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[ENGLISH TRANS] SOOYOUNG - W KOREA 2025 INTERVIEW

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“THE TEMPERATURE OF SOOYOUNG”

Choi Sooyoung seems to give off a carefree aura.

Though she describes herself as easygoing and simple, she speaks clearly and straightforwardly when it comes to the responsibilities that lie before her. The image of early summer that comes to mind somehow overlaps with Sooyoung, and the drama <Second Shot at Love> in which she transforms into a charming alcohol-lover, premiers this early summer.

Q. <W Korea> We heard that you’re recently very immersed in tea ceremonies.

Choi Sooyoung: Yes, I find it fun. It’s fascinating how the flavor of the tea can change depending on the state of mind at the time of brewing.

Q. Was there a particular moment that sparked your interest?

It’s a habit I picked up while filming <Second Shot at Love>. I wasn’t getting much sleep. I guess there was a lot of pressure.

Q. It was your first title role in a drama since debut, correct?

That’s right. After shooting, I’d come home and feel like I couldn’t turn off the switch right away. So I tried all sorts of things—taking warm showers, listening to ASMR, avoiding reading scripts at least two hours before I sleep. I built a night time routine, and tea became a part of that routine. I savored each drink, and both my body and mind felt at peace.

Q While the tea steeps, people often use that time to process thoughts that are put away from daily life. But unlike that, it became a moment to clear your mind instead.

Exactly. I actually tried not to think during that time. I’ve always been someone who multitasks. I constantly feel the need to be productive, it’s in my personality. But through tea, I think I learned what it truly means to spend time without a goal.

Q. <Second Shot at Love> tells the story of ‘Geum-joo’, a well-known alcohol-lover, who unexpectedly reunites with her first love—someone who absolutely despises drinking, and the romance that follows. From the very beginning, the project felt like it was all about alcohol, and it came as no surprise to learn that the script was written by Myung Soo-hyun, the writer of tvN’s <Rude Miss Young-ae> and <Drinking Solo>.

Writer Myung Soo-hyun’s words capture the full spectrum of human emotion—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. And this piece is no exception. I felt like a rare script had come to me. I remember thinking, “Have I ever read something that reveals every aspect of a character this thoroughly?” At least for me, the answer was no. Geum-joo is an auto mechanic who works hard and there are joys and sorrows that she feels. She relies on alcohol as a form of avoidance, and was forced to confront herself in the place she tried to escape to. From there, she slowly begins to accept who she is, and in doing so, learns to embrace the people around her as well. At a glance, it may seem like a chaotic, comic story about Geum-joo, but if you look closer, you’ll find a detailed and gradual journey of growth. I feel incredibly lucky to have encountered such a script.

Q. What was the process of approaching the character Geum-joo like for you?

First of all, the script was filled with stage directions; shouting, smiling brightly, making exaggerated expressions, and so on. To be honest, it took me some time to fully take in Geum-joo. In real life, I’m very calm. I’m not the mischievous or high-energy type. So there was definitely a period of wandering before the lines started to feel natural. Every actor has a different way of approaching a character. For me, I always start by thinking about the character’s job. You can learn a lot of information from one’s job. Since Geum-joo is an auto mechanic, I imagined she’d be active, unafraid of getting her hands dirty, and likely to be competitive since she was young. But at the same time, I didn’t picture her as someone who would roughly carry around tires or plop down anywhere or stomp around. I imagined her as someone meticulous, someone who handles each car part the way a musician treats her instrument. I thought about how a woman like Geum-joo would set herself apart in an industry largely dominated by male mechanics.

Q. A mechanic who handles cars like musical instruments. Now that I hear about it, I can see the character come to life.

Yes. Honestly, I think Geum-joo would have done well as a doctor, or even an artist. I imagined her as someone who chose this profession because she genuinely loves machines, and is fascinated by how individual parts come together to make a car run. And once I had that in mind, I began to vaguely understand why she couldn’t help being dependent on alcohol. She must have been sensitive, working with machines. She probably worked hard to adapt to a male-dominated workplace, pushing herself to drink alcohol to fit in socially. It made her think she really couldn’t live without alcohol. That thought gave me a somewhat clearer outline of who she is. And the Geum-joo I imagined from the script alone was someone who, on her way home from work, would wear the kind of unique clothes that make people go, “Wait, she dresses like that when she’s off duty?”

Q. In this drama, Geum-joo is another strong, independent female character, like Seo Dan-ah in JTBC’s <Run On> (2020) and Kim Jin-hee in ENA’s <Not Others> (2023). Looking back, have you ever wondered why these kinds of roles keep coming to you?

