Everyday life also resembles "Kind Kim Seon-ju." I met the kind actress Sim Yi-young both on set and in front of her family.

Sim Yi-young played the title role of Pi Seon-ju in the MBC daily drama "Kind Kim Seon-ju," which ended on the 2nd. To mark the conclusion of the work, I recently met Sim Yi-young at a cafe in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to discuss the drama and her current situation.

"Kind Kim Seon-ju," which ended with an impressive total of 126 episodes. Sim Yi-young, who managed to pull it off without any omissions, said, "The charm of a series is really great. It feels like meeting a friend. I like that a lot. Even when I leave the set, the staff and fellow actors I see there are very precious people, creating a family-like harmonious atmosphere. That's why I like it. Getting real-time feedback is also enjoyable."

He said, "Honestly, people ask if it's hard, but physically I'm really fine. It's not that it's completely easy, but the joy is great enough to endure any difficulties. Rather, the filming environment has improved a lot compared to before. It's no longer a schedule that involves filming all night long. There's instead a time limit like going to work regularly. Of course, as the main character, I have a lot of time on set, but I do that, rest the next day, go out again the following day, and sometimes finish before dinner at 7 p.m.," emphasizing that the filming location was particularly pleasant.

Sim Yi-young, who decided to participate due to a connection with writer Seo Jeong, noted, "The script was so interesting. Initially, I received the first draft that was over 10 episodes long, and the script read really quickly. The dialogues were even more fun than in my first project, with phrases that felt like they could occur in real life, along with good lessons that had unpredictable developments. For instance, my mother would suddenly say to my grandchildren, 'Why do you want to eat chicken?' The lines really didn't connect, but there are many situations where conversations could abruptly happen in the flow of consciousness in real life."

However, the circumstances surrounding the work were not easy. Frequent cancellations were suffered due to the martial law that occurred on Dec. 3 of last year. However, Sim Yi-young smiled calmly, saying, "It's an inevitable environment, isn't it?"

Instead, Sim Yi-young focused on the character of "Kind Kim Seon-ju." He revealed, "I've been contemplating something lately. While I blame that person and think of some form of punishment, it felt like my expressions didn't convey that much. There was something I was left feeling regretful about. I wondered if I should be harsher. I want to be tougher and stronger, but it seems I don't feel enough malice to do that."

He said, "So, I pondered. It actually makes me feel better to be mean to my ex-husband. I have really felt despising him before. Strangely, I don’t harbor malice towards friends, women, or elders; it doesn’t rattle me as much. That’s why I think I could maintain the tone of 'Kind' Kim Seon-ju without swaying."

Sim Yi-young said, "On one hand, I wondered if being a bit tougher would make people feel less frustrated with Seon-ju. But strangely, I didn’t feel much of that urge for revenge. Generally, I haven’t had much animosity or resentment towards neighbors. In reality, if such a person exists, I tend to avoid them. I don’t have a personality that fights with someone to the end. Instead, I think it’s better to avoid them. If I keep running into them, I often feel ambiguous because I don’t have big feelings to engage in confrontation."

Sim Yi-young said regarding the 'gentle charm' of "Kind Kim Seon-ju," "The writer did a great job maintaining that. The villains ended up destroying themselves rather than being defeated by the blade of the person they were at odds with, and I felt that the writer is a truly kind person in that regard," she laughed.

Sim Yi-young shared that actors like Choi Jeong-yun, Song Chang-ui, and Jeong Yeong-seob, whom she worked with, all are parenting around the same age as her children, creating a similar environment for them to relate well. She said, "Nam Jin (Jeong Yeong-seob) and I are especially the same age, but Nam Jin is a husband who helps a lot with childcare. His wife works, and since their son is four years old, he has to return home early. Everyone looked upon him with sympathy. Song Chang-ui, Choi Jeong-yun, and I have children in elementary school, so we understood well since we've gone through that stage."

How did her two daughters, who are in the 5th and 2nd grades, perceive their mother Sim Yi-young's acting? Sim Yi-young laughed as she said, "The children really liked Seon-ju. They enjoy and support what my husband and I do as actors," expressing her gratitude.

Her husband, Choi Won-young, who is also a fellow actor, gives her advice on her acting and supports her. Sim Yi-young shared, "My personality is really similar to Seon-ju's, so even if my husband and I have different thoughts, I tend to agree by saying, 'If that's how you feel, then that's fine.' I believe there's no need for one side to take the lead all the time. If someone treats me differently, it doesn’t feel right to me," she laughed.

Sim Yi-young, who noted, "He gives me a lot of advice acting-wise," explained, "My husband recommends strong female character roles he has seen and lets me know. He’ll say things like, 'That actress acted really well, you could do this kind of acting too.' Lately, he has been talking a lot about Yeom Hye-ran. We watched 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' together with the kids and I saw them crying. He also recommended the movie 'Substance' as being really good."

In reality, Sim Yi-young has been too busy with the filming of "Kind Kim Seon-ju" to watch "When Life Gives You Tangerines." She expressed her mixed feelings, saying, "I think I still have to go to the recording studio." He said, "I filmed 'Kind Kim Seon-ju' for ten months, and on the last day of set filming, we had a gathering as if it were a farewell party. The thought that I need to see it again didn’t give me the feeling of an ending," she laughed.

He concluded, "The ending scene was beautiful. I felt relieved and mixed emotions, as always. When a project ends, there are always many regrets, and in terms of acting, I can’t say I am completely satisfied with what I have done, so I occasionally think that there might have been something more I could have done when I checked the monitor. That’s why acting is fun," he expressed, leaving anticipation for what’s next.

[Photo] High Entertainment, provided by MBC.

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