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Actress Kim Go-eun likes her looks in ‘Sunset in My Hometown’

July 11, 2018
This photo provided by Megabox Plus M shows actress Kim Go-eun. (Yonhap)

This photo provided by Megabox Plus M shows actress Kim Go-eun. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) — One thing that undoubtedly catches the eye of audiences in director Lee Joon-ik’s new film, “Sunset in My Hometown,” is actress Kim Go-eun’s transformation into a wild and chubby country girl.

The actress gained eight kilograms for her role as Seon-mi, protagonist Hak-soo’s high-school classmate and a public employee at a rural township office.

The two main characters meet for the first time in 10 years when Hak-soo, an unpopular rapper who leads a tough life in Seoul, returns to his countryside hometown of Byeonsan following a phone call from home.

“I was really happy because I tend to find great happiness in eating,” Kim said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at a cafe in central Seoul on Wednesday. “I didn’t mind eating even late at night and getting my face swollen from eating too much, and I liked that.”

Kim said the director never asked her to gain weight but that she conceived the idea of putting on a few pounds as soon as she read the screenplay.

“When I was studying the characters, I thought that Seon-mi wouldn’t look so pretty and that Mi-kyung, on whom Hak-soo had a crush, should look prettier. So I decided to gain weight.”

But a painful diet to return to her normal physical state was the price she had to pay after filming, said the actress.

“Suddenly I couldn’t eat (as much as I wanted), which made me sad. I had a diet for two months, constantly asking myself such questions as ‘What am I living for?’ and ‘Am I happy now?’”

A still from "Sunset in My Hometown" (Yonhap)

A still from “Sunset in My Hometown” (Yonhap)

“Sunset” marks her return to the screen after she gained huge popularity in and out of the country for her role in the Korean drama sensation “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”

Questioned about her motive in choosing the film, Kim said she wanted to heal herself while carrying out a less demanding character.

“After finishing ‘Guardian,’ I was trying to find something that could help heal me. I thought it would be better if I could do some amusing and less demanding role, and received the offer to appear in ‘Sunset’ at just the right moment.”

Seon-mi has won a local literary award for her book of essays titled “Sunset-mania.” As a literary writer, her lines touch the hearts of many people.

Asked which of her lines was the most memorable, Kim singled out one that said: “Don’t be a loser even if you can’t afford to be well-to-do.”

“I think the nuance or meaning of the line touched my heart the most. It’s a line that I want to keep in mind for the rest of my life.”

A still from "Sunset in My Hometown" (Yonhap)

A still from “Sunset in My Hometown” (Yonhap)