Faith and My Fair Lady K-drama star Kim Hee-sun’s career spans almost 30 years, but how has marriage and motherhood inspired her latest roles in Alice? – interview
Jackie Chan’s The Myth is one of her many film and TV jobs, but her latest work in Alice might be her most challenging yet, as she switched between mother and love interest roles opposite Joo Won
Starting out as a young commercial star, Kim has since become one of the most beloved and prolific actresses in South Korea, appearing in more than 30 films and TV series including My Fair Lady (2003), Faith (2012) and Jackie Chan’s 2005 film The Myth.
Kim, 43, now the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, believes her career is far from over and, with her roles as a parent and a wife, it can expand to other areas she would not have taken on many years ago.
I want to show different sides of me through playing diverse roles. I want people to think, ‘oh, I didn't know Kim Hee-sun could do that’
Kim plays a double role as genius physicist Yoon Tae-yi, who helps Jin-gyeom solve the mystery of the time travelling machine and his mum’s case, and as Jin-gyeom’s mum Sun-young.
“Playing a double role was difficult,” Kim said during an online interview. “For a few of the scenes, I had to switch into another character in such a short time. And if I only had little more time in between, it would’ve been better to focus. If I failed to perform both roles well, I was worried that it could put a blot on my career … My high expectations for the series and myself made it even more challenging.”
Kim, who married in 2007, said she used her experience as a mother to play Sun-young.
“I imagined what it would be like to leave my daughter after I die, and how I would feel,” she said. “So I would tear up just looking at Joo Won, and would get really emotional.”