Actress Kim Se-jeong, "'Moon River' 1 Person 3 Roles, Distinguishing Characters with Three Voices"

Actress Kim Se-jeong shared her thoughts on her 1 person 3 roles performance in the MBC drama 〈Moon River〉 (hereafter 〈Moon River〉). She expanded her acting range by portraying three completely different characters: Crown Princess Kang Yeon-wol, Deputy Minister Park Dal-i, and the Crown Prince embodied in a woman's body.

⬦ Crown Princess·Deputy Minister·Crown Prince…Prepared 3 Different Voice Tones

During a press conference held at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul on the 18th, Kim Se-jeong said, "At first, I felt a lot of pressure. I was worried about how to distinguish the three characters, and after trying it, I felt that it was indeed a good decision to take on the challenge." She added, "I resolved not to be afraid of new challenges."

In the drama, Kim Se-jeong played the Crown Princess Kang Yeon-wol, who loses her memory and lives as Park Dal-i. Additionally, she had to perform the challenging role of expressing a man's appearance embodied in a woman's body when the souls of Park Dal-i and Crown Prince Lee Kang (played by Kang Tae-oh) are swapped.

To emphasize that the characters have the same face but completely different personalities, Kim Se-jeong particularly focused on studying speech patterns. She explained, "I prepared three different voices: Yeon-wol has a gentle and elegant voice, while Dal-i has a strong and assertive voice."

When playing the Crown Prince role, she directly sought help from her co-actor Kang Tae-oh. Kim Se-jeong revealed, "I asked Tae-oh oppa to read the script for me, and I followed along while listening to the recording."

⬦ SOS to Ha Ji-won from 〈Secret Garden〉…Special Advice

After much contemplation, Kim Se-jeong sought advice from senior Ha Ji-won, who acted in the drama 〈Secret Garden〉, where the souls of the male and female leads are swapped. She said, "I had a connection with the senior from a variety show we did together, so I asked her to have a meal with me. When I mentioned that I was going into 〈Moon River〉, she gave me a lot of advice. She told me to observe the habits of my co-actor and to talk as much as possible."

For Kim Se-jeong, who was taking on her first historical drama challenge, Ha Ji-won also generously shared advice based on her experiences in productions like 〈Hwang Jin-yi〉 and 〈Damo〉. Kim Se-jeong expressed her regret, saying, "Ha Ji-won advised me to hold the mane when riding a horse, but there were no scenes of me riding alone, so I couldn't hold the mane."

Thanks to these efforts, she received praise for blending well into her character despite it being her first historical drama. Kim Se-jeong said, "The character had many similarities to me. She is confident, unyielding, and speaks her mind, which resonated with me in many ways."

The chemistry with her co-actor Kang Tae-oh also added strength to her performance. Kim Se-jeong recalled, "We played around and came up with many new ideas, and we were able to trust each other."

⬦ After Acting, Returning as a Singer…Remake of Sung Si-kyung's Hit Song 'Moon River'

The drama 〈Moon River〉 concluded on the 20th, and Kim Se-jeong, a former girl group member, returned as a singer with her first solo single 'Moon River'. She stated, "When I sing, I want to act, and when I act, I want to sing. I hope that through this (1 person 3 roles historical drama) challenge, I have made new progress in my acting, and I hope my singing has also grown to the next level."

'Moon River' is a remake of Sung Si-kyung's song. Kim Se-jeong said, "It was such a difficult song that I sought advice from senior Sung Si-kyung. He told me, 'Reduce your thoughts. The more thoughts you have, the less emotion you convey.' Hearing that really helped me a lot."

She also expressed her desire to continue alternating between acting and singing in the future. Kim Se-jeong conveyed, "What I know is still just a small part. There are many aspects of singing and acting that I have yet to explore, and I am excited about that. It motivates me in my work."