Song Ji Hyo Gives Insight Into Portraying A Witch For "The Witch's Diner," Working With Nam Ji Hyun And Chae Jong Hyeop, And More

Song Ji Hyo shared her thoughts on her latest TVING drama “The Witch’s Diner”!

Based on a novel by Goo Sang Hee, “The Witch’s Diner” is a dark fantasy drama about a witch restaurant that sells food that grants wishes in exchange for the customers’ souls. Song Ji Hyo stars as Jo Hee Ra, the restaurant’s owner and witch, and Nam Ji Hyun stars as her business partner Jin. Chae Jong Hyeop plays Gil Yong, who is the restaurant’s part-time employee.

Spoilers

Recently, the actress participated in an online interview after the final episode of the eight-part series was released on August 16. Song Ji Hyo shared, “Honestly, it doesn’t feel as if it has ended. It doesn’t feel like the end.”

Although she received great praise for flawlessly transforming into the character of a unique witch, Song Ji Hyo shared, “There was great burden, and it was very difficult. Since she isn’t a character viewers are used to, viewers could feel discomfort with something too witchy, but I also thought she shouldn’t feel too friendly or familiar. I thought about it a lot.”

Song Ji Hyo continued, “Due to that, I think I was really stuck in the mold that I was a witch.” Eventually, with the director’s help, Song Ji Hyo revealed that she had settled on a midway point between a character who isn’t too witch-like or too human-like. Song Ji Hyo explained, “I worked hard to portray Hee Ra as my own version of a tsundere-style (seemingly cold on the outside, but warm on the inside) witch.” She added, “That’s why I wanted the Hee Ra I imagined to seem cold but humane and urban but warm.”

Regarding the visual aspects of portraying a witch, Song Ji Hyo shared, “The character of a witch felt a bit foreign, and she had to look visually extravagant. The concept our staff prepared was very extravagant, so I worried, ‘Would I be able to do this? Would I be able to dress up with all this and act?'” The actress added that there were a lot of aspects to think about because the drama is originally based on a novel, which created a difference in what she imagined and what she actually saw in person.

On her similarities with her character, Song Ji Hyo explained, “It’s not that I don’t have Hee Ra’s cold side. Since I’m also human, I get angry and annoyed. I sometimes act rude. I tried to act as Hee Ra while portraying those sides well, and through that, I was able to show a new side of me that I haven’t shown on variety shows yet.”

During the interview, Song Ji Hyo also picked the scene in which Jo Hee Ra gives Lee Gil Yong tomato stew as her most memorable scene. She elaborated, “I can’t stop thinking about the fact that I only gave one plate of tomato stew to a growing high school boy. I said that I was really sorry I only gave one plate of tomato stew to a student who is still growing. If I play that kind of role again, I’ll try to plan a menu where it’s possible to give refills of two or three plates.”

The actress also shared that she had already known about the shocking ending in which Jin is revealed to be Jo Hee Ra’s daughter because she had read the novel. She added, “In order to maximize the effect of the plot twist, I acted as if I weren’t her mom. Although Jin is Hee Ra’s daughter, I tried to make it seem as if she isn’t her daughter. It was difficult to act because we had to hide the two people’s relationship.”

Regarding the cast, Song Ji Hyo shared, “Ji Hyun’s and Jong Hyeop’s youthful energy was so good. They remained positive regardless of the situation. It was nice to see them bursting with energy at any time. While seeing them, I felt sad that I wasn’t like that at their age.”

She continued, “Ji Hyun is so similar to Jin. It was nice seeing her bravely take on any situation. Ji Hyun is also so good at acting. I also like her sharp personality. Jong Hyeop is always smiling. He smiled so much to the extent that I wondered, ‘Has he ever been tired?’ I’m very jealous of that energy.” Song Ji Hyo also picked Ha Do Kwon as the mood maker of the drama, sharing that the set was always filled with laughter with his presence. Picking her most memorable cameo scene, Song Ji Hyo shared, “Im Won Hee‘s case hurt the most. It’s a story about his mother. There was also a lot of painful lines.”

On starring in a drama that airs exclusively on OTT platforms, she explained that it was difficult for her to feel the reactions and feedback to her acting. “The Witch’s Diner” was popular among international drama fans as well, but Song Ji Hyo revealed, “I had no idea.” She explained, “It’s to the extent that I said, ‘I’m starring in a drama, but why doesn’t it feel like I am?’ But what made me realize that there are many viewers overseas was that during my birthday a few days ago, several people turned my character from ‘The Witch’s Diner’ into a figurine and gifted it to me. I realized that many people were watching from abroad as well, which made me feel proud.”

Mentioning the idea of a second season, Song Ji Hyo shared, “The cast jokingly talked about season 2. Jo Hee Ra has passed on the witch’s diner to her daughter Jin, so I don’t know if it’ll be okay for me to come out again. It should be okay for me to appear briefly. If they call me to say we’re doing season 2, I’ll definitely go. Since it’s Jin’s witch’s diner now, I’m interested in working together anytime if I can help. However, now viewers have to watch Jin’s witch’s diner.”

If you haven’t already, catch Song Ji Hyo in “The Witch’s Diner” below:

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