[INTERVIEW] Rom-com queen Seo Hyun-jin talks about family relationship in her new film

Actress Seo Hyun-jin / Courtesy of Triple Pictures

Actress takes silver screen with 'Cassiopeia,' small screen with 'Why Her'

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Breaking viewers' hearts and making them cry with laughter as the queen of romantic comedies in tvN's "Another Miss Oh" (2016) and JTBC's "Beauty Inside" (2018), actress Seo Hyun-jin has lit up every small screen she has appeared on.

However, appearing on the big screen was a whole new challenge for her.

"This is my first lead role in a motion picture, so I'm anxious to see how the audience would react," she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times held via Zoom.

The 37-year-old said she received the script for "Cassiopeia" about two years ago and saw it as an opportunity to come out of her comfort zone and do something incredibly different, vulnerable and raw.

In the harrowing family drama, Seo plays a 30-something lawyer named Soo-jin who succumbs to Alzheimer's disease. After sending off her daughter to her ex-husband in the U.S., Soo-jin is left alone with her emotionally distant father, In-woo (Ahn Sung-ki), to form a bond.

Seo said there was a realness about the story that appealed to her.

"I said to myself, 'It's a great role, but will people watch? This could be seen as depressing. What if they think I'm faking it?'" she said.

She was also concerned about the movie's emotional scenes, in which she ended up crying many times despite her efforts not to do so.

"I wanted the audience to cry at least at one point. But I myself couldn't stop crying when we were shooting. There was a lot of crying behind the scenes for me," she said.

"I wasn't particularly looking to play different roles, but if I was going to star in a film, I wanted to perform roles with emotional depth," she said.

Seo revealed that her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn't have a chance to meet people with Alzheimer's at long-term care facilities. Instead, I watched every documentary and interview I could get my hands on. In all my research and dealing with my grandmother, I realized that people change as their condition deteriorates, but their personality somehow remains," she said.

Actress Seo Hyun-jin in a poster of the film, "Cassiopeia" / Courtesy of Triple Pictures

Seo opened up about her relationship with her real family. "This movie got me to think about what the parent-child relationship is. I'm always in a love-hate relationship with my family," she said.

Along with the storylines of memory loss and a change in family dynamics, the film touches upon some primal fears that we all have. Asked what scares her, Seo said she fears losing her dog.

Meanwhile, Seo revealed that she now feels kind of appreciative of everything she's gotten to experience. "I've only recently started to realize how lucky I was to star in popular TV and film projects. There are so many TV channels and a wide array of films to choose from, yet people taking interest in my works means a lot to me," she said.

Seo explained about the major difference between film and TV series. "For TV dramas, actors should keep their gaze and upper body within a limited circle around the camera lens. In addition, we would not be able to include scenes like a character's urinary incontinence or suicide attempt. Certain scenes can only be featured in films," the actress said.

Director Shin Youn-shick gave Seo the full freedom on how she wanted to move around in her scenes, and set up the camera accordingly. Because they didn't shoot the film chronologically, Seo tried to be really specific about what she wanted to do in each scene.

"I went to the script many times, so that when we were shooting, there was no question about what I would be doing. I just kept it in my head that way. My mother, who watched the film, told me that I look totally different from the character," she said.

Actress Seo Hyun-jin in a poster of SBS' new drama, "Why Her" / Courtesy of SBS

When asked if there was anyone she wants to watch the film with, Seo chose her father who couldn't come to the pre-release screening event.

"My brother recently told me a story that made me cry a lot. Like usual, my father said he feels left out by his wife and kids. My brother hugged our father from behind. My dad was speechless for a long time. I cried because I realized that he talked a lot because he is lonely," she said.

During the interview, Seo admitted that being a role model remains a stressful part of her life.

"It's a burden to be dubbed a role model by several young actresses. I look back on my 21-year career and I feel like I've walked down the right path until now. In the future, I'd like to try new roles and change my acting style ― like diction and tone," she said.

Passion isn't the only driving force behind Seo's work.

"Without acting, my life is boring and dull. I feel healthier when I'm working because I try to stay in good condition, eating the right food and socializing with people. I also fear that my acting skills would get rusty if I take a break from it for too long," she said.

Seo is also starring as a lawyer in the mystery courtroom series, "Why Her," which will begin airing on SBS this Friday.

"I didn't expect our film's release date to coincide with the TV drama's premiere date. But I'm happy that I get to show off two different works at the same time," she said.