Actress Kwon Yuri: another name Girls’ Generation’s Yuri has earned. And a 24-year old Kwon Yuri that we don’t know. At the point where all three images overlap, she started to speak words that were probably thought out for a while now. Yuri’s face wasn’t trying to hide the many worries and different scenes than usual that have been wrapped around her.
CeCi: The drama ‘Fashion King’ ended in May. I think it might have felt like a first crush, as it was your first time acting in a drama.
Yuri: That expression really hits home. My heart fluttered like my first crush, and I really anticipated it. There was as much pain as I was lacking. It was a very innocent, sad emotion, but I think it would be difficult trying to express how I feel exactly. I don’t know if it’s because I fell so deeply into my role of ‘Anna’ that there was a time where I even worried, ‘What kind of person am I, really?’ It was a time where I hurt and learned a lot. Only two, three months had gone by, but it was really embarrassing watching myself. Not too long ago, during an overseas schedule, I saw ‘Fashion King’ on TV, and I changed the channel without even realizing it. (laugh) Watching it again after bracing myself, it was really nice.
CeCi: You keep saying you were hurting a lot. Was it the hurt that the role of Anna had, or from your own acting or the results of the drama?
Yuri: I don’t have even 1% of regret with the results. It’s about my acting and character. With each episode, worries and hurt started emerging as I focused on my role. As soon as I saw the script for ‘Fashion King’, because I wanted to do it so much, I just jumped into it. However, there was a scene in the first episode where I had to use English perfectly. Regret and worries started with, ‘Ah, did I make the wrong decision?’, and the more I got to know my character, it felt even more like a difficult one. But I think that is why I wanted to finish it even more. If it was destiny that Anna came to me, I felt completing the drama itself would help answer some doubts about myself. The time I spent worrying and acting was a time for me to answer all the questions I had about myself.
CeCi: Your role was very heavy and complicated. Did Anna’s depression intrude your inner self?
Yuri: I want to say, ‘Not really,’ very calmly, but I was actually really depressed. Because I wanted to feel Anna a lot closer, I could have been doing that on purpose. In order to hide that, I would act more cheerful, and the staff probably didn’t know. But people that are close to me all asked why I had become so gloomy.
CeCi: Have you grasped any survival skills through your first experience on a filming set?
Yuri: My own method of getting along with anyone is ‘ask a lot of questions’. Not being embarrassed of not knowing something. I try to talk, patiently, until a trust is gained.
CeCi: You’d need to be really brave for that. Did it work naturally?
Yuri: I’m actually really shy, so I usually can’t do it well. But on the drama set, it is true that I am the youngest and am lacking the most. So in order to at least not cause any damage, I felt that the only thing I could do was gain answers from seniors and learn quickly.
CeCi: I would think you would feel lonely on set by yourself, unlike when promoting with Girls’ Generation.
Yuri: I felt a lot of things. I thought, ‘There are a lot of benefits I can enjoy with my superficial talents’, and my affection for my members deepened. While I was filming, Girls’ Generation – TTS was promoting, so I sang and danced along while watching music programs. The staff members said, ‘You’re a natural born singer,’ and I agreed with it, thinking, ‘Singing as a member of Girls’ Generation is really a great happiness!’
CeCi: Hearing ‘superficial talent’ from Girls’ Generation’s Yuri, I’m surprised at the strong expression. Is it really like that?
Yuri: It means that, compared to the small talent I have now, I’m receiving copious amounts of love and understanding. The love I can give is so small compared to the amount I receive, and I’ve wondered how I could pay back all of that love.
CeCi: The drama credits carried your real name, Kwon Yuri, instead of Yuri.
Yuri: If you look at it from a large scale, it feels like ‘Yuri Act 2′. It simply carried my real name. I’ve always dreamed of the three characters of my name appearing on TV, but when I actually did see the three characters reading ‘Kwon Yuri’, it felt a bit unusual.
