Seol Hwa from Chuno
Profile
Name: 김하은 / Kim Ha Eun (Gim Ha Eun)
Real name: 김현진 / Kim Hyun Jin (Gim Hyeon Jin)
Birthdate: 1984-Jan-03
Birthplace: South Korea
Height: 165cm
Weight: 42kg
Star sign: Capricorn
Talent agency: JYP Entertainment
Education: Dongduk Women's University
Dramas
Ang Shim Jung (E Channel, 2010)
Chuno (KBS2, 2010)
Hometown Legends (KBS2, 2008)
Single Dad in Love (KBS2, 2008)
Drama City (Episode: North Koreans to come out of hiding/은둔하는 북의 사람) (KBS, 2007)
Seoul's Sad Song (KBS2, 2007)
Sea God (KBS, 2006)
Movies
A.P.T (2006)
Love In Magic (2005)
Public Enemy (2002)
Chuno’s Kim Ha Eun: “‘Seol-hwa’? It’s like winning the lottery!”
2010-02-21
Originally written by Yoon Go Eun
*Translated by Dahee Fanel
Originally written by Yoon Go Eun
*Translated by Dahee Fanel
“In a word, it’s like winning the lottery! I’m really happy nowadays because of Seol-hwa.”
Actress Kim Ha Eun (26) said this with a smile, looking just like the cute Seol-hwa.
She’s the one playing the role of Seol-hwa, who has an amount of screen time that rivals that of female lead Un-nyun’s (Lee Da Hae) in the popular KBS 2TV drama Chuno. It’s been six years since she’s debuted. However, it’s been difficult for her to make her face and name well-known. But through Chuno‘s popularity, she’s suddenly come into the spotlight.
“I started out as one of 20 people handpicked by KBS through auditions. But I haven’t been able to make myself well-known. Still, in the 2007 KBS drama Conspiracy in the Court I was the female lead, but since the ratings were so low, no one remembers me. (laughs)”
Last year, she got a copy of the script for Chuno by chance, and immediately fell in love with Seol-hwa. She wanted the role so much that she wrote on 40-50 pages an analysis on the character for PD Kwak Jung Hwan. She had hope because PD Kwak had chosen her for Conspiracy in the Court.
“Since Seol-hwa is the female character with the second most screentime next to Un-nyun, the director wanted to cast a more famous actress. From the beginning he said ‘You can’t do it.’ However, I said ‘I’ll wait’, and while I was waiting I began practice for playing the haegeum (Korean traditional instrument) and taryung (Korean traditional singing). I really wanted the role, and I thought that even if I didn’t get it I wouldn’t regret that I’d gotten the chance to learn something. And I thought that it would be too awful if the chance came my way and I lost it because I wasn’t prepared for it.”
Her fervency struck a chord. The casting of two different actresses fell through due to various reasons, and two months later, she received a phone call.
“Honestly, I didn’t care about the screentime. I didn’t know I would show up so much, either. I was just happy to play that role. An impulsive character who makes you more curious about her the more you see her was so charming to me.”
She said that when PD Kwak saw the character analysis she’d written, he said “Seol-hwa is a thoughtless kid, so how can you write an analysis like this?”.
Laughing, she said “Seol-hwa is a character one has to act instinctively, but I had this passion to do well, and wanted to show the director something.”
She said she’d learned taryung, but in that short time the only thing she really learned was rhythm. Her singing is awkward. But it actually suits the skill level of a street female performer. There’s a subtle addictive quality to it as well.
“Don’t you feel queasy when you listen to my singing? (laughs) But the director instructed me to ‘Sing so that it isn’t burdensome for the viewers like professional singing is, and so that it’s easy for them to sing along.’ I hope that they’ll approach it with familiarity even though it’s awkward. I really like the lyrics ‘What’s the use of getting annoyed~’. The staff hums along, too. Nowadays, when you type my name into search engines on the internet, the songs ‘Taepyungga’ and ’Neuilririya’ show up as related search terms. (laughs)”
For some viewers, Seol-hwa is a character who is a smear on Dae-gil and Un-nyun’s love. So some people even hate her. Some people even say that her constantly saying ‘I’m hungry’ and whining to Dae-gil and his comrades makes her a ’public nuisance.’
“I was prepared for the fact that her clinging tight to Dae-gil’s group could turn people off. But Seol-hwa is a character who grows up little by little. She matures emotionally as well. I was confident I could portray her diverse changes.”
At 164 cm and 45 kg, she’s thin, but while filming Chuno and riding horses the skin on her rear peeled off and sores formed on her back. Because of these kinds of sufferings, she lost weight and went down to 42 kg.
“Since I’ve grown so thin, my face doesn’t look good onscreen. So I ate endlessly and regained my old weight. But since we’re filming all over the country, it is taxing.”
She said, “To be honest, I’m not purely joyful and happy. Since the reactions are strong, I feel a lot of pressure. I’m always nervous that I’ll end up ruining the production.” She added, “However, since she is such a charming character, I really want to portray her well.”