The Meeting of Ahn So-young and Bang Hyo-rin, the Legend of 'Aema' Comes True

In the process of creating erotic films that swept Korea in the 1980s, the Netflix series 〈Aema〉 depicts the story of top star ‘Hee-ran’ bravely confronting the dark reality hidden behind the glamorous spotlight and rookie actress ‘Joo-ae’. On August 29 (Friday), Director Lee Hae-young, Jin Sun-kyu, Bang Hyo-rin, and Ahn So-young successfully completed the GV at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall. First, Director Lee Hae-young shared about the interest in 〈Aema Woman〉 which served as the motif for the work and the background of its production, saying, “The era of the 80s itself seems to have had a lot of influence on me. The contradictions that 〈Aema Woman〉 has, the era when erotic films were encouraged and actively produced, yet the freedom of expression was completely impossible, I thought that if we unravel the contradictions of that era from today’s perspective, we might be able to tell a new story or message.” He explained the process of making it into a black comedy that exposes the era.

Regarding the reason for casting Bang Hyo-rin in the role of ‘Aema’, he said, “At first, I didn’t seem to have a specific character in mind. But after meeting Bang Hyo-rin, I realized that I wasn’t looking for someone who appeared glamorous on the outside for the role of ‘Joo-ae’. As ‘Joo-ae’ said to ‘Geun-ha’, ‘There is nothing clear. I just don’t want to bend or retreat. I don’t know what to do, but I have to keep fighting to move forward.’ I thought this was the essence of ‘Joo-ae’, and that it resembled not only the image that Bang Hyo-rin has but also the texture of her acting and the emotions she conveys, as well as her attitude as a person.” He added that Bang Hyo-rin was ‘Shin Joo-ae’ itself. Bang Hyo-rin expressed her feelings about working on the project, saying, “I watched a lot of movies from the 70s and 80s with my father, who loved movies since I was young, and I felt like I could catch a glimpse of that era. It was a great honor and I was very excited to work with Director Lee Hae-young, who loves and cherishes movies.” She also shared, “Before the audition, I received the script from parts 1 to 6 and I think I memorized almost all of ‘Joo-ae’s lines from beginning to end. Rather than trying hard to memorize, I think I naturally memorized them as I deeply internalized the situations that ‘Joo-ae’ was in at that time. So, I naturally became ‘Shin Joo-ae’ while holding those lines in my heart, and I think that was my effort.”

Jin Sun-kyu said, “All the characters of ‘Gu Jung-ho’ were included in the script written by the director, and the director said that ‘Gu Jung-ho’ is a really vile person, but still, he wanted him to be sexy and cool. The makeup and costume teams expressed the shiny face and the appearance created by desire well during that difficult era, and I think I created that character while delivering the lines written by the director.” Reporter Lee Hwa-jung asked, “There were points where I was persuaded by ‘Gu Jung-ho’. I think the way he was trying to find his own way to make a movie was realistic.” Jin Sun-kyu responded, “Because the character ‘Gu Jung-ho’ existed in that era, this history was created, and this work came out. I thought while acting, ‘How weak must this person have been to muster the courage to achieve that desire?’ Of course, the word courage does not suit ‘Gu Jung-ho’. He is a character for whom no excuse is useful, but I think the size of the desires and dreams that all characters have to survive in that era is a bit different. I think ‘Gu Jung-ho’ is a character who expresses his desires and ambitions more than others, even if he gets caught.” He explained his interpretation of ‘Gu Jung-ho’. In response, Director Lee Hae-young said, “‘Gu Jung-ho’ is the worst person and villain in 〈Aema〉, but I wanted to show this character a little more richly. The way to do that is to act a fierce character, but also to show the sincere tears he displayed at the awards ceremony, and the very good human Jin Sun-kyu, and the comedic acting. If all the many aspects he has can blend well into ‘Gu Jung-ho’, I hoped he would not be a thin villain but a character that can be read in various ways.” He explained the background of casting Jin Sun-kyu. Director Lee Hae-young responded to a question about the line representing ‘Gu Jung-ho’, the female character of 〈Aema〉, saying, “The scene of riding a horse on Gwanghwamun Street at the end was the driving force that started this story. In fact, I did everything to direct that scene, and all these stories were necessary.” He expressed that he wanted to completely overturn the image of riding a horse to obey the desires of men that were realized in 〈Aema Woman〉 and aimed to gallop down Sejong-daero in the 80s when the Governor-General of Korea was present, receiving applause from the audience.

Additionally, Director Lee Hae-young shared the background of casting Lee Ha-nee in the role of ‘Hee-ran’, saying, “I thought that if I couldn’t cast Lee Ha-nee in the role of ‘Jeong Hee-ran’, this story would be impossible. So, I persuaded Lee Ha-nee stitch by stitch with the heart of a designer, and it was a story made possible because Lee Ha-nee courageously chose it. Therefore, my directing goal was to extract everything from A to Z that Lee Ha-nee has, and I poured everything I knew about Lee Ha-nee into 〈Aema〉. So, I directed without regrets and I think I showed a performance without regrets, and I am very satisfied.” Following that, Bang Hyo-rin shared, “While filming, I got a glimpse of that era for a moment, and I thought about how much the seniors at that time must have gone through to achieve all of this, which made me feel respect, gratitude, and also a sense of guilt. I also vowed to continue my acting career and to protect the love for movies like my seniors.” She shared her complex feelings about acting in 〈Aema〉.

Meanwhile, the original ‘Aema’ Ahn So-young made a surprise appearance and received enthusiastic cheers. Director Lee Hae-young shared about the process of inviting Ahn So-young for a cameo, saying, “A word she said about her acting life in a documentary she appeared in with her son was a great inspiration and influence for me when I was writing 〈Aema〉. So, I wrote it with my respect, tribute, and love for the path she has walked. While preparing for the shoot, I wanted to invite her into this work with a heart of respect, and I thought that just by having her appear at the end, it would become a powerful link connecting the past and present, making the struggles of ‘Hee-ran’ and ‘Joo-ae’ real.” He shared this while showing a moment of tears. Ahn So-young added, “Living as an actress in Korea is a very difficult and heavy task. In our time, being an actress was not this glamorous. I think Director Lee Hae-young got emotional for a moment because he knows this difficulty.”

At the end of the GV, Director Lee Hae-young said, “Thank you very much for the kind words about 〈Aema〉. In fact, seeing such a hot response has really been a great strength and encouragement. I hope it remains a work that is talked about for a long time.” Bang Hyo-rin added, “The more you watch 〈Aema〉, the more you can feel the meaning and deep resonance of the lines. I would appreciate it if those who have seen it would watch it multiple times. I hope many people will watch it.” Jin Sun-kyu expressed, “I was curious and excited about how people would view it before it was released, and after it was released, many people told me they liked it. I feel the hot response as we are doing this GV. Thank you so much for watching, and I hope you will watch it again and give it a thumbs up.” Ahn So-young also said, “I hope to be reborn as a work with a story, breaking away from the old image through 〈Aema〉, and I sincerely thank the director. Please support 〈Aema〉 and watch it a lot,” concluding the GV. 〈Aema〉 received enthusiastic praise and successfully concluded the GV, and is currently streaming on Netflix.