Kim Da-mi from ‘Nine Puzzles’ explained the character settings of Yoon Ina as she interpreted them.
On the afternoon of the 5th, an interview with Kim Da-mi, the lead actress of the Disney+ original series ‘Nine Puzzles,’ was held at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
‘Nine Puzzles’ is a mystery thriller in which Yoon Ina (played by Kim Da-mi), the only witness to an unresolved case 10 years ago and a current profiler, unravels the secrets of a series of murder cases reignited with mysterious puzzle pieces, while Han Sem (played by Son Suk-ku), a detective from the homicide team, suspects her to the end.
Kim Da-mi took on the role of Yoon Ina, who was both the only witness and a suspect after her uncle was murdered 10 years ago, becoming a profiler to uncover the secrets of that day. Yoon Ina is a character that highlights somewhat cartoonish elements despite being in a drama. When asked if she faced difficulties in managing Yoon Ina’s tension, she replied, “At first, I worried because Ina’s character feels very elevated and somewhat unrealistic. So I had concerns about that, but I thought it was unique to Ina’s character. I believed there would be some special qualities arising from that, so rather than finding it difficult, I tried to find a middle ground while profiling with the director, taking a serious tone and lowering it.”
She noted, “In terms of speech, I actually wanted to talk faster. Since conveying the message is a key part, I wanted to imbue more character traits in the early scenes, but the director thought that conveying how the incident progresses to the audience was the primary goal, so we maintained that rhythm only in the initial part. After that, when empathy set in, Ina’s character appeared in line with that, so I aimed to keep it centered around the incident from there.”
In particular, Yoon Ina revealed sociopathic traits by not being disturbed by her uncle’s death. Regarding this, Kim Da-mi explained about the character Yoon Ina, saying, “I actually thought she was an outstanding person in one aspect. Strong in profiling, imagining with her mind, and having high concentration. I didn’t think she lacked social skills; rather, I considered her to be someone who wants to take care of her teammates and be loved. I did think she was lacking in social skills, but in a way, she developed to be genius-like, and when that doesn’t happen, she seems to become quite anxious. I didn’t think of her as a sociopath.”
However, there were mixed reviews among viewers regarding her somewhat childish speech. Kim Da-mi acknowledged, “I thought there would be mixed feelings about it. I had that concern at the beginning. Generally, when leading a drama, it can seem awkward for a character with such a high tone to lead the story. The character could appear detached from the central narrative.”
Nonetheless, she stated, “I thought that was a characteristic of the work. In some ways, that different aspect could be a challenge, but I believed there could be points where the drama looks different because of the character. I worried that there might be parts where people don’t empathize because Ina expresses her emotions unusually. I thought about that, and in the scene where she consults with Seung-joo, I tried to incorporate more of Ina’s painful points. I believed it might be okay if the audience didn’t empathize because that could be a feature of the character. However, the director told me that empathy needed to be there, so I added many of those elements.” She added, “I usually don’t speak that high, but there is something from my personality in it. It’s true that I spoke much higher than my usual tone.”
On the other hand, in response to the reactions that Yoon Ina’s styling resembles Conan from the comic ‘Detective Conan,’ she said, “Actually, I didn’t refer to that. I just thought a tie would be nice. The director originally wanted to show various cartoonish characters, so I hoped Yoon Ina would have her own unique style. We discussed various things, and then I thought about a tie, and when I mentioned it, the director thought it was good, so the costume team tried a vest and settled on that. Since I’ve never had a short cut, I considered trying one, and eventually, I was able to create that look.”
Continuing, she said, “I often wear glasses in daily life. The director suggested, ‘How about wearing glasses while profiling?’ so I wore them, and they became Yoon Ina’s signature. As I added things like a spiky hairstyle and nail polish, it gradually came together. In fact, the staff created many memes because she looked similar to a cartoon character. I realized I could look like a cartoon character, and even after the release, people said I looked like Conan, so it was fascinating to see the cartoonish aspect we had envisioned with the director reflected in the character.” (This interview will continue in Part 2.)
[Photo] Disney+
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