situation. I kept wondering what I should be doing during this time. I thought that if I wanted to be chosen as an actress, I have to show it through my acting. Since I couldn't talk to each person individually, I took my apartment deposit and went to the U.S. I couldn't spend that time just lying in bed or waiting, so I went to the U.S, studied, and traveled around with a backpack. I attended meetings in my limited English, and those times toughened me up. Previously, I only focused on my own dreams, but now I've been looking around me. That's why I immersed myself even more in playing Choon Seo. Every single line really resonated with me."
Concluding, Kim Hi Eo Ra said that through The Savior, she came to deeply appreciate the value of the present moment. She shared, "While working on The Savior, I came to have gratitude for my life and the present, and I realized that simply being alive is a miracle. I'm grateful even for this interview. This, too, is a miracle. I thank you for taking the time to listen to my story."
"I was desperate for The Savior, but I think the director was just as invested in this project. After a company dinner, the director gave me a letter and a hat as gifts and said that if another opportunity came, he would like to work together again. Hearing him say that we should meet again in a good film made me feel that I can continue acting. I want to act for a long time, like Youn Yuh Jung. I hope to be called a valuable actress and thought of as a truly good actress."
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