Director Jeong Ji-young revealed he had Yeom Hye-ran in mind from the very start as the lead of his Jeju 4.3 film.
At the press screening and Q&A for the film "My Name Is," held the afternoon of the 2nd at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Jeong explained why he cast Yeom as the protagonist. "I worked with Yeom Hye-ran on the film 'The Boys.' She played Sul Kyung-gu's wife. We didn’t shoot many days together, but I was captivated. Her acting has flavor. It’s so real. I wanted to meet this actor again with a bigger role," he said.
He continued, "While I was preparing this script, Yeom Hye-ran reached out saying she wanted to work on the next project together," adding, "So I revised the script with Yeom as the lead."
Jeong added, "The one thing I felt sorry about while writing the script was that Yeom Hye-ran, who is young, had to play an older character. But I believed that once she read it, she would take the role because of the protagonist’s appeal," recalling the confidence he had during the writing process.
"My Name Is" is a mystery drama about an 18-year-old boy, Young-ok, who wants to shed his "uncool" name; his mother, Jeong-soon, who must protect that name; and their search for a promise made on "that day" 50 years ago, hidden behind the name. Yeom Hye-ran portrays Jeong-soon, a strong Jeju mother who has endured a turbulent history.
The film opens on the 15th.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)