"The Journey to Gyeongju" Gong Hyo-jin: "Director Kim Mijo Is as Unique as Lee Kyoung-mi of 'Crush and Blush'" [Interview]

[Financial News] "Director Kim Mijo has a mysterious charm. She is full of charisma, strength, and passion, and she is also very smart. She is a director to look forward to even more in the future."
Actor Gong Hyo-jin praised director Kim Mijo's individuality and directing skills, saying she made her commercial film debut with "The Journey to Gyeongju." Ahead of the film's release, Gong met Kim at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, and compared her with Lee Kyoung-mi, the director of "Crush and Blush," saying that both women are unique.


"The Journey to Gyeongju" is a family revenge drama about a mother, Ok-sil (Lee Jung-eun), and her three daughters, Jang-ju (Gong Hyo-jin), Young-ju (Park So-dam), and Dong-ju (Lee Yeon), who set out on a revenge trip for their youngest daughter Gyeongju, who never returned from a school trip eight years ago. While rooted in deep loss and anger, it freely moves between thriller, black comedy, family drama, and farce.
Gong Hyo-jin said, "I could clearly feel the director's style from the moment I read the screenplay." She added, "When I watched the finished film, the director's aesthetic world and symbolic expressions were naturally woven throughout it."
The scene she found most impressive shows the four women lying side by side as they recall a family trip from the past. Hawaiian music plays in the background, while the shadows of swaying tree branches stand in for their happy childhood.
Gong Hyo-jin said, "There was originally a scene showing the sisters playing when they were young, but the director chose to express it through the shadows of tree branches instead of showing it directly." She added, "Once you understand it, it becomes a beautiful and heartbreaking scene."
She emphasized, "Director Kim is a strong leader and a humorous person." She added, "She also has a perfectionist side. She is already preparing her next project, and she writes very quickly." Kim is known to have watched Gong Hyo-jin's drama "Don't Dare to Dream" as many as 30 times.

The biggest reasons Gong Hyo-jin chose "The Journey to Gyeongju" were the strength of the screenplay and her reunion with veteran actress Lee Jung-eun. The two previously played mother and daughter in the drama "When the Camellia Blooms."
She recalled, "When I heard that the mother would be played by Lee Jung-eun, I thought, 'The stage is set.'" She continued, "As I closed the script, I really wanted to see this film come to life on screen, and I also wanted to breathe life into the character Jang-ju myself."
After reading the screenplay, she could not shake off a bitter feeling for several days. In particular, the past scene in which the family confirms the youngest daughter's death, and the image of the mother sending her daughter off on the school trip, stayed with her.
Gong Hyo-jin said, "The mother stands firm until she confirms her daughter's name." She added, "The scene where she cannot even properly say, 'Have a good trip,' as she sends her child away was so heartbreaking. Even reading it on the page hurt my heart."
The character Jang-ju, whom she plays, is the eldest daughter who puts family first. She begins as her mother's right hand in carrying out revenge, but later struggles as she realizes that she is also a mother.
She may have secretly hoped the plan would fail. Gong Hyo-jin explained, "Even within families, very deep sorrow is often avoided like a taboo." She added, "When the mother suddenly suggests carrying out something they had not been able to even mention for eight years, Jang-ju's feelings could not have been simple."

Gong Hyo-jin described the biggest appeal of "The Journey to Gyeongju" as its "sweet-and-salty mix" and its "dramatic swing between warmth and cold." Even while dealing with the tragedy of a family that has lost a daughter, the film constantly delivers down-to-earth humor and unpredictable chaos.
She said, "There are scenes with a narrative so painful that they are hard to watch without tears, yet there are also moments that make you laugh even when you think you absolutely should not." She added, "The emotions keep shifting to the point where you wonder, 'Am I supposed to laugh or cry?' That is the charm of our film."
She also pointed to the ensemble acting as one of the film's major strengths. By staying and filming together in Gyeongju, the cast naturally developed the family dynamic seen on screen.
Gong Hyo-jin said, "Playing sisters probably made us get close faster." She added, "Lee Yeon and I played Nintendo at the lodging, and Park So-dam watched us from behind. Even when we were not filming, we kept running into each other at convenience stores, restaurants, and karaoke rooms, and we became as close as a real family."
She also spoke about how her approach to acting has changed as her career has grown. She said, "In the past, my goal was to make my character understood. Now, I think it is more important to act in a way that makes the entire work more engaging."
She continued, "Rather than showing the answer in advance in every scene, I want to make the audience curious and ask, 'Why is she doing that?' When I started thinking about acting not just for my own character but for the whole drama, I thought, 'I guess I really have become a veteran now,'" she said with a laugh.



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