Hyeri And Jung Soo Bin Dish On Upcoming Drama "Friendly Rivalry" And The Challenges Of Playing High School Students
Hyeri and Jung Soo Bin recently sat down with Singles magazine to discuss their upcoming drama “Friendly Rivalry”!
Based on a popular webtoon, “Friendly Rivalry” is a mystery thriller set at Chaehwa Girls’ High School, an elite institution for the top 1 percent in South Korea, where cutthroat academic competition takes place between the students. Jung Soo Bin stars as Woo Seul Gi, a transfer student who becomes entangled in her classmates’ hidden ambitions—and the secret behind the mysterious death of her father, a former college entrance exam question setter.
Hyeri plays Yoo Jae Yi, Chaehwa’s top-ranked student and a figure of admiration who seems to have it all. With nothing left to desire, her world takes an unexpected turn when her interest is piqued by the transfer student Woo Seul Gi.
When asked if they had read the 76-episode webtoon on which “Friendly Rivalry” is based before filming began, Jung Soo Bin replied, “Yes, although I can’t remember it all very well now. I did read it because the drama is based on it. I wanted to understand the characters, but once I saw the script, I realized it was very different from the webtoon.”
Hyeri added, “I got the script first, then I read the webtoon. It was so different.”
When asked about just how different it was, Hyeri explained, “They only borrowed the basic characters from the webtoon. There are many new characters and plot developments that weren’t in the original. I worked on another drama adaptation before—’My Roommate is a Gumiho‘—and sometimes you think during filming, ‘Oh, this overlaps with a certain scene from the original webtoon.’ But nothing in this drama felt that way.”
Regarding the title of the drama “Friendly Rivalry” and its meaning, Hyeri noted, “Even in the original, the term ‘friendly rivalry’ was used in a very ironic way. In that sense, it’s similar. Our drama also has a strong ironic feel.”
Jung Soo Bin agreed, “Absolutely. While there’s definitely an ironic tone, the drama also explores personal growth. It shows how a character can evolve from being self-centered to working together with others.”
When asked about the challenges of portraying high school students again, given that they had previously played similar roles in other dramas, Jung Soo Bin—who has played high school students in various works including her debut drama “Live On“—shared, “My character Seul Gi is quite different from the characters I have played before. There are so many fascinating scenes in the drama—and while filming those scenes and meeting the character Jae Yi, I experienced things that were completely new. Also, until now, I had only played characters who attended coeducational schools, so playing a character who attends an all-girls school is a big change for me.”
Hyeri, who starred as a bright and confident high school girl in both “Schoolgirl Detectives” and “Reply 1988,” recalled, “Honestly, it’s been almost 10 years since I last played a high school role. When I read the script, I thought, ‘Has there ever been a drama like this in our country?’ I don’t usually use expressions like that, but I really couldn’t find another way to put it.”
She added, “My character Jae Yi is incredibly cheeky—it was fun to see desire expressed so unabashedly. And that kind of raw, unfiltered desire is rarely portrayed in Korea, which made it all the more intriguing.”
Hyeri continued, “You know, in all the roles I’ve taken on so far, my characters always had a kind of warm side to them. But the character of Yoo Jae Yi, by contrast, is all sharp edges. So I spent a lot of time thinking about which parts of myself I needed to tap into to bring out those sharp edges.”
Talking about her acting transformation, Hyeri shared, “This project was such a huge challenge for me. I’ve always been known for my bright, confident image. At first, even the director was a bit uncertain about whether I fit the role, but once filming began, so many people said I fit the role well and didn’t come off as kind.” She went on with a laugh, “Every time I heard that, I thought, ‘What a relief.'”
Jung Soo Bin added, “I really felt that Hyeri paid attention to every little detail… For instance, instead of counting with her fingers the way we Koreans do, she used a counting style that foreigners typically use—something that felt much more in line with how Jae Yi would count.”
With the premiere of “Friendly Rivalry” fast approaching on February 10, the two actresses encouraged viewers to tune in. Jung Soo Bin remarked, “First of all, I believe that all the wonderful experiences we had on set will be reflected in the final product. We worked with an amazing cast and crew and poured our hearts into every scene. I hope everyone will appreciate our efforts.”
Hyeri added, “I filmed this drama with so much love, joy, and happiness. Ihaven’t seen the finished drama yet, so I can’t predict yet what people’s reactions will be. But I’m confident that once people watch it, they’ll think, ‘There’s a drama in our country that dares to tell this kind of story.'”
Hyeri and Jung Soo Bin’s full interview and pictorial can be found in the February issue of Singles magazine.
Until then, watch Hyeri in her latest film “Victory” below:
And check out Jung Soo Bin’s drama “Live On” below:
Source (1)
Comments