[Interview] 'Ms. Incognito' Jeon Yeo-bin "In the end, Yeong-ran is the most..."②

※ 〈Ms. Incognito〉 Jeon Yeo-bin's interview continues in part 1.

Moon Sung-keun (as Ka Seong-ho) and Seo Hyun-woo (as Lee Don) have worked together again after the drama 〈Our Movie〉 ended this year. It must have been a unique experience to work consecutively, please share your thoughts on working with the two actors.​

Seo Hyun-woo oppa calls Moon Sung-keun sunbae a master of super hyperrealism, the original. (laughs) I completely agree with that. When sunbae acts, it’s so real that it’s a bit confusing whether he’s really like that. He delivers such a realistic tone in his performance.

There was a time when I was moved to tears watching Moon Sung-keun sunbae. It was a scene in the early part of the drama where the safe door was just opening. Sunbae didn’t have to be there, but he insisted on continuing to perform the role he had played. Even the staff and I told him he could stop sitting there, but he stayed for about 40 minutes to an hour. Suddenly, I saw sunbae’s back and tears just burst out. Because now, the staff are mostly young, in their 20s to 40s. But that sunbae, whom we all call teacher, kept performing in front of his juniors, even when the camera wasn’t on him. In that moment, I saw how he views and approaches the profession of acting, and how he stands in front of his juniors.

Please also share your thoughts on working with Seo Hyun-woo.

I met Seo Hyun-woo oppa in a very important work for me, 〈After My Death〉, which was released in 2018. He played my homeroom teacher, and at that time, we were both more desperate than now. I remember being happy that it was submitted to the Busan International Film Festival.

But while I have romantic chemistry with Jin-young, Lee Don is a collaborator who executes the revenge of Chairman Ka until the end. I filmed the last scene with Seo Hyun-woo oppa, and we both got so emotional that we cried. We both know how passionately we have run for nearly 20 years, and I think that’s why we comforted and encouraged each other. I think there was a feeling that we are each other’s pride. I often told Hyun-woo oppa, "You are my pride." His attitude on set is great, and he is also an outstanding actor in terms of skills. The character Lee Don had a lot of lines. But when I saw the script, I didn’t know if the character Lee Don could have such an edgy and comedic feel. There are many explanatory lines. But when Hyun-woo oppa did it, it became comedic. Watching that made me think, this is the power of an actor.

The words kind and good have similar meanings, but kindness is more aligned with the essential part of being human, while goodness is often used to positively evaluate others. I’m curious if you have thought about the word good again while working on this project.

The word good seems very multifaceted. A person can be called a good person if they are morally right and have a good influence, but I think the term good also carries somewhat violent connotations. So, one might say someone is good only if their appearance pleases them.

I heard before that in homes raising children, one should not easily praise a child for being good. At some point, the child becomes accustomed to that praise. I heard that the desire to be praised can limit the child’s behavior. In that sense, the word good felt very multifaceted.

And regarding human kindness, I thought that perhaps the heart of compassion is kindness. When seeing someone in a difficult situation, the desire to help that person and the ability to empathize with their difficulties is what I think kindness is.

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After 〈After My Death〉, you have passionately pursued your career for 7 years. When you look back at your past, what kind of path do you think you have walked?

Acting really takes both body and mind, but no matter how hard I try, there are many times when I feel insufficient in this profession, so I often feel like I’m hitting a glass ceiling. But that makes me want to challenge myself, not settle, and keep reflecting.

I do have that feeling. I just like the act of acting itself. This feeling is similar to the longing I had for acting when I was twenty. But I think I’m contemplating how to mature and manage this feeling. Furthermore, since I am in this industry, I want to be an actor who becomes a practical strength to those I work with.

Finally, senior actors who show great performances are often described as ‘actors you can trust and watch.’ But that is really a difficult thing to achieve. So, I will work harder to become an actor you can trust and watch, just like those excellent seniors.

​※ The last Q&A includes spoilers about the ending of 〈Ms. Incognito〉.

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It seems that the story of 〈Ms. Incognito〉 is about Kim Yeong-ran, who has no one around her to recognize her true self, gradually finding someone who acknowledges her unique kindness. I want to know what that rough journey left for Yeong-ran and what kind of growth it brought her.

Yeong-ran, who wished for ordinary days more than anyone, accepts an absurd proposal to escape from hellish days. But in reality, Yeong-ran might not have needed that much money because she wanted to feel ordinary happiness. By the end of episode 12, Yeong-ran receives all that money. But she thinks it was Chairman’s intention and donates it to society, then Yeong-ran leaves. A year later, she returns to Mu-chang. It seems like she has decided to stay close to her precious people.

So, in the end, I think Yeong-ran meets the happiness she truly desired. The warm love that Yeong-ran wanted the most, which might feel ordinary to someone else, but for Yeong-ran, it would be the most extraordinary happiness. Yeong-ran lived thinking there was no love in this world, but in the end, I believe she will find happiness in the embrace of those who recognize and accept her true self, making it her nest.