Actress Kim Hyang-gi revealed the secrets behind Yeo Ui-ju’s unique hairstyle in ‘The Absolute Value of Romance’.
Kim Hyang-gi sat down for an interview to discuss various stories, including her role in the Coupang Play series ‘The Absolute Value of Romance’ (written by Lee Min-ju, directed by Lee Tae-gon).
‘The Absolute Value of Romance’ is a teen series about a high school girl who writes BL novels featuring handsome teachers, only to face unexpected moments with them in real life, turning her school days into a whirlwind adventure. Kim Hyang-gi plays Yeo Ui-ju, a student by day and a romance novelist by night.
Regarding her approach to the role, Kim Hyang-gi said, “When I build a character, I don’t start with the mindset of ‘this is a comedy, so I have to be funny.’ Instead, I try to follow the character’s sincerity.” She added, “I saw Ui-ju as a girl with her own dreams for her age, and someone who can’t help but let them show. I felt that if those aspects blended harmoniously, the comedy would naturally follow.”
This marks Kim Hyang-gi’s first comedy project. She confessed, “At first, there were many scenes where I was alone and the amount of dialogue was quite large, so there were moments where I wondered, ‘Is this right?’ Since it was my first time, I worried about whether I should do more, speak louder, or if I was going too far.”
She continued, “As more characters joined, the energy and synergy grew, and I became more ambitious about making people laugh. I think I might have overdone it at times, but the director helped me by saying, ‘You don’t need to go that far.’ He guided me a lot in those areas.”
Besides being a BL novelist, her bold choppy bangs are a key element that highlights Yeo Ui-ju’s unique personality. Kim Hyang-gi explained, “My hair wasn’t very long after my previous project, so I didn’t have many options. To make a big change, I could have used extensions, but that didn’t feel right for Ui-ju.”
“I thought about what I could do with my own hair and came up with an idea. I felt that Ui-ju was a character who would look better with a slightly messy or spiky look rather than a neat, short cut,” she said with a laugh, adding, “While thinking about how to bring out Ui-ju’s charm visually, I just chopped off my bangs.”
She picked the wig scene as the most memorable. “I thought, ‘When will I ever get to wear something like this and act?'” she recalled. “It was the first day of filming and it was so cold. It was a scene I couldn’t really imagine while reading the script alone, but facing the other actors on set gave me so much more energy.”
She added, “Looking at myself, I just found it funny. I always laughed when I faced the actors during the novel-inspired scenes. Many of those scenes focused on visual points, and I tried to find those moments on set.”
However, she didn’t interpret Ui-ju as purely comic. Kim Hyang-gi said, “I thought she was a child who is very true to her emotions. She’s very honest. On the surface, it seems like she’s hiding a huge secret, but for Ui-ju, it’s not really a secret.”
Showing her affection for the character, she added, “Even though she feels guilty, she keeps going because she believes it’s what she loves. She’s a friend who is very honest with herself and her goals and dreams. That’s why I thought she was cute, funny, and hilarious because of her honesty.”
