[INTERVIEW] Jung Eun-hye, artist and actor with Down's syndrome, paves own path

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Sun, October 1, 2023 | 05:16

Films

INTERVIEWJung Eun-hye, artist and actor with Down's syndrome, paves own path

Posted : 2022-06-21 15:00

Updated : 2022-06-22 16:54

Caricature artist and actor Jung Eun-hye, right, poses with her mother Jang Cha Hyun-sil, center, and stepfather Seo Dong-il. Courtesy of Jin Jin Pictures

'Our Blues' actor to hold caricature exhibition

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jung Eun-hye, a caricature artist who got her big break as an actor playing a character with Down's syndrome who has a talent for drawing, said she was excited to star alongside Han Ji-min and Kim Woo-bin in the recent tvN drama "Our Blues."

"Young-hee (Jung's character) was like a real projection of myself. Screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung and I met up a few times, and she took inspiration from me when creating the character," she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul.

Following her appearance in the TV series, Jung has been receiving a lot of attention. Her YouTube channel has more than 50,000 subscribers who enjoy her artwork and outgoing personality.

Because her role was kept a secret during the filming of "Our Blues," a documentary film that shows how Jung goes about her daily routine and connects to society through art had to delay its theatrical release for about a year.

"We were planning to release 'Please Make Me Look Pretty' in theaters last year, but it got delayed until the TV series ended because the drama production team asked Eun-hye to keep things 'low key,'" said Seo Dong-il, Jung's stepfather and the film's director.

The film centers on how Jung learns to interact with people by drawing caricature sketches of visitors to the Munhori River Market in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

It was Jang Cha Hyun-sil, Jung's mother and the film's producer, who discovered Jung's artistic talent and suggested that she draw portraits at the market as a way of having more social interaction.

"I remember the exact date: Feb. 23, 2013. I saw Eun-hye's portrait of a woman holding perfume and thought to myself, 'She has natural talent.' Eun-hye never learned to draw, but she often stuck around my studio when I was teaching art classes to young kids," she said.

Caricature artist and actor Jung Eun-hye in a scene from the documentary film "Please Make Me Look Pretty" / Courtesy of Jin Jin Pictures

Jung has never taken acting lessons, but she always enjoyed watching dramas and horror films growing up. She said acting in "Our Blues" was a positive experience for her.

Asked about the challenges caused by the production schedule, such as early-morning and late-night shoots and being surrounded by hundreds of production crew members, Jung said, "It wasn't difficult at all. I love meeting new people."

Jung said she is open to future acting opportunities. "I'd like to play a role in a romance drama or a film," she said.

The actor also plans to hold a solo exhibition in Seoul this August. "The title of my upcoming exhibit is 'Hug.' Most of the paintings are ready, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to draw much lately because I'm so busy. One of the best parts of holding an exhibition is meeting lots of people," she said.

During the interview, the parents referred to their daughter as "Eun-hye-ssi," adding the honorific suffix of "ssi" that shows respect to the person.

"Eun-hye is an adult, but she is often treated like a child because she has Down's syndrome. So I thought we need to show respect to our daughter first and show people that she is a fully grown woman who deserves respect," Jang Cha said.

The mother said she believes change is coming, specifically when it comes to how society treats people with disabilities.

"People had the assumption that people with disabilities are not capable, but that is not true. Eun-hye is living proof," she said.

"Please Make Me Look Pretty" will hit theaters on June 23.

yeons.kwak@koreatimes.co.kr