'I don't want to let go of Moonlight'

Actress Kim You-jung poses ahead of the media interview at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap

Kim You-jung says ‘Moonlight' made her mature actress

By Park Jin-hai

The heroine Kim You-jung, who played the male servant Hong Ra-on who pretends to be a eunuch in the fantasy period drama, "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds" -- which has recently finished airing -- with the actor Park Bo-gum, said that she doesn't feel that the hugely popular drama has actually ended.

"I felt like the drama would continue forever while I was shooting, but it ended. Since I have felt a deep attachment to the Ra-on character, it is hard to leave it and say goodbye," said Kim during the interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. "‘Moonlight' has been the drama that I cannot and I don't want to forget."

The 17-year-old actress debuted in 2003 through a local cookie commercial and has built her acting career appearing in many movies and dramas since.

In "Moonlight" the teenage actress has formed a sweet and romantic partnership with Park who played crown prince Lee Young of the late Joseon Kingdom on the small screen and the drama recorded high TV viewer ratings, with a peak of 23.3 percent, the highest among the Monday-Tuesday night shows aired in the same time slot.

Many critics and media have said the latest show established her as an adult lead, removing the "child actress" tag.

"Many say that this drama is a once-in-a-lifetime drama for me. I would rather say that it was the drama that I have been loved by the public the most in. Ra-on was the character that left a strong impression on the public," said the actress. "I think I also grew up while delivering the growth of Ra-on. This can be seen as a preparation process to become a grown-up actor."

The drama shooting has been as much as fun as it has been a challenge and it has left many good memories.

"If I have to pick one scene where I had so much fun, it would be the pit scene, where I was trapped in a pit with Prince Lee Young. It was such a small place and we were both soaked in sweat, but the whole process was such fun and after the shoot we became really close and our acting became more natural," Kim said.

She says when she picks her next project, she often considers if she can have fun and learn something new.

"I often choose an interesting character that I especially get fond of, not the one that I can excel at," said Kim. "This drama was hard for me, because my Ra-on character needs to express diverse and deep emotions. While filming, I have given much thought about responsibility and how I have to confront challenges head on, instead of trying to avoid them. That made me grow, I think."

Asked about all those years she spent as a child actress, she said it was both good and bad. "As a child actress, I've experienced so many things and was able to learn about the grown-up world early on. It is a good thing, but in the sense that I didn't grow at the same pace as someone my age did, it might not be a good thing," she said.

She added that she wants to be an actress who knows how to respect and learn from others. "I want to be a humble person and an actress who is respected by people," said Kim.

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