[INTERVIEW] Ra Mi-ran finds her life as working mom mirrored in 'Cold Blooded Intern'

Actress Ra Mi-ran plays the role of Go Hae-ran in the Tving original series, "Cold Blooded Intern." Courtesy of Tving

By Lee Gyu-lee

"Instead of feeling like I was playing this role, the life of the character Go Hae-ra did not seem to be that different from my own life."

Actress Ra Mi-ran / Courtesy of Tving

In an overlap between art and reality, actress Ra Mi-ran finds herself deeply connected to her role as a working mom navigating career challenges after a maternity break in Tving's latest original series, "Cold Blooded Intern."

The 12-part workplace dramedy series, which kicked off on the platform on Aug. 11, revolves around Go Hae-ra (Ra), a mother who returns to her job after seven years of caring for her daughter and sick mother to find herself in the role of a planted intern.

Go used to be a workaholic, highly respected for her ability as a marketer until she left it behind to take care of her family. Years later, she starts fresh, given a secret mission from her former coworker and her current boss, Choi Ji-won (Uhm Ji-won), to encourage fellow working mom colleagues to quit instead of taking maternity leave.

Ra's decision to take on this complex role was influenced by her long-standing professional relationship with director Han Sang-jae. The duo previously collaborated on six seasons of the sitcom series "Rude Miss Young-ae."

The actress shared that the director convinced her to take the role when she hesitated to take the run-of-the-mill character, fully leading the relatable, realistic story.

"Director Han told me that he was making this story a few years ago and told me that I would be a good fit," Ra said. "I've never had a normal social life so I was worried if I would be appropriate. There were relatable elements but it was a bit overwhelming. I didn't feel I could lead it."

A scene from the series, "Cold Blooded Intern" / Courtesy of Tving

Once Ra accepted the role, she found it resonated deeply with her own experiences as a working mom.

"My job is acting, and in here, (Go) goes to the office to work at a company. But they actually have the same context, in the sense that we are both doing what we can do in our position. So I've had a child and taken time off work. I know all too well what it feels like," she said, adding Go's story reminded of her own career break after having her son.

"It's really unsettling because I worried a lot about whether I could return to the stage and if anyone would give me roles again or if I could continue acting. I was buried in these worries for two years … and it's natural to have such concerns. Of course, I left voluntarily, but at some point, whether I could return to work was in someone else's hands. And that wasn't easy."

Tving original series, "Cold Blooded Intern," released on Aug. 11. Courtesy of Tving

When Go finally lands an internship after a handful of rejections, she struggles to fit into the workplace, as a middle-aged intern with her former mentee-turned-manager, and to get herself familiar with the work, which she used to be good at. Despite walking on thin ice, she manages to maintain optimism to prove herself and rebuild her career.

The role offered Ra a chance to explore complex emotions but also served as a mirror to her own experiences.

The actress recalled her personal experience when she also struggled to return to work.

"I would find myself worrying. When I started working again after the break, I felt a huge weight on my shoulders. I made my comeback with the film, 'Lady Vengeance.' And because it was my first time working on a film since my debut, I was unfamiliar with its working environment. So I was very conscious of everything going on in my surroundings," she said.

"At least Go has the experience and stays enthusiastic without being caught up on the idea that she took a break from work. But before that, she walks on eggshells and shows that she has a hard time believing in herself, struggling because she wasn't confident that she could make it," Ra added.

The series, "Cold Blooded Intern," follows a working mom restarting her working life as an intern after taking maternity leave. Courtesy of Tving

Ra shared that the character had a positive influence on her to regain her confidence.

"Go is bright-spirited and hopeful. I used to tell everyone that I'm a very optimistic person. But there came a moment when I felt I lost confidence. This character is the type of person who would stand right back up after a fall. So while playing her, I came to develop a mindset of 'Let's just do it,'" she said.

"After this series, I worked on the drama series 'The Good Bad Mother,' and I could do it with a clear head. It's like I adopted a 'that's fine' attitude attitude of 'What would be so difficult?' or 'How old is my character as the mom?' from Go's mindset."

The actress expressed she hopes this series can offer a sense of comfort to those in a similar situation to Go.

"I just felt pity for Go and thought she was impressive for staying undiscouraged and surviving. So I wanted to give her a sense of support for those who are going through similar circumstances. I hoped they would also get encouragement from the series," she said. "The message is simply telling people that 'Even this person is staying enthusiastic and striving to overcome challenges, so don't give up.'"