Ha Jiwon Reflects on Her Role in Secret Garden Kdrama

Ha Jiwon’s goal for KDrama Secret Garden was to draw viewers into a magical world so that they may fall in love with the characters.

Recently the actress that starred in Secret Garden interviewed with JoongAng Daily. She talked about why she chose the role, how she wanted to capture the audience with her acting, and what it was like to film the show. Even though the show has come to an end it is still very popular amongst fans.

Jiwon stated that it was stressful during the shooting because of how well she wanted to perform.

“It feels like I just woke up from a dream. I’m still waking up. I was tired and tense during production. Until the director yelled ‘cut’ and the tension melted away, the stress became sickness. But the tension still lingers. I need some time away. A trip would be great. I like being in unfamiliar places and looking at unfamiliar skies.”

Now weeks after the show has come to an end there is still a buzz about the show. Everyone seems to talk about it and mention it to the actress as well as they compliment her on her work. She also stated that she was very thankful for the happy ending that the show provided. She doesn’t believe she could have handled anything less than that. Even her friends were so convinced with her acting.

“I related to the character so well that my friends even texted me saying ‘Gil Ra-im, you have been making my life bright lately. From 80-year-old women to 5-year-old children, people recognize me on the street. I get big smiles everywhere I go – like how Kim Joo-won smiles to Gil Ra-im in the show. I went to the sauna a couple days ago and people there told me how much they enjoyed the show. Then I realized how popular it was.”

Jiwon was very interested in the role of Gil Raim because she enjoys fantasy like movies. She said she instantly fell in love with the story and chose it as her next role. Though she knew that it involved a lot of fantasy and would have to find a way to draw in the audience so they could fall in love with the story like she did. So she did her best to blur fantasy and reality together so that middle aged women could also enjoy the drama.

While preparing for the scenes where she had to act as if Joowon’s soul was in her body, she did a lot of studying of Hyun Bin. She observed him constantly to take notes on his actions and habits. She even listened to recordings of his voice for hours on end just to make sure she could pull it off. She stated, “Every time I looked into a mirror, I hypnotized my self, ‘I am Kim Joowon.’ I don’t know if people noticed, but I tried to imitate Hyun Bin’s eyes.”

Viewers who are entranced by her role compliment her on having saved the world in a past life to be where she is now. They were able to connect with her character so easily that it’s created a bit of envy as well. Her tomboy beauty also left many viewers awed.

“It was exactly what I was going for. If a female character is too perfect and pretty, viewers will be jealous and they wouldn’t have sympathized with Ra-im as much as they did. So I tried to be as ordinary as possible. If I wanted to look pretty and gorgeous, I wouldn’t have picked this character. People say I make the male character more likable when he makes my heart ache.”

She’s been chosen for many roles but it’s left up to her as to which she takes. Just like with any role especially in Secret Garden, she carefully chooses. She wants to make sure that the role she chooses will easily be connecting with viewers. She wants to avoid the roles that involve women who are too fragile. She likes the action of the role itself so that she may play out her own stunts when the time calls for it.

She wants to continue with roles of fearless women who show their strength. “My ideal female role model is someone who is not fragile – someone who is independent and charismatic. I want to keep doing action scenes like Angelina Jolie.” She said in hopes her next role will be equally as pleasing as her role in Secret Garden.

Source: JoongAng Daily

credit tvbanimeonline
Written by: nikkiepop@Kpoplive.com