Go Youn-jung opened up about the behind-the-scenes story of ‘Resident Playbook’ (hereafter ‘RSPL’).

Recently, an interview with Go Youn-jung, an actor from the tvN drama ‘RSPL’, was held at a cafe in Seocho District, Seoul.

The drama ‘Resident Playbook’, which concluded its final episode on 18th, is a spin-off of the popular drama ‘Hospital Playlist’, and its airing was delayed due to the medical strike issue, ultimately meeting the audience after various twists and turns.

That day, Go Youn-jung shared her feelings about finishing the project, saying, “I’m just sad. It feels like it ended so quickly. It feels like I didn’t do much, so I feel sad that it’s ending. Thinking about everyone parting on the last shooting day makes me sad, but now that it’s really over, I feel like it’s sinking in.”

Regarding the time it took to air, she remarked, “So, I feel like I experience the feeling of parting twice,” adding, “On the last shooting day, I said, ‘Let’s meet again,’ but since I had the next shoot, I was upset. A year later, watching the project again, I couldn’t remember the content well, like what happened with Doi (played by Jeong Jun-won) or which episode it continues from. As a viewer, I found it entertaining.”

She also addressed criticism regarding the disconnect between the drama and the reality of medical strikes. Go Youn-jung cautiously began, “My character keeps saying she wants to quit,” and continued, “But as you’ll see in the drama, the main theme is these friends gradually growing from being so inexperienced in their first year. Of course, I was worried about how it would be received. I didn’t know how the reactions would turn out. I was just glad to meet my friends after a year for the drama promotion, and I thought that focusing on the growth narrative of the underdeveloped character might work. When I first read the script, it didn’t seem like a story about residents but more like the process of clumsy people who don’t quite seem like doctors. So I didn’t have those worries.”

She also shared insights about the pressures of performing medical terminology. When asked about the challenges, she said, “It was difficult, but I thought professors must have found it even harder. We were in our first year, and we had to be clumsy. It had to feel natural and familiar. If it felt too effortless, the director would sometimes give us another direction. I found it easier than I expected to shoot.”

Go Youn-jung, who played the first-year resident Oh Yi-young, said she had to portray a slightly ‘haggard’ look. However, some reactions suggested ‘she is still pretty.’ In response, Go Youn-jung commented, “I was surprised when I monitored myself. In the first 1-2 episodes, there was color correction on screen. My lip color wasn’t that vibrant on set, but it appeared intense on camera. I was also a bit disappointed at first. I think it was a process of finding that balance. If it looked too intense, I had to tone it down, and if I looked too haggard, I had to brighten it up.”

She continued, “On the first day, Yi-young didn’t get into the hospital with the intention of committing to it; she thought she might quit if things went wrong. So, I dressed up a lot. But since the same day continued, the event in the operating room was connected with that makeup, and I think there was a disconnect in the makeup in the surgery room. I styled my hair, put on mousse, and had dark circles and makeup on. Looking back now, I think it didn’t come out well. But since I’m a main character, I wanted to look pretty, so they probably used a reflector, which made some of the makeup fade. I think I need to become a more skilled actress.”

She also mentioned the response to the romance between Jeong Jun-won and her character. Go Youn-jung said, “I didn’t expect the reaction at all. Everyone said, ‘I can’t believe Goo Do-won and Oh Yi-young burst out!’ The writers were surprised as well. (I thought) romance was always guaranteed to resonate. I didn’t expect it to reach this level.”

Go Youn-jung also talked about the relationship between ‘Yi-young and Do-won.’ When asked why Yi-young was drawn to Do-won, she said, “They say first-year residents fall for anything, even if you just poke a straw in a yogurt cup. A small consolation or encouragement feels much bigger than it is. There was also a situation where the teacher Myung Won-hyeon misunderstood, and Gu-seong helped calmly, and even though they had seen each other for a long time, those small points led to strong feelings.”

Go Youn-jung said she had no regrets about the focus on romance. “‘RSPL’ itself tells the story of first-year residents who are not very skilled. Therefore, I didn’t expect deep recognition in a medical drama. Since it has a long narrative, it was a bit more lacking, and we tried to depict growth and progress. So I didn’t feel regretful. I was pleasantly surprised that there could be such a response to romance.”

She also shared her experiences collaborating with other actors. When asked about her thoughts on working with senior actors, she reflected, “It felt like I was watching a performance. In my opinion, from the seniors’ perspective, they certainly wouldn’t want to show mistakes in front of younger cast members. But if they made a mistake, they quickly accepted it like, ‘Just one more time,’ and they didn’t seem ashamed or embarrassed about making mistakes, which looked nice. I thought that was impressive. As an actor, it felt like the air around us changed. As soon as the shoot started, the atmosphere changed before the dialogue began.”

Go Youn-jung also showed affection for actress Lee Bong-ryeon, who portrayed Professor Seo Jeong-min. She said, “I first met Lee Bong-ryeon during ‘Sweet Home,’ but we only greeted each other because we didn’t have any scenes together. After hearing about the casting news, I was really excited. On set, I’m not good at being friendly with senior actors. In a way, we gathered not to have fun, but to work. I worried I might burden the seniors, so I had trouble approaching them for conversation. Thus, I didn’t feel certain about becoming close with them. But on the last shooting day, I didn’t cry, yet when I filmed my last scene with Professor Seo, I started crying a lot. It felt like the relationship on set resembled the one in the narrative. Instead of feeling extremely close, it was more of a feeling of respect and admiration. That’s why I was deeply upset during the last scene.”

Outside of the project, Go Youn-jung shared her candid thoughts. When asked, “What is it like living as Go Youn-jung?” after some contemplation, she replied, “I think it’s fun.” She added, “I’m the type who puts my all into whatever I’m into. I think I’m a bit invested in my work right now. Someone said, ‘Would the representative like this?’ and I thought it probably would be.”

She also expressed her thoughts on the compliment of being ‘pretty,’ saying, “I think I benefit a lot from being noted for my appearance. It’s better to hear that I look pretty rather than that I can’t act well. So that feels good.” She added, “I do think I look pretty when I see the completed version of myself in the shop.” She humorously noted, “And frankly, there aren’t many people who directly tell me I’m pretty to my face. No one tells me, ‘You’re pretty.' While it feels good, it’s also quite embarrassing. Since I’ve heard it a lot today, I think that’s enough for now.”

She also addressed the possibility of a season 2 of ‘RSPL.’ Go Youn-jung expressed, “I would love for it to be made, but since the spectrum was rather insufficient for a first-year story, for it to continue to a second year, it feels like there needs to be another first-year story. It seems we will be in a supporting role, but if a season 2 comes out, it indicates they still haven’t become wise.” She added, “It feels like a mix. I hope the characters become wise quickly, but also I hope they take their time becoming wise before season 2 comes out. Ultimately, I think it would be better to appear in season 3 of ‘Hospital Playlist.’”

While preparing for her next project, Go Youn-jung, who referred to herself as ‘unemployed,’ shared with prospective global viewers, “Honestly, I hope you enjoy it, thinking about the many Korean cultural aspects like eating soy sauce marinated crab or spicy rice cakes. I think there’s a lot that can resonate with Koreans, but no matter what country you’re from, we all have our early career moments. I hope you find it fun while thinking about your own experiences of not being mature yet and growing through that.”

[Photo] Provided by MAA

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