Because I choose those roles. Of course, not every role is like that. But I’m not drawn to stories where characters are used as equipment. ‘Seo Dan-ah’ was a CEO of a top sports agency who didn’t tolerate mistakes, whether in business or in her personal life. ‘Kim Jin-hee’ was a police patrol team leader who always spoke her mind. They’re all people who try to take responsibility for their own lives. I guess it’s also because of my personality. I don’t like people who are bad at their jobs. (laughs) So, I don’t want to play someone who’s bad at what they do. It’s fine if they’re clumsy at first, as long as they develop. But I think the character should have at least a sense of certainty in what they do.

Q. Those characters also had a very clear sense of what they liked and disliked. Would you say you’re someone who’s also honest about what you want to say and knows exactly what you want?

Oh, not at all. I only started to be aware of that in my early thirties. I started asking questions like “What do I really want?” or “Am I doing this because I like this?” only after I turned thirty. I used to have no opinion, even when choosing the menu for lunch. There were many times where I’d just go along and say “I’m fine with whatever” and move on. I think it comes from spending so many years as a group during my Girls’ Generation days. Maybe I didn’t even realize I had options to choose. One day, Tiffany was ordering coffee and asked me what I wanted. I said, “Anything’s fine.” And she immediately said this, “No. Hot or iced? If iced, how much ice? How many pumps of syrup? Do you want milk? Regular milk or Lactose-free? Oat milk? Almond milk?” I remember thinking, “Why make life so complicated?” But then she told me this—that I need to know exactly what I want, that there are always options, and I have to make a choice.

Q. Did that coffee order incident change you?

Yes, something as trivial as ordering coffee did (laughs). It made me start to become more aware. Since then, I’ve been trying to build the habit of thinking more specifically. For example, instead of just asking for “something to drink,” I’d say, “I’d like an orange juice with a bit of ice.” It starts with little things like that.

Q. Would you say you’re not someone with a strong opinion?

That’s right. I’m usually the type to think, “That person might be right.” But that doesn’t mean I lack conviction. But that sense of certainty just didn’t come all at once. It’s something that formed through a lot of experiences. Last year, I released my first Japanese solo album, and I wrote the lyrics to the title track, “Unstoppable.” There’s a line that goes: “Data of failures and successes. Drawing the highest arc. Let’s pursue the ideal.” Through the many ups and downs I’ve experienced over many years, a kind of data accumulated inside me. But rather than turning into stubbornness, I feel like it gave me freedom. The more time passes, the more confident I become, but in a way that lets me change gears easily whenever I need to.

Q. <Unstoppable> was your first solo album 22 years after your debut. At the time, you wrote this on social media: “At this point in life where I could just fake being a professional and no one would notice, it also hurts to take on a new challenge again, right now. I was scared as much as I was happy.” What was behind those words?

Honestly, if you don’t take any risks, you won’t be exposed. But the moment you try, people will notice. There was a time when I deliberately held back from showing everything. I was scared. When the solo album offer came in, people around me questioned it, “Why now, when your acting career is going so well? And why release it in Japan?” And of course, I asked myself the same thing. Why is this opportunity coming now? If I stay quiet, I can at least fly under the radar. So what do I get in return for exposing myself like this? But in the end, I thought: “Why should I hold back if this is something I want to do?” And I didn’t want it to end with just trying. I wanted to go all the way to being judged for it. Regardless of the outcome, I think I gained so much. After the album came out, I received so many messages. What touched me the most were the ones that said, “That was such a cool challenge. I understand why you did this.” That made it all worth it.

Q. What did <Unstoppable> leave for you?

It made me think deeply and often about making choices. Honestly, I’m at an age where many things change depending on the decisions I make. So I ask myself which choices reflect me the most. I boldly wrote the lyrics of ‘Unstoppable’ that says, “The story I choose,” and yet there are still a lot of things that I’m afraid of. I feel like I'm not a brave person and I learned that I need courage. That was something I felt through releasing the album, and it gave me the energy to film <Second Shot at Love>. To take on my first lead role, that courage was absolutely essential.

Q. Then what kind of courage did you show in <Second Shot at Love>?

I wanted to try acting that truly does something. I think it’s because of my personality. I’ve always been someone who is cautious about putting in too much effort. I always thought, “Be diligent, but don’t work too hard.” Sometimes, I felt uncomfortable watching myself act intensely on screen. At one point, I preferred acting in less intense roles. But while filming <Second Shot at Love>, I wanted to try acting where people could read my feelings immediately from my expressions. Because the acting that makes viewers not want to change the channel means making even one more expression, showing just a little more. I filmed with the mindset of really going all out. After having done this once, I think my fear lessened a bit.

