Kim Yoo-jung Perfectly Portrays Sociopath in 'Dear X' with Detailed Acting

Actress Kim Yoo-jung revealed that she utilized delicate eye acting to perfectly embody the sociopath character in the Tving original series 〈Dear X〉.

In a recent interview held in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Kim Yoo-jung explained, "During filming, I intentionally avoided blinking to create a feeling as if my gaze was floating in the air like a three-hundred-eyed person." She also mentioned, "I focused on utilizing the advantage of my large eyes to reveal more of the sclera, and even in a half-closed, sleepy expression, I aimed to convey a sense of calculation happening underneath."

Based on a popular webtoon, 〈Dear X〉 depicts the downfall of actress Baek Ah-jin, who has antisocial personality disorder, after reaching the top. Kim Yoo-jung thoroughly analyzed the original webtoon from start to finish for character research and went through a meticulous preparation process, including consulting psychology professors.

Regarding this, Kim Yoo-jung stated, "Since there were no special references or models to follow, I first watched the webtoon from beginning to end," adding, "Due to the nature of the webtoon, the still images made Baek Ah-jin's cold sociopathic tendencies appear more pronounced. I pondered how to match that as closely as possible when adapting it into video."

Additionally, she mentioned, "I addressed many of the questions we usually have about sociopaths, such as 'Can they feel emotions in such situations?'"

For Kim Yoo-jung, who had a bright image as a child actress, playing the villain Baek Ah-jin was a significant challenge. She tried to fully accept the character rather than just understand it and felt catharsis through the direct lines. Although she experienced a psychologically sinking feeling during filming, she embraced it as part of her immersion into the character.

She recalled, "I lost a lot of weight and felt increasingly psychologically weighed down," adding, "During filming, I felt that it was similar to Ah-jin's situation, so I intentionally tried not to shake it off. The director and fellow actors helped me a lot to talk as Kim Yoo-jung when the camera wasn't rolling."

Kim Yoo-jung, who expected viewers to criticize Baek Ah-jin, said, "I secretly hoped that viewers would curse at Ah-jin and say, 'Why is she like that?' However, surprisingly, there were also viewers who supported Ah-jin. I thought it would be great if Ah-jin was portrayed as a character with ambivalence, and it seems I achieved that goal," she said. She added with a smile, "The evaluation that 'Baek Ah-jin feels like a real person' made me the happiest."

〈Dear X〉 has gained immense popularity, ranking first in the number of paid subscribers on Tving for three consecutive weeks after its release. As Tving's first global simultaneous release, it achieved success by ranking first in the TV show category on major platforms such as HBO Max in the U.S. and Disney+ in Japan. It ranked first on U.S. OTT Viki and Japan's Disney+, and on HBO Max, it reached the top in seven countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Kim Yoo-jung expressed her thoughts, saying, "When I heard that this was Tving's first work to be presented overseas, I was surprised and felt good, but I also felt a lot of pressure," adding, "I'm glad that the response has been positive overseas."

She continued, "Since I was trying to show a different side from my existing image, I feel like I have grown while acting. Therefore, I think this will be a work that I have a lot of affection for."