Due to the character’s twisted personality and dark emotional burden, Yoo Jung was deeply concerned about So Yoo and made a specific request to the director and production team on the girl’s behalf.
Baek Ah Jin In Dear X it’s unlike any role Kim Yoo Jung has played before. In an interview with Cosmopolitan Korea, the actress revealed that she was initially hesitant to accept the role, even after hearing about the webtoon’s popularity and the complexity of its story.
“Baek Ah Jin is a very difficult character to embody, so I was honestly afraid to accept her. But after meeting and discussing with the director, I gained enough confidence to move forward. He explained in detail why I was the right actor for this role,” Yoo Jung shared.
Baek Ah Jin suffers from antisocial personality disorder. He grows up in an abusive home, his childhood and future destroyed by his father. Ah Jin hides his demons behind a charming facade by manipulating, exploiting and eliminating anyone who stands in his way. Kim Yoo Jung expresses this duality with chilling precision, going from angelic to monstrous in a matter of seconds.
Having entered the industry at the age of three, Yoo Jung understands better than anyone how dangerous and emotionally taxing a role is Baek Ah Jin it can be for a young actress. According to Ki So Yoo’s mother, Yoo Jung was extremely concerned about So Yoo’s mental well-being and specifically asked the director to ensure that a psychological counselor was present to support the child actress during filming.
Ki So Yoo’s mother also recalled Yoo Jung’s educational attitude from the first reading of the script: “Yoo Jung looked at So Yoo with so much warmth and told her to contact her whenever something felt difficult. On the first day of filming, she came to the set just to watch over her, she was still worried. When So Yoo had to shoot a difficult scene another day, Yoo Jung wanted to come but couldn’t due to her busy schedule, and even sent an apology. From the first moment to the last, Yoo Jung cared deeply for the child actors and that moved me very much.”
Netizens are melting over the mother’s heartwarming story, praising Kim Yoo Jung’s empathy, professionalism and emotional awareness as a senior actor. With Dear X now six episodes in, Baek Ah Jin‘s ambitions continue to grow alongside the darkness that surrounds her, leaving viewers eagerly awaiting Kim Yoo Jung’s chilling and masterful performance.
Sources: HHT