Q. You have big news recently, right? You’re entering Hollywood with <Ballerina>, a spin-off of the John Wick series. The film premieres in North America this June and will be released worldwide. How did you get involved in this project?

Right, when I heard I got cast, I thought, “No way. How could I be?” Honestly, I hesitated a lot. It felt like a huge challenge but also small at the same time, and I found myself worrying a lot in front of that challenge. It was like, “I’m scared of the waves crashing at my feet, so I won’t even go.” That was exactly what I felt. While I was worrying about how the film and the feedback would come out, the one thing that pushed me to take on the challenge was the idea of being completely alone overseas, with no one else around. The thought of facing that head-on by myself was very appealing. As actors, we usually receive a lot of care from people around us. There’s always a car waiting for us in front of the house, people handling tough tasks on our behalf. So we can sometimes forget we’re human. We get a little spoiled. But being an actor means we have to portray people we see around us, yet we rarely get to live our life. I felt I really needed that time to live like a person. So I jumped into this project without looking back.

Q. How was the experience filming alone?

I cried (laughs). Because I wanted to go home. But I kept reminding myself as I put the kimchi, side dishes, and ramen that my mom packed into the hotel fridge, “Sooyoung, now you’re really living here without anyone’s help.” But somehow, I quickly got used to the life there. I went alone to the riverside where people warned me it was dangerous, opened a bottle of wine, and watched the sunset. I’m actually quite simple. I might not have much courage, but once the situation is set, I manage to find happiness there. I’m really a simple and fragile creature (laughs).

Q. Through <Ballerina>, You’re about to meet an audience you haven’t encountered before . Aren’t you curious about how they’ll perceive your acting?

Honestly, rather than curiosity, my first thought was that I must not become a burden to the project. It’s more than enough for me if the audience says, “Who is she?” So, I even went to the set with my hair dyed, which no one asked me to do. When they said actors could pitch ideas about the visual concept, I immediately suggested orange hair and they coolly agreed. At that time, there was a strong momentum in myself, like “I can do everything they ask!” So, I tried to absorb as much as possible on set. I even went to the set, sitting in corners on days without my shooting to observe how things were done. The team found me a bit overwhelming and said, “Yeah, you don’t have to come here,” (laughs).

Q. With two very different projects about to be released, you must be living in excitement right now. If you had to describe your current self in one sentence, what would it be?

There’s a phrase that fits me perfectly; a cheerful pessimist. On set, I always listen to the song “Rule of the Princess”. It’s a song that spreaded as a meme on social media. It goes like, “Yes, life has always been tough, but live like a princess today. What's so tough? Just be a princess. I’m precious, but so is everyone else. Everyone here is a princess!” Listening to that song, I keep reminding myself of these words (laughs). With that mindset, I can handle any situation anywhere.

Q. Lastly, can you share three secrets about Sooyoung?

First, I’m good at organizing. I have a talent of fitting what seems like an impossible amount of stuff into a single suitcase if I set my mind to it. Second, I’m surprisingly easygoing. I don’t overthink or twist things in my mind. Third, I actually don’t have many friends. But I’m so busy every day. I have to clean the house, work here and there, and often tear open the packages I ordered from Coupang (laughs).

#Spotify #choi sooyoung #sooyoung #girlsgeneration #snsd #second shot at love #ballerina movie

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[ENGLISH TRANS] Allure Korea - June Issue

TOAST! / Sooyoung & Gong Myung

You’re just coming back from throwing the first pitch at a baseball stadium, right? When it comes to baseball stadium, it’s all about beer. But in reality, you’re known as one of the Girls’ Generation members who’s not really good at drinking.

I’m an alcohol trash. (laughs) When i drink my face gets red, and i get sleepy, i have much more energy when i don’t drink.

Then, what kind of person could be your drinking buddy?

Someone i can have a good conversation with. And someone who likes dramas and movies too. Someone who’s really competent in their own field. I find myself wondering “How is this person so good at their job? What are they thinking while living?” Having a drink with someone like that is fun and time just flies by.

So, what kind of role do you usually have at drinking party?

My role is someone who reacts well and makes sure people get home safely. (laughs) Aside from drama set dinners, i rarely drink in large groups. Even in those gatherings i’m not the type to liven up the mood or lead the conversations.

When was the time in your life that you drank the most?

It was when the drama <Not Others> aired for the first time. After the first episode, we all drank together and i was so happy that i overdid it a bit.

That’s a team dinner that actors usually experienced. Do you enjoy those times?

It’s a meaningful time because it’s our last time to be lingering around and get to ‘clink’ glasses with different teams. There are many teams that you don’t see often on set, people who gave great help to the production but you couldn’t get close to. It’s a time where we can greet everyone properly.

