Actress Kim Sun-hwa has revealed why she chose ‘The Lighting Store’.

Actress Kim Sun-hwa, who appears in the Disney+ series ‘The Lighting Store’, recently met with Donga.com for an interview and talked about the work.

On this day, Kim Sun-hwa began by saying, “I‘ve known director Kim Hee-won since I was young. He thinks a lot about acting,” and added, “For ‘The Lighting Store,’, he said that he needed a tall actress with an unfamiliar face rather than a well-known actor. I think he also hoped for a (reversal) effect by casting an unfamiliar actress.”

She continued, “I was grateful that he thought of (me) at a time like that. Even looking at the reaction now, I think it would have been different if a well-known actor had played the role,” he said, explaining, “Rather, it seemed unfamiliar, and that’s why I think it was successful in that respect.”



When asked if she had read the original ‘The Lighting Store’ by Kang Full of the same name, Kim Sun-hwa said, “I read the webtoon after receiving the casting offer. I also captured the drawings from the webtoon. I think it focused more on Seon-hye’s changes and love than my expressions or emotional state. Still, I hope that you understand my character. That’s my hope. I hope that you feel my great love, not just Seon-hye.”

Regarding the role of Hye-won in ‘The Lighting Store, Kim Sun-hwa emphasized, “It was so interesting. It’s a special character that’s not common, and I thought it was a character that I couldn’t play anywhere else. People my age have limited [characters], so why am I getting such an interesting role? I thought, ”That’s what I thought. It was amazing even while riding the wire. From that point on, it was an amazing experience.“

When asked about the decisive reason for choosing ‘The Lighting Store,’ Kim Sun-hwa replied, ”It‘s a character you can’t find anywhere else. When would I ever get to play such an attractive ghost? This was truly a huge gift. It‘s not a normal character. And I’m a melodrama person, so I thought of it as a melodrama.“

Lastly, when asked what kind of work she thinks ‘The Lighting Store’ will be remembered for, Kim Sun-hwa replied, ”I‘m looking forward to meeting better and more diverse characters, but this is the most special gift-like work in my life so far.“

Meanwhile, ’The Lighting Store,‘ which was first released on the 4th, tells the story of customers with suspicious secrets visiting ’The Lighting Store,‘ the only place that lights up a dark alley. It released four episodes on the 4th, and then released two episodes a week for two weeks, presenting all eight episodes.

It is the fifth work in writer Kang Full’s ‘Mystery Psychological Chill’ series and is based on the webtoon of the same name ‘The Lighting Store’, which has surpassed 150 million cumulative views.

Kim Sun-hwa plays the role of ‘Hye-won’, a character who wanders through dark alleyways wearing red shoes on a rainy night, leaving the most impactful presence in the drama.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com