KBS Interview 29th February 2012
Actress Song Ji Hyo (31), who is gaining huge popularity for her appearance on the entertainment program "Running Man," is one of the most popular stars these days.
Her straightforward appearance is one of the most important reasons why the SBS TV variety program "Running Man" is gaining popularity, recording over 20 percent viewer ratings.
She is an actress,
but she never emphasizes her appearance and presents genuine and friendly behavior every time on the program, which definitely contributes to her popularity. There is another reason she is popular. She recently appeared on a TV commercial with her popular comment, "No doubt," and this TV commercial helped her to gain more popularity. Her appearance on the commercial does not look like that of a typical actress, but she presents a cute and friendly appearance, which makes her approach the public closer. Does she want to be in the spotlight only because of her appearance, as she is one of the actresses who usually wants to attract attention with her beauty?
Song answered, "I do not think so. Any drama and entertainment program are all the same to me because I am in it. I become very competitive regardless of the genre no matter whether it is acting as an actress, hosting as the MC, or appearing on a variety program. If I had ever wanted to look beautiful, I should not have appeared on 'Running Man' from the beginning."
Song Ji Hyo recently came to Uljiro to give an interview that the interviewer had originally planned a long time ago when Song Ji Hyo appeared in the MBC drama "Gyebaek." At that time, Song Ji Hyo was often hospitalized due to fatigue and a breathing disorder from her tight schedule while filming "Gyebaek" and "Running Man" at the same time and she could not attend the interview. She finally came to give an interview three months later after she finished filming "Gyebaek," and she said, "I feel very good now as I have taken enough rest after finishing the drama. I consumed herbal medicine and healthy food which are reportedly good for my health, so now I can film any other additional work at this moment even while filming 'Running Man' at the same time.
I failed to take care of my health before because I had just thought that I could do anything only with my strong will, but it was physically very hard while filming two works without taking care of my health."
Song Ji Hyo garnered great popularity for her appearance in the very popular drama "Jumong" from 2006 to 2007 by playing the character named "Yesoya," and she has been rated an actress well suited for historical works with her appearances in the movies "Ssanghwajeom" and "Gyebaek" after "Jumong." But she did not receive a favorable response in the beginning. Song said, "At first, people criticized me, saying that I was not an appropriate actress for 'Jumong' (laugh), but usually acting is something that an actor has to try to perfectly fit to the character even though the actor does not seem to be well matched to the character. It was a natural process." Yesoya has an image of a representative female character who is obedient, but the character Eungo whom she played in "Gyebaek" is an ambitious woman who is waiting for the right time for revenge, and Song Ji Hyo perfectly presented those two opposite characters. Song said, "
I was attracted to Eungo's ambition from the beginning. Usually a female character in a historical drama is very supportive of a male character, but she is a very active character. I heard that the real Eungo in history was a wicked woman. As she was a very active character in the drama, I was very busy while playing her. I had to move from here to there and underwent diverse experiences such as torture and imprisonment. She was such a dynamic character and I had to film more scenes compared to Yesoya before."
"Gyebaek" could not become a remarkable achievement until the last episode, but Song Ji Hyo was still very busy while filming "Running Man" and still gained more popularity. Song Ji Hyo said,
"I really enjoy filming 'Running Man' as it was like playing games. I became completely immersed in the filming while enjoying the filming (laugh). In addition, the cast members formed an excellent harmony." People referred to her and singer Gary as a couple in "Running Man," who is another actor on the variety program. Song explained,
"Gary and I are both the rookies who first appeared on the variety program, so we depended on each other. The other cast members are all quick-witted experts in filming variety programs except me and Gary, so the two of us seem to feel sympathy for each other (laugh)."
Song Ji Hyo debuted nine years ago with her appearance in the movie "Wishing Stairs" in 2003, but she has not appeared in many works up to now. She said, "I have not appeared in many works because things did not go well as I had planned. While going through many difficulties, I cried and I felt agony.
My feelings were hurt during that process, but I did not give up and continued to work after overcoming those difficult situations until today. I thought that the entertainment industry was still very attractive to me despite any difficult moment. As I mentioned, I have not appeared in many works up to now, but I wondered whether I could be very good if I had appeared in more works at that time because I basically think that I became more mature after going though all those difficulties in the past. I still have more things to learn, and I was not a good actress in the past. I reached my current state because I have entered my thirties and I have nine years of experience. I will continue my acting career because my acting has not yet been perfected. I will keep trying until I can satisfy myself.
I am a person with a strong will." She smiled while making her last comment, saying,
"I want to live while doing what I want to do, and this is my dream."
cr: :
http://english.kbs.c...ew.html?No=8092
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Song Ji Hyo Interview With MT Star News November 2012
The 2 and a half years of her starring on a variety show has changed her character completely. The ‘Ace’, ‘Mong Ji’, and she’s also actress
Song Ji Hyo.
