[Interview] Im Yoon-a from 'Pretty Crazy' Says, "There’s Still So Much I Haven’t Shown... I Want to Challenge Myself with Various Works in Different Tones"

The combination of Lee Sang-geun and Im Yoon-a, which drew 9.42 million viewers and created an unexpected box office sensation with the movie 〈Exit〉, has returned with the film 〈Pretty Crazy〉. In this work, Im Yoon-a challenges herself with a dual role, portraying the neat and innocent ‘Day Seon-ji’ and the hysterical ‘Night Seon-ji’ who causes chaos that no one can stop. Now, Im Yoon-a is growing as an actress who leads the entire work beyond just fulfilling her role. We met actress Im Yoon-a to hear her thoughts on the work and the character Seon-ji.

I’m curious about your feelings ahead of the release of the movie 〈Pretty Crazy〉.

I actually saw the movie for the first time a few days ago. I was curious to see how the director's unique and warm color, which I felt while reading the script, would be conveyed, and I think it was captured very well. I think it’s a work that makes me more curious about how viewers will interpret and perceive it.

What was your impression when you first saw the script for this work? Please also share what part of the script attracted you to choose to participate.

First of all, I thought it would be fun to express various aspects in one work. Of course, it was significant that it was directed by Lee Sang-geun, who directed 〈Exit〉 before. I have good memories of working with him, so while reading the script, I had expectations that if Lee Sang-geun expressed it, he would do it in his unique style. Above all, I found the structure of the character Seon-ji’s narrative and the way the director perfectly ties up all the hints he sprinkled throughout the story very intriguing. That’s what drew me to choose this role.

I think the audience will remember your possessed performance and the laughter of the devil Seon-ji appearing at night. How did you decide on the laughter and speech of ‘Night Seon-ji’?

I talked a lot with the director. The image of the character Night Seon-ji was clearly drawn in the director's mind, so he expressed it a bit and we practiced together, and the laughter was born from me trying to mimic the director's performance. It didn’t come out well from the beginning. I kept practicing until I could do it naturally, and through that, I was able to determine the tone and how much to laugh. Once I captured the laughter, I also established the tone for Night Seon-ji.

Actor Sung Dong-il has done the 'Reply' series, so he is known as the 'Daughter's Father'. It seems like he accepted Night Seon-ji very well. What was it like working with him?

I’ve never met him in person, but I’ve seen him a lot on TV, so there are a few people I feel an internal closeness to. When I met actor Sung Dong-il, I greeted him as if I had known him for a long time, saying, “Hello.” It was a very strange feeling.

But even though he doesn’t really embellish anything while acting, just by saying a word, he has the ability and charm to make it natural and bring smiles. I often thought it was amazing to breathe together with him. And I felt a sense of pride that I was now part of the 'Daughter' lineage. It felt like, “Am I joining now?”

※ The following three questions contain spoilers for the movie.

In fact, the character Seon-ji that can be met during the day and the devil Seon-ji appearing around 2 AM have completely opposite personalities, so it seems like you performed a dual role. It must have been a unique and challenging experience. How was it for you this time?

I think it’s not just a dual role but a triple role. There’s Day Seon-ji, and then there’s the existence of ‘Mun-yang’ that can only be expressed as Night Seon-ji, and the devil. But Night Seon-ji is not a truly scary devil; she is trying to overcome her fears and loneliness through self-defense due to the wounds she has received from people. To hide her fears, she becomes a frightening presence to others. However, I thought that since Mun-yang is 20 years old, there would still be a bit of a young girl feeling left in her. So I acted to make her appear more childlike.

Night Seon-ji is not just a character for fun; she has a hidden story. She shows very hysterical behavior, but she has pain inside. I’m curious about how you tried to portray the psychological elements of this character while reading the script.

In the movie, when the exorcist says, “You’ve been pretending to be a devil,” I felt that it would be a moment of realization for the audience that she is not a real devil but has been pretending. Therefore, I thought that the devilish appearance shown in the early part of the movie should not be expressed by calculating all the wounds this character has. It should be expressed only with the pure mischievousness that this child has, and I believe that as the story progresses, there will be parts where the audience can understand why she acted that way. I just wanted to convey a pure and truly cute little girl-like appearance.

While you differentiated between Day Seon-ji and Night Seon-ji through your performance, the most intuitive difference is in styling. I’m sure you put a lot of thought into the styling differences.