What was the set of <Second Shot at Love> like? Sooyoung and Gong Myung are the lead roles that’s also a labelmates.

I call him ��Myung’ and he calls me ‘Noona’ before we worked together we would just exchange greetings while passing each other. Myung has such a great personality that being on set was so much fun to me.

The drama sounds like a story about ‘Geum-joo’ ‘quitting’ alcohol. What was the story like from Sooyoung’s perspective?

My character Geum-joo and Myung’s character Eui-joon were really close friends while they were in college, but i get cut off by Eui-joon and we meet again later. The writer focused on the story of quitting drinking but it was more the story of wounds and growths to me. Alcohol plays a significant role in that process. I believe everyone has an addiction, it just varies in degree. It could be alcohol, SNS, relationships, or work. All these things that keep us from looking inside ourselves? In <Second Shot at Love> it’s alcohol. It’s a drama that offers comfort and empathy to people who use these things as an escape and can’t face themselves.

Do you have any habits of setting a boundaries by yourself?

Let’s not spend too much time on SNS and my phone. While being on set we have quite few breaks, i always open my script first instead of my phone. And when i’m at home, i purposely keep my phone at a distance. When it’s physically farther away, i look at it less often.

Bad habits can also affect our relationships with people we love. Isn’t this drama also about that?

It show scenes on how people you love can be hurt or affected by addictions that you didn’t even realize you had. What i liked most about Geum-joo is that she had a clear growth. There are a lot of times that we’re so overwhelmed by the world and living our lives without much thinking, we don’t even realize we’re hurting.

It seems like you are attracted to the keyword of “growth”. Has there ever been a moment when you felt like you truly grew yourself as this character?

When i was on the stage in a play. It’s not like “I’ve grown as an actor”, how should i say this, it’s more like become more bold? (laughs) I think working with such great seniors really healed me and gave me strength. That’s why doing the play was the time i liked the most.

If we are looking for something in common in the works that you’ve participated, the roles are often those independent woman. Always seems confident. Do you consider the message of a project when choosing it?

When i read a script, i’m naturally drawn to characters who are independent, enterprising and proactive. I always ask, “What kind of growth does she has?” “What message is this project trying to tell?” I want to tell meaningful stories. In this drama, the director clearly told me “This is a show that sends a message on how lenient our society is about drinking.”

In this drama, is there anything other than acting that you’ve been paying more attention to?

I did a lot of research on alcohol addiction. I also listened to stories from people who do counseling. I heard it’s best for those with addiction to completely quit and develop a new drinking habits.

Haha, at this point isn’t this a public service drama about drinking in moderation?

I think we might actually get a call from related associations. (laughs) our drama is a little bit different from the usual dramas that deal with alcohol so far! For people with bad drinking habits, you might have a lot of thoughts while watching our drama. I hope this drama will let people know that when you’re struggling there are people who will reach out to you. Even if there’s no one like that in your life, while watching you might think “Someone like that might be around me someday?” or “Maybe someone already is and i just haven’t noticed it.”

Still, since it’s a melodrama we hope Geum-joo and Eui-joon end up together! (laughs) What’s one thing you think we need to keep in mind when dating?

I think it’s important to speak kindly. People’s words all carry emotions and once words leave your mouth, you can’t take it back. It’s important to be mindful of your intentions and to speak well.

Have you thought about the feelings between Eui-joon and Geum-joo?

Eui-joon is the one who reaches out to me when i feel completely alone in the world. And when he’s struggling, i’m the one who reaches out to him. I think the charm of their relationship is the strong emotional bond where they became each other’s saviors.

We’ve been meeting you as an actress. How satisfied are you with your career as an actress right now?

From the position of someone who has to be chosen, the fact that i have a project to work on is already incredibly fulfilling. I’m satisfied by the fact that there is someone who want to cast me and who want to work with me. After i finished a project, i used to wait because i didn’t know when the next project will come to me, but now i’m just so grateful that I’m already filming something new.

It’s good to have the next project lined up. Your upcoming role in the <John Wick> spin-off <Ballerina> is also highly anticipated.

It’d be even better to have the next next next projects lined up. I’d be so grateful but i have never experienced something like a next next next project in my life. (laughs)

Ballerina was a bit surreal. Because it’s something i always thought about and had only imagined as a far-off future suddenly came true. It was also scary to go there alone. Rather than thinking of it as a challenge, i only thought of it as an opportunity for me to experience that kind of production. That means the most to me.

#choi sooyoung #snsd #sooyoung #girlsgeneration #kpop #소녀시대

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