It’s already been 10 years since she debuted with the movie
‘Wishing Stairs’. She’s steadily worked on great projects such as
‘Princess Hours’, ‘Jumong’, ‘Gye Baek’, ‘A Frozen Flower’ and
‘Sex Is Zero 2′, but what made her a household name that even the preschoolers recognize is the variety show
‘Running Man’.
When children see her they shout, “Hey it’s Mongji”, the energetic and happy Song Ji Hyo of ‘Running Man’ is no different than the real life Song Ji Hyo, so she doesn’t mind it at all. She feels that all can be forgiven in front of the camera, so all she does is to do her best.
Her new movie
‘Jackal Is Coming’ is a movie in which the viewers will be able to see the same character they watch every weekend on ‘Running Man’. Song Ji Hyo plays the amateur killer for hire
Bong Min Jung and she’ll be making quite the ruckus the in the film.
The movie poster might show a sexy and charismatic killer, but you should be warned if you haven’t watched the movie yet. Song Ji Hyo will sport corny perms, sexily tanned skin, and sport sleeveless shirt for a tough and rugged look.
Q: ‘I was naturally reminded of ‘Running Man’s Song Ji Hyo. Did the director cast you because of that?
A: They are all me, so timing-wise it can feel like that. But the director told me that he didn’t cast me for that reason. I also don’t think he cast me because of that, but who knows (laughs). It turns out the director used to work at an office that was nearby the movie production house that produced the movie that I debuted in. He told me that he saw me a few times while going to work and I was thankful that he actually remembered me.
Q: What about ‘Jackal Is Coming’ made Song Ji Hyo accept the role?
A: It’s a little different with ‘Running Man’, but I haven’t really played a happy character in any of the projects I’ve worked in. I’ve never played a character that’s flawed and more human like. If I played a happy character then the drama was dark and if the drama was upbeat then my character was dark. Because of that I wanted to play a more light-hearted character.
Q: I supposed you would have felt like that even more because your last project was ‘Gye Baek’.
A: It was a period drama and I had to play a queen, so I had to uphold a certain dignity and I also had to rule the people. After a while it felt a bit suffocating. I wanted to play a role that could fly on my next project and I happen to come across ‘Jackal Is Coming’. I wasn’t wearing a hanbok which made it difficult for me to even sit, I was able to wear comfortable clothes and most of all there were lots of action scenes. Aside from
Choi Hyun and
Bong Min Jung, there are sunbaes like
Oh Dal Soo, Han Sang Jin, and
Kim Sung Ryung who more than do their parts, so I felt a lot less burdened. It was challenging to play a character like Bong Min Jung which I never tried before, but I also enjoyed that challenged. I also enjoyed the fact that there was no romance.
Q: You actually liked that there was no romance?
A: As you know most stories start with a love story. All the projects I’ve worked on start with a love story, ‘Sex Is Zero 2′, ‘Frozen Flower’, ‘Jumong’, ‘Gye Baek’, all their foundation was love. I’ve also played the roles that hurt and are saddened by love. But this movie is not about love. You don’t see the characters get hurt by love or change because of love. It’s more like watching different characters come together and discuss about life.
Q: You’re starring opposite
Kim Jaejoong who is an idol. I get the vibe that you’re also saying that you felt relieved and less pressured because you don’t have to deal with the scrutiny of his fans.
A: A little bit of that too (laughs). I think the fans would have understood since this is a film. The fact that there was no romance it made it possible to make things a lot more fun with him.
Q: I heard you guys are in the same agency and that you are close. It’s understandable that it must have been more comfortable not having to act out a romantic scene.
A: That’s also correct. It’s a lot more comfortable to express love to someone that you don’t know at all (laughs). He’s a dongseng and you also have to consider the time we’ve known one another. It would have been a difficult task if they would have asked me to be romantic with him in the movie. This time with Jaejoong ssi, we discussed about how we can make a scene funnier instead of discussing about how we might look more
like a loving couple.
Q: I know it’s a comedy genre film but I didn’t imagine Song Ji Hyo would appear wearing a bombed out hairstyle. The sleeveless shirt was also very refreshing.
A: The director told me, ‘I like it. It’s very
Bong Min Jung-like’, and he okayed it without hesitation. I don’t normally wear sleeveless shirts (laughs), but I don’t mind looking like a wreck. If I wanted to look pretty to fulfill my personal desire, then I shouldn’t have taken the role in the first place. I always think that the people who watch the film will understand that it’s only a film.
Q: Didn’t you saying something similar on
‘Running Man’? You said that
Yoo Jae Suk told you that you can do anything that you want in front of a camera.