Since Night Seon-ji and Day Seon-ji appear back-to-back, I thought it would be more interesting to show a clear difference between the two. For Day Seon-ji, I captured a more calm and neat image, leaning towards innocence. The hairstyle was either straight or tied in a ponytail. Night Seon-ji, on the other hand, is very flashy. It seems like she is adorned with items from head to toe. And while Day Seon-ji’s colors are somewhat pastel, Night Seon-ji used more vivid and primary colors.

But Night Seon-ji is Mun-yang. The director mentioned that Mun-yang has been alive for 100 years, so she must have seen many trends. In that context, as a 20-year-old, she has incorporated her preferences one by one, which led to her current styling. So it really looks like the styling of a girl who enjoys dressing up at that age.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that most of the comedy elements in this movie come from you, Im Yoon-a. I’m curious if you felt any pressure to make the audience laugh while filming.

I think the points of laughter vary from person to person. If our movie is enjoyable to the audience, that’s a very pleasant thing. However, as an actor, I didn’t think, “This should be funny” or “This needs to be funny.” I think there are parts that unexpectedly make people burst out laughing when the character’s essence comes through. I believe it’s unpredictable. I also generally enjoy comedy elements and often chuckle at moments of witty banter. So when those moments arise, I just tried to express them within the character and script I was given.

You jumped off the Wonhyo Bridge. It must have been an unfamiliar shoot. I’d like to hear about the behind-the-scenes of that shoot.

The jump scene was completed in just one cut. It was a one-time shoot, but for that one cut, I went to the underwater shooting space and practiced various poses, expressions, timing, and camera angles with the director. We tried out many different poses, and the pose in the movie was suggested by the director. So I practiced several times to ensure that the entry would be visible. I also swam myself.

Earlier, actor Ahn Bo-hyun said, “Actress Im Yoon-a is down-to-earth and has a warm presence, which made the filming very comfortable.” What was it like working with Ahn Bo-hyun?

Ahn Bo-hyun has a charm that makes people feel comfortable and approachable. Even though we met for the first time, we could talk freely, and I think that created a comfortable atmosphere for filming. He has often shown a strong image in his characters, but I thought that through the character Gil-gu, he could show another charm he possesses, and I was looking forward to it while filming. I think he expressed Gil-gu perfectly, and I believe many people will like it.

It seems that the other actors you worked with are also supporting your work. Actor Jo Jung-seok appeared in a promotional video, and actor Park Jung-min, who appeared in 〈Miracle〉, is publishing the script book for this movie through his publishing company. Did they say anything ahead of the release of this movie?

First of all, since Jung-seok's movie 〈Zombie Daughter〉 was released first, he led the way, and we encouraged each other by saying that I would show a good follow-up. As for Jung-min, I remember he praised me a lot while we were filming 〈Miracle〉, and this time he created the script book as the representative of MUZE. I felt grateful that it turned out beautifully. I think it will be a time for many people to see how the script of 〈Pretty Crazy〉 was expressed in the movie and to revisit the film. I also told him that the script book captures the charm of the movie very well.

Most of the dramas and movies you’ve done in the last 2-3 years have performed well. So now, with the movie release approaching and the airing of 〈The Chef of the Tyrant〉 also coming up, you might feel a greater sense of responsibility or pressure compared to the past. Do you feel any differences in this regard?

I think the sense of responsibility or pressure comes with each work. Some works have it, and some don’t; it’s just how it is with each project. Both 〈Pretty Crazy〉 and 〈The Chef of the Tyrant〉 are like that. I tend to focus on doing my best with what’s in front of me rather than setting big goals. But if I do that well, I think it will eventually lead to a solid path when I look back later.

So I constantly think about it, and I approach each project with the mindset of doing my best to avoid regrets later. I can’t control the results, but I think that as I do this, I find satisfaction in myself, and there are people who catch new sides of me. So I always try to do my best in the given situation.

As an actress, you probably want to challenge yourself with more diverse new characters. Are there any characters you would like to try?

I don’t have any specific limitations. So I really want to try various characters and works where I can show different atmospheres. I have shown a bright and healthy image a lot, so those bright and lively characters tend to come in more, but I also have various atmospheres and sides. There’s still so much I haven’t shown, and I want to show those sides through works or broadcasts so that people can discover new aspects of Yoon-a. So if given the opportunity, I would like to challenge myself with works in different genres that have different tones.