Actress Go Ah-sung (33) is celebrating her 30th anniversary since debut! While many still remember her as a child actress, she has long been recognized as a powerhouse performer with a wide acting spectrum. Now, after working with legendary directors and actors, she has taken on her very first play. Though the new environment feels a bit unfamiliar, she is showing off her unique charisma while connecting deeply with the audience in every show.
Go Ah-sung made her stage debut in the play ‘Uncle Vanya’, which opened on the 7th. With a 30-year career, her filmography is already legendary, but she is a total rookie in the world of theater!
‘Uncle Vanya’ is the third production in the LG Arts Center’s series, reinterpreting Anton Chekhov’s classic for a modern audience. This version is brought to life by director Son Sang-kyu, who previously proved both the artistic and popular appeal of the play ‘The Lives of Others’.
In the play, Go Ah-sung plays ‘Sonya’, the niece of ‘Vanya’, who silently bears the weight of tomorrow even as her world crumbles. She is the sole cast member for the role and will be on stage for about a month.
In the story, Sonya is a woman who hides her wounds and loneliness behind a light exterior. Despite not being loved by her father or those she loves, she comforts her somewhat immature uncle, Vanya. While she may seem like the only ‘normal’ person among the characters, she often appears to suffer from a lack of affection, yet she is a poignant figure who ultimately prioritizes comforting others over herself.
Sonya’s frustrating personality was so hard to grasp at first that it even led to sleep-talking! Go Ah-sung mentioned that this was part of the process of blending her own speaking style into the character to make the moments feel more realistic.
Through repeated practice, she finally found the answer. Go Ah-sung felt a sense of deja vu and found the key to the character in the final scene of ‘Uncle Vanya’.
During a round interview on the 13th, Go Ah-sung explained her connection to the character, saying, “I empathized with Vanya’s line, ‘I can’t even reconcile with myself.’ The feeling of hopelessness that comes from giving up on one’s dreams and compromising with reality really hit home.” She added, “When Sonya asks Vanya, ‘Have you never been happy in your life?’, it resonated with me too. I thought about how that might be something anyone would want to hear.”
The ordinary daily life on stage, mixed with laughter, ends in tears. Go Ah-sung shared, “The completion of the scene was about delivering comfort to the other actor. My goal was to make Lee Seo-jin sunbaenim cry, and it turned out he was much easier to make cry than I thought. He cried in every single show up to the 5th performance!” This comment earned a hollow laugh from Lee Seo-jin.
About a year later, she brought ‘Uncle Vanya’ to the stage with Director Son. The chemistry between Go Ah-sung and the director was perfect. She recalled, “Director Son advised me that Sonya was calmer than expected and that I needed to raise my tension significantly. He gave me a lot of energy.” She added, “In 19th-century rural Russia, Sonya was a character who worked silently without much presence. I think Director Son envisioned a Sonya who stirs up the stage from the moment she appears. Thanks to that, a much more energetic Sonya was born.”
The actors spent their practice period completing their characters by focusing on different points. This allowed them to embody emotions and narratives they hadn’t experienced personally. Go Ah-sung noted, “I loved the naturalism of Astrov (played by Yang Jong-wook). Because of that, I was able to leave a deeper impression of Sonya’s comfort in the value of living and working silently.”
Currently balancing ‘Uncle Vanya’ performances (except Mondays) with the filming of the drama ‘The Miracles of the Namiya General Store’, Go Ah-sung confessed, “It feels strange to see a camera in front of me after being on stage. I think that’s how great the charm of theater is.” She shared her emotional shift, saying, “Even though I’ve been acting for a long time, I never thought about getting this close to the audience. It’s amazing to perform with the audience right there in front of me.”
Having felt the magic of sharing emotions and breathing in the same space as the audience, Go Ah-sung expressed, “I hope people feel that the distance, which was always there on TV or screens, has closed.” She added, “While performing, I thought I wanted to live like Sonya. I want to be an actor who finds hope within themselves while silently doing their job.”
‘Uncle Vanya’, which has garnered attention for its casting that combines public familiarity with acting depth, will run until the 31st at the LG SIGNATURE Hall, LG Arts Center Seoul in Magok, Seoul.