A: It’s a recent story. On ‘Running Man’ the oppas cheer jubilantly when female guests come on and we once spoke about where the line should be drawn. That’s when Yoo Jae Suk oppa said that. He said, ‘You guys can do anything you want in front of the camera because they’ll all be forgiven’. His advice really came to my heart. I also realized that my thought on it was the same as the oppas. When you’re acting in front of a camera in that moment you really love the character that’s your love interest and they look beautiful to you. I felt it should be considered in that sense, but when he said those words it really came to my heart. I felt like ‘Yes that’s right, that’s what it was’.
Q: You look very close to the ‘Running Man’ members.
A: We share a lot of things in common and they’re all warm and thoughtful people. They have the scent of human beings and they would have gotten along perfectly well even with someone else. I just feel bad that it took so long for me to get close to all of them. (Scent of a human being = A
Korean expression to describe a genuinely good person).
Q: I would have never imagined. It’s unexpected.
A: I struggle a little with making new friends. I’m okay with girls but I find it difficult to get close to men. It took me a year to become chummy with
Kim Jong Kook oppa. If I could go back to the film, those are the things that I’m thankful to
Jaejoong ssih. We didn’t need the time to get close to each other, so we had a lot more opportunities to talk and I felt the togetherness.
Q: You’ve been acting non-stop for a long time, but the variety show appearance completely changed your character. Do you not feel regretful about that?
A: I feel absolutely nothing like that. The truth is I was victimized because of my work way back in the past. I played the role of an evil character in the drama
‘Princess Hours’. I went to a restaurant with my parents and someone wagged their finger in disapproval. If I were alone or if I were with the staff it would have been fine, but it felt very bad that something like that happened while I was with my parents. I was stressed out for the off chance that my parents might have seen it and after that experience I almost never went to restaurants with them.
When you finish a project it takes time until that image is completely washed off you. I’d feel bad if people saw me as a bad person, but as you know on ‘Running Man’ much of it is the real me. I never felt sad or regretted even once. In fact, I think the period of time in which my images change has actually shortened. In my opinion variety is also a piece (Direct translation is piece, but she’s more along the line saying that ‘Running Man’ is also a piece of art no different from dramas or films). Dramas air twice every week and ‘Running Man’ airs once every week and you get to be on as different characters. All cast members have their own characters and their true selves are combined with those characters. “Is that really you?” is the question that I get asked the most, but the characters are not 100 percent me.
Source: MT Star News via
Nate, kpopfever
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SB Spotlight: Filling in the Blanks on Song Ji-hyo
Written by Jasper On November 20, 2012
The beloved Song Ji-hyo is probably best known among international fans for her role in the top-notch cast for the highly popular variety show Running Man. Despite being the only female competitor in the highly rigorous and challenging variety show, Ji-hyo never lags behind her male counterparts. On the contrary, she is among the show’s greatest players, nicknamed the Ace for her cunning and resourcefulness that has allowed her to win multiple challenges, outsmart her peers, and save her team-mates from loss, time and time again. Ji-hyo is also known as Mong (Blank) Ji-hyo for her occasional habit of spacing out, and she is also one half of the former Monday Couple, a highly loved loveline between Ji-hyo and fellow Running Man Gary that was unfortunately abolished following Ji-hyo’s announcement of her relationship with her CEO.
Over her active participation in Running Man, Ji-hyo has accumulated quite a good number of admirers, not to mention this writer. So with Ji-hyo’s latest movie Jackal is Coming with JYJ‘s Jaejoong fresh from release, let’s take a look back on the lovely Song Ji-hyo and how she got to where she is today.
While probably best known for her Running Man antics, Song Ji-hyo is an actress, and a pretty studious and serious one at that. Before joining the cast of Running Man, the image Song Ji-hyo originally had was very cold and distant, a clear result of the more intense roles she was placed in. Despite being known for her tomboyish, zany personality today, the majority of the roles Ji-hyo took were largely serious and intense, with her recent comedy Jackal is Coming being the only true exception.
Ji-hyo’s drama roles included the tragic ballerina Min Hyo-rin in Goong (which interestingly also starred fellow Kim Jong-kook killer Yoon Eun-hye), the elegant Lady Ye So-ya in Jumong, the strong-willed reporter Jo Min-joo in Crime Squad, and Eun-go in Gye Baek. She also starred in film Frozen Flower alongside Jo In-sung and Joo Jin-mo.
These roles have mostly been anguished and dark, most of her characters usually have tragic backgrounds or encounter tragic outcomes. Ji-hyo, before and after Running Man, played these characters quite well, embodying the intensity and misery of these characters accurately. Moreover, considering her laid back personality and great comedic timing, Ji-hyo proves to be quite the versatile actress as well, being able to tackle both comedy and tragedy with ease. This is probably best seen through her role in Crime Squad, which had a slight focus on comedy despite its dark premise, allowing Ji-hyo to fully showcase her skill and dexterity as an actress.
