On the 26th, an interview was held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with Park Ji Hyun, the lead actress of the movie ‘Wild Thing’ (directed by Son Jae Gon).
‘Wild Thing’ is a comedy about ‘Triangle’, a three-member co-ed dance group that once dominated the music scene but disbanded overnight due to an unexpected incident. Now, 20 years later, they are taking a reckless leap to seize a chance at a comeback.
Park Ji Hyun plays ‘Domi’, the center and the ultimate charm of ‘Triangle’. Domi is a character with a surprising twist, switching from bubbly and bright on stage to a rough girl-crush vibe off stage. After retiring, she lived an elegant life as the daughter-in-law of a wealthy family, but a proposal to reunite ‘Triangle’ awakens her suppressed instincts, leading her to make a glamorous escape back to the stage.
Sharing her thoughts on acting in a co-ed idol group alongside Gang Dong Won and Um Tae Goo, she admitted, “Since it was a character I had never tried before, I was honestly quite burdened. The casting lineup of my seniors was so glamorous that I worried if I would fit in.” She added, “The director gave me confidence, saying he saw my inherent qualities through my previous works, other content, and my appearances on YouTube. I trusted the director and gave it my all.”
To prepare for the role, Park Ji Hyun put in a lot of physical effort, including tanning and building abs. “It was a new experience for me, and I felt that the tan actually suited me well. I thought it would be a great way to differentiate Domi in her 20s from Domi in her 40s. I wanted to capture the free-spirited nature of 20s Domi. She’s an honest and easygoing ‘cool girl’ when it comes to expressing herself, and I wanted to show that freedom through the tan. I did build abs, but they’re gone now,” she laughed.
Regarding her experience with comedy, she revealed, “I’ve wanted to do comedy since I first started acting. I had big dreams about it, but once I actually tried it, it was much harder than I expected.” She explained, “It’s not just about the acting or having a funny script. Everything has to align perfectly. It’s a very subjective genre and feels completely unpredictable.”
When asked if she practiced in front of a mirror to nail the girl group center look, Park Ji Hyun replied, “When I look in the mirror, I become too self-conscious and my confidence drops. Instead, I put videos of singers on a screen and performed alone in my room. I practiced while being totally self-absorbed. I couldn’t possibly show that side of me to other people.” She continued, “I worked hard to boost my confidence. Rather than worrying about how I looked, I did my best to believe in myself and show confidence on stage. I felt that G-Dragon’s confidence on stage was incredibly attractive.”
Meanwhile, ‘Wild Thing’ is set to be released on June 3.
