Yoona [INTERVIEW TRANSLATION] SNSD in W Korea (August 2017)

Drama <The King In Love> will air soon. It was pre-filmed so even though the shoot has ended, you meet often with your co-stars.

The attendance rate is very so good we say to each other that it feels like we are in university. The writers incorporated my personality when creating the character, and when we went on location, they didn’t give specific direction but said to go and play as we were. You’ll be able to see a comfortable appearance.

Of the members, you have been acting most steadily. There must have been preconceived notions as an idol turned actress, when did you experience this and how did you overcome it?

A month or two before Soshi’s debut, I debuted in a drama first. As expected, I must have been lacking a lot but most people looked at me favorably for trying hard. While filming, the album came out and the title of Girls’ Generation became attached, and assessments after that felt a bit more harsh. Since I showed myself on stage more often, they recognized that image first so my acting self might have been viewed awkwardly. Acting is still difficult. Not because I’m an idol but because there are so many people these days who are good. Rather than to take off a label, I have greed to want to become even better at acting. There are many exceptional idols turned actors now so I think there are less preconceived notions than before.

Director Kim Sunghoon who directed your first movie <Confidential Assignment> said ‘Smart actors have innate sensibilities, like how a water flows’. As an actress, what do you think an actor’s strengths are?

Talking about an actor’s strengths sounds too grandiose, but I like emotional appeal. I’m impacted by the weather a lot, and I tend to think that the mood and atmosphere is important. Of course, what an actor feels and expressing those feelings is a different issue. Sometimes aspects that I thought I could do well doesn’t come across as well on screen. I’m not sure if it’s emotion, but one of the individual aspects that I like about myself is voice. A lot of people who predict my voice will be bright are surprised because my voice is low-to-medium tone when they hear it, but I like this tone a lot. Of other actors, I like those who have low tones and recently, actor Kim Jiwon is like that.

How does it feel to celebrate SNSD’s 10th anniversary?

It feels like it has been about 7 years but it makes me wonder when time passed by so quickly like this. Other sunbaenims who celebrated their 10 year anniversary since debut looked cool and accomplished, but to me, the thing that I feel the most is that time has passed by quickly. I do feel proud too.

In the last 10 years, what kind of change has happened to the members?

As we built up our experience, everyone’s skills expanded and we grew. Aspects that made us nervous or awkward have become comfortable. Personality-wise, the person who changed the most is maknae Seohyun. She was introverted but now she’s a bit more lively and has a personality that allows her to approach others first. That’s a result of both her own efforts, and the influence of the members. Tiffany unnie’s Korean skills have improved a lot so for most interviews, she chooses appropriate words and does well.

If you could meet yourself at debut, what do you want to say to yourself?

One of the things to keep in mind when working, I would tell myself to work hard so that I won’t have regrets when I see the results of my work later. Since it will make you sad if you feel like you didn’t do your best and could have done better. When I was young, if the situation was difficult, I would compromise and say ‘I’ll do better next time’ and go on to the next thing, but I would like to tell myself to have a heart that puts my best into every moment.

When was the most difficult moment of the last 10 years?

More than difficult, there were many moments that were burdensome. Every time we made a new album, we had worries and anxieties of what if we don’t meet the anticipation level, or if they don’t like this appearance of ours, which was always accompanied by anticipation. But for SNSD activities, we have many members so we give each other strength. Even when I don’t have energy, I receive energy from the members so I can withstand for longer. Before I did a drama called <The K2>, I had about a 2 year absence period, and I think my thoughts changed a lot then. Toward SNSD, toward acting, I let go of the burdens of how the public would view it, and became a bit more comfortable. Should I say I’m more relaxed?

Did anything cause the change?

I think I needed to give myself time. Because I had been so busy, I didn’t know how to enjoy periods of rest, and once a week passed, I felt like I’d been rested. But the approach of waiting for work that I can do even better at, or suits me even more changed me a lot, rather than anxiously choosing work that will allow the public to see my face quickly. When preparing for this album, our goal was to be able to give a feeling of ‘SNSD is SNSD’ rather than getting even better results, or some kind of an award.

Have you learned how to spend time off well?

I think it’s important to travel a lot, learn this and that, and have time to to expand your own horizons. You need to spend time off well because it allows you to have an outlook different from when you’re working.

What does the SNSD name mean to you?

It’s a name that is a source of pride and strength. Every now and then, we say that ‘to us, there’s only members’ and we become that much of a source of strength for one another. And now, even if it’s not the members, the team itself plays that role. Even if I go do something somewhere alone, I’m stepping out with all of the work I’ve done as SNSD.

#artist