Before eventually joining the cast of Running Man and getting to where she is today, bits and pieces of Ji-hyo’s quirky and humorous personality were revealed to the public through other shows. From 2007 to 2008, Ji-hyo served as an MC for weekly music show Inkigayo along with Super Junior‘s Heechul, charming viewers with her likeability. Her wit, competitiveness, and humor were further showcased on her Family Outing appearance where she outsmarted her soon-to-be cast-mate Yoo Jae-suk, defeated the reigning queen of the family Lee Hyori in a game, and showed her amusing adorableness.
But it wasn’t until Running Man that Ji-hyo’s lovable personality was really put into the spotlight. Originally invited as a guest for the second through fifth episodes, Ji-hyo was eventually upgraded as a permanent cast member after stellar reviews of her performance. From this point on, Ji-hyo’s image would change gradually but dramatically, transforming from the slightly cold actress to the lovable Ace that she’s known as today.
There are many reasons why Ji-hyo is highly beloved, and these reasons are largely clear for anyone who’s stuck by Running Man. For one, she is very strong and resourceful, matching and even overcoming her male opponents on the show. Ji-hyo is called Ace for a reason, after all. Ji-hyo is one of the only ones to be able to defeat the mighty force that is Commander Kim Jong-kook, and that in itself deserves praise. Likewise, Ji-hyo isn’t afraid to get dirty and play along with the boys. She’s highly competitive and cunning, not being afraid to challenge any one of her cast members in any task. She goes along with much of their jokes even if it portrays her in a less glamorous light, and her interaction with the other Running Men is absolutely golden. The men of the show treat her like family and are very affectionate and teasing with each other, bringing lots of laughs on the show. Sometimes, I wish another strong female would join Running Man again, but as long as Ji-hyo’s still up and running, I’d know the show would have more than enough female representation.
Furthermore, Ji-hyo is very ambitious and takes her job very seriously, be it a game or her acting. This trait unfortunately didn’t necessarily work for her benefit when she was hospitalized multiple times due to exhaustion last year. She attempted to film Gye Baek and Running Man at the same time and ended up overwhelming and tiring herself, to the point where she had to be taken to the hospital to recover. Filming both a drama and variety show — let alone such a tiring variety like Running Man — is clearly a lot of hard work, and while I really wish she take a break sometime, Ji-hyo’s ambition and dedication is really admirable.
And lastly, the final reason why Ji-hyo is highly beloved is because of her genuineness. Unlike many females in the industry, Ji-hyo is more than willing to show a more messy image of herself to the public, her bare face making many appearances over the course of the show. Her intentions are always clear (unless she’s playing a game as a spy of course), and her down to earth and grounded personality attract many admirers.
Tying this together, the previously mentioned Jackal is Coming, being Ji-hyo’s most recent project, has me very excited for her involvement, since her quirkiness and likability shown in her variety appearances can finally be presented through her acting. The premise of Ji-hyo playing a “lady-killer” ambushing a famous Hallyu star (played by Jaejoong) is a very intriguing one. The couple of Jaejoong and Ji-hyo seemed odd to me at first, but I warmed up to them, knowing both could play their roles well. Moreover, the two already have experience working together, as Song Ji-hyo was the main actress of JYJ’s beautiful and touching “In Heaven.” The movie is sure to bring some hilarious situations and enjoyable humor, and knowing Song Ji-hyo, I have little doubts over her performance.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the lovable Song Ji-hyo?
(C-JeS Entertainment, Dramabeans, Dispatch, SBS, Screendaily, RMmomentz, ABCLegacy)
cr: seoulbeats.com
link to original article
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Song Ji Hyo Describes Her True Feelings Towards Yoo Jae Suk
November 2012
2012-11-22 00:00
l
CJ E&M enewsWorld
Park, HyunMin
Translation Credit :
Stewart Ho
Song Ji Hyo has spilled her thoughts on variety program co-star Yoo Jae Suk.
The actress recently sat down with enews recently to discuss her role as an assassin in the comedy movie,The Jackal is Coming.
When asked about her Running Man co-star, Yoo Jae Suk, Song Ji Hyo responded, “Jae Suk oppa is someone who has dedication deep inside down to his bones. He’s someone who pours so much into his work that one can’t help wondering if there ever will be anyone like him in this world again.”
She added, “Not only does he possess talent, wit, quick-thinking and more but no matter who the other person is, no matter what the situation is like, he always lowers himself for the other person. One realizes all of that is genuine when you’re next to him and so there’s never a moment you don’t think how amazing he is.”
“The aura he generates is amazing,” she continued. “I don’t know how he comes off on television but in person I receive a lot of influence from him. He also has an ability to make you feel at ease and clear when you come to him with a problem.”
Song Ji Hyo stars with JYJ’s Kim Jae Joong in The Jackal is Coming which premiered on November 15.
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