CeCi: Whether it’s in a good way or bad, ‘Fashion King’ was a drama that the word ‘youth’ suited.
Yuri: My heart felt full and also was a bit lame… That’s right. It was an extremely realistic youth. There were some that said there were some things that were uncomfortable or stifling to watch, and there were others who said they didn’t feel well after watching it. Because it was a drama that constantly showed the true intentions rather than a heart fluttering fantasy, there were various responses.
CeCi: Your 20′s, how do you want your youth to be?
Yuri: I hope my youth hurts a lot. I hope to be able to accept life’s ups and downs matter-of-factly and overcome them well. I will grow and learn twice as many things within that time. Because I’m the type who looks for trouble and worries too much, exhausting myself, but I wish it would just be like that.
CeCi: As an actress, your first steps were a bit heavy. What do you think would be your next best step?
Yuri: I don’t want to play a light role immediately. As long as it isn’t a role that overuses my image, I want to try any role.
CeCi: Do you have any image or role that you want to be in charge of within Girls’ Generation?
Yuri: I did when we first debuted. But as I gained experience, I felt that it would be nice to become a person that doesn’t have a set image, modifier, or role. I want to attempt many things and become a person who suits challenges. If I had to choose, I want an energetic image. A person that gives off the feeling of liveliness! If you think about it, energetic and liveliness, in the end, becomes charisma. I think that charisma is something that comes out when you trust and are sure of yourself.
CeCi: Are you a person who has a lot of trust and is sure of themselves?
Yuri: I usually don’t at all. It’s to the point where my fans even call me a dork, so I don’t want to become perfect in my regular life either. When I try to change myself, I become more exhausted. But it’s blatantly there when I’m on stage. I think it (Translator’s note: Yuri is referring to having trust and being sure of herself) is present in a working Kwon Yuri.
CeCi: Girls’ Generation is like the newly coined ‘whole’. Is there a next image of Girls’ Generation that you’ve been drawing up?
Yuri: I wonder about that every day. In order to meet great expectations, to be satisfied on our own, I hope the wall Girls’ Generation has to overcome is only Girls’ Generation. I also hope the people who break Girls’ Generation’s records and images are us. I always want to test our limit. I still don’t know where that is.
“The age of 24 is a bit difficult.
It’s not just a momentary worry. It was difficult living at 23, and it
was the same at 22. I have a lot of worries. I get out of these troubles
quickly, but I soon fall into another. I grow like that each and every
day.”
Yuri: I do occasionally. How long will we be able to be Girls’ Generation, which direction should we take. A lot of things are talked about, from what we should eat right now, who our ideal type is, who looks cool these days, which concept would be good for our next album, or what dance would look cool.
CeCi: What is something that 24-year old Kwon Yuri and her members wish for the most out of everyday life?
Yuri: Getting along with ordinary people. I’ve been receiving yoga lessons recently, and I really like being amidst unnies, younger people, and mothers. Spending very ordinary time with my friends at school is a great energizer. I don’t want to lose this precious time. I’m afraid of becoming trapped in the stereotype of being special, in case I get so used to special treatment that I stop being thankful for it, and in case I can’t function when I’m not in the spotlight.
CeCi: It seems there was a moment where you realized this.
Yuri: There was. Honestly, when looking at something special, thinking, ‘Why aren’t they even doing that for us?’ I got mad once too. In the end, it was a wall that I created. I get scared thinking about living in there alone now. After thinking about what I could do to prevent that wall from being created, the answer was quite simple. It is to do things people do difficultly just as difficultly, and to do things people do easily just as easily. That’s the only way.
“Because there is ordinary life and
time, I can see myself properly. I could see that I’ve been receiving
special treatment this entire time, that I’ve always gotten great,
miracle-like opportunities easily, and that I’m a person who should
always be thankful.”
Translated by: ch0sshi@soshified
Edited by: bhost909@soshified
Credits: soshified.com
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