The smart country girl from ‘Pachinko’ returned as a genius girl in ‘The Kidnapping Day’. 12-year-old child actress Yuna is already an experienced actress in her 7th year of acting. In the ENA Wednesday-Thursday drama 'The Kidnapping Day', she vividly played the role of Ro-hee, a girl who became a genius after undergoing a brain experiment but lost her memory.
'The Kidnapping Day' is a drama centered on the chemistry between Ro-hee and the clumsy kidnapper Myeong-jun (played by Yoon Kye-sang) who kidnapped her. The story revolves around the relationship and narrative between the two people. Usually, child actors portray the protagonist's childhood as supporting roles, but in this drama, Yuna took on the challenge of acting as the female lead role throughout the whole drama. As a result, she naturally developed a '(fake)-father-daughter' chemistry with adult actor Yoon Kye-sang, and was reborn as a true hit star.
Although she is still young, acting is already a part of Yuna's life. She has never had any other dreams other than being an actress, and has faithfully followed her single path. Is that the reason why (her acting is amazing)? Yuna played the difficult character of a genius girl who looks 'cocky' (arrogant/bratty) on the outside but is lonely in the inside, and she did it 'cleverly' (brilliantly), as the public said. This was an achievement because she did not limit herself to the limitations of being a child actress.
The following is a Q&A written interview with Yuna.
Q: You became known by playing the role of a young Sunja in the Apple TV+ series ‘Pachinko.’ I think you have established yourself as a child actor who can be completely trusted through this ‘The Kidnapping Day.’
A: I am truly grateful. I like it because I wanted to express Rohee well. While reading the script, I cried a lot because of Rohee. This is my first time acting in such a large part, and I was nervous and felt a lot of responsibility. It was fun.
Q: It must have been difficult because there wasn't much difference in appearance or amount of lines (for your role as Ro-hee) compared to adult actors, but there were a lot of good reviews. I'm curious as to whether you expected this to happen and what thoughts you had as you watched the reactions. Is there a memorable compliment?
A: I didn't expect it (the compliments and good reviews) at all. I just worked hard and had fun, and I hoped that many people would love this work. Thank you very much. I had friends who asked me for spoilers because they thought it was so fun, and what I remember most is when someone asked me for an autograph, saying that he liked me. It was more fun than difficult. I tend to try to have fun doing everything, and I think this is the secret.
Q: Rohee is a genius girl character who has lost her memory, and the setting is fantasy-like. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem to be awkward (for you) at all, and you acted in a way that blended well into the character, so I think that (awkward) barrier disappeared. How did you do it?
A: Rohee is an 11-year-old girl. However, due to the greed of adults, she was trapped in the fence of experimentation. In order to be able to express these characteristics, I tried to express Ro-hee, who has a cold and rude way of speaking, but gradually changes as she receives sincere care when she meets a good adult like Myeong-jun, and despite of the fear inside her, Ro-hee eventually opens up her heart to Myeong-jun.
Q: How was your relationship on set with actor Yoon Kye-sang, who plays Myeong-jun, the ‘good kidnapper and fake-dad’? If you have any memorable episodes, please tell us.
A: He (Yoon Kye-sang) gave me a lot of advice on acting. I feel very fortunate and lucky to have been with actor Yoon Kye-sang when I was performing such a large role for the first time. It was really nice that he was considerate so that I could act comfortably. He's the best uncle. Even as I speak, I miss my uncle (Yoon Kye-sang) now. We still keep in touch these days, and I was touched that he came to see my first performance in the (Sea Village Diary) theatre play.
Q: From the beginning, the character was like a 'cheeky child' and spoke informally (in banmal or casual) to actor Yoon Kye-sang. Were there any concerns that he might come across as 'obnoxious' (distateful)? Even though he was a character with a strong personality, I think that balance was struck well.
A: There were no good adults for Rohee. So in the beginning, she is a little strange, like a cold, spoiled, socially-inept child. But that changes when she meets Myeongjun, a good adult. I understood this character as ‘Rohee is a warm child, but the environment in which she grew up was not.’ So I wanted to express that part well. Although it looks cold and spoiled, I wanted to express the pure and warm heart of a child, not in a strange way.
Q: I know you debuted at the age of 5, and you have already been an actress for 7 years. It must be quite difficult to handle both your studies and acting. Is there a reason why you want to continue acting? I'm also curious about what kind of work you'd like to do if you weren't acting.
A: I think the appeal of acting is that we can live in many characters. That’s why acting is fun. I’ve never thought of any other jobs other than acting! If I don't act... I really don't know (what would I do). I really like acting.
Q: Both young Sunja (in Pachinko) and Ro-hee (in The Kidnapping Day) seem to play many characters with complex emotions and narratives as adults. As an actor, what kind of charm do you want to show in the future?
A: I found those characters interesting, so I had a desire to express them well through acting. I still want to try many different things! I hope people will always be curious about my acting and look out for the next projects I will appear in. I also want to become an actress who can have a positive influence on other people.
Source: https://news.nate.com/view/20231105n01900
Note: "The Kidnapping Day" is available on Amazon Prime Video.
