Everyone feels the unfamiliarity and burden of the first time. Since it is a challenge, the thrill and pleasure that comes from succeeding are great. However, the fear of failure is also considerable. That is why ‘the first time’ is an opportunity but also a difficult choice for an actor. And there is an actor who achieved the two characters ‘success’ through that choice. She is actress Cha Joo-young. Once in the Netflix original ‘The Glory’ (written by Kim Eun-sook, directed by Ahn Gil-ho), she shed her image as ‘the stewardess Hye-jeong who liked big things’, and transformed into the ‘Joseon national mother’ Queen Wongyeong through the tvN·TVING original drama ‘Won-gyeong’ (written by Lee Young-mi, directed by Kim Sang-ho).

Cha Joo-young, who we met at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul after the drama ended, said, “I can‘t believe that the drama has ended. I’m still nervous. I think we‘ll know when time passes. Just talking about (the drama) is burdensome. There are many things that haven’t been sorted out, so it takes a lot of thought to express my thoughts,” revealing her feelings about saying goodbye to ‘Won-gyeong’.

The drama ‘Won-gyeong’ is a meaningful work for Cha Joo-young as it is her first historical drama, first lead role, and first title role. Above all, it is a historical drama based on a real person. Won-gyeong, played by Cha Joo-young, comes from the Yeoheung Min clan, one of the 15 great families of the Goryeo Dynasty, and made her husband Lee Bang-won the third king of Joseon, Taejong, and is the mother of King Sejong. Based on the historical facts alone, the character of Won-gyeong is bound to leave a deep impression on viewers.



Cha Joo-young mentioned the various burdens, saying, “This is my first lead role in a title role. And it‘s a historical drama. I felt a lot of pressure about how to portray this character. I wanted to run away a lot on set. It was hard to be shameless. But at the same time, I thought that my weak appearance would make the work lose its direction. I think I cast a spell that what I was doing was the answer. I tried to endure.”

Regarding acting as Won-gyeong, she said, “Unlike King Taejo Yi Seong-gye or King Taejong Yi Bang-won, there are not many historical records about Queen Wongyeong. I needed to create the empty parts. I had to fill that part entirely with my acting. History sometimes feels unfriendly. (I did refer to literature and other works, etc.), but I tried to express Won-gyeong based on my feelings because I thought my attempts would be limited. “I studied while watching works about King Taejong Lee Bang-won. I referred to Choi Myung-gil’s performance as Queen Won-gyeong. I think I referred to how actors who played queens like Jeon In-hwa acted. I just referred to it because I wanted to create my own character.”

Won-gyeong is a real person. Although they say they reinterpreted the character because historical records are lacking, it can easily be seen as a distortion of history. That’s why many historical dramas face controversy over historical distortion. “Won-gyeong” is no exception. Regarding this, Cha Joo-young said, “Since it deals with history, I can’t help but be careful even when filming a single scene. I think there will definitely be people who feel uncomfortable watching the work. I acted sincerely so that I wouldn’t be like anyone else. I thought that if I acted sincerely and made it explainable, it would be okay. That’s why it was difficult. There were parts that were frustrating and parts that I felt sorry about because I couldn’t do it while making excuses or reasons,” he said cautiously.



Cha Joo-young, who consistently says, “It‘s difficult.” The exposure scene must have been one of the most difficult. In fact, “Won-gyeong” faced controversy over its suggestiveness at the beginning of its airing. That’s how uncomfortable exposure can be for an actress.

Cha Joo-young said, “I tend to be courageous when it comes to daring things. I have no hesitation as an actor. However, I was cautious about attempting something about people (historical figures) who are too well-known. It required a lot of consensus. I know that there are people who think, ”It‘s not necessary.“ However, the story centers around the ”love story of the Joseon royal couple.“ So I heard some things like, ’That was a good attempt.‘ And some things like, ’You had to.‘ There were many misunderstandings and problems, but in the end, I tried my best and the next best.’ Cha Joo-young, who said, ”I have a romanticism about an era I haven‘t lived through,“ is sincere to history. If I get the chance, I want to act out the life of a character from a certain era in the past again. Cha Joo-young, who is now completely leaving ’Won-gyeong,‘ said, ”It was a meaningful work. It’s a work that I feel sad and sorry for because there were a lot of things that happened and I know how it was made. I think I finally understand what acting is. I feel exhausted because I did a work that deals with someone‘s life. I wonder what kind of acting I can do in the future. Whether it was my best or not, I feel like I pulled out everything I could and evaporated it. So I don’t know if I can put this much energy into my next work. However, I have started a new work in the meantime. There‘s nothing I can do. When given the chance, I give it my all, and even when I think I can’t do it, I try again when I see something fun,“ he said, hinting at another side of himself that isn‘t a ‘farm view’.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter, projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.