Scent of a Woman Press Conference in Singapore

The leading cast of “Scent of a Woman“, Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah were in Singapore on December 5 to promote the 16-part romance drama.  Not only did they meet up with the local media, they also took time to meet and greet K-drama fans. Both media and fan meetings took place at the newly established club Avalon at Marina Bay Sands.

The media event main conference was hosted by Radio 1003‘s DJ Ah Dong and was kicked off by a tango dance performance before introducing the two special guests. Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah greeted the media and went on to answer a few questions from the host. Everyone was taken by surprise when Kim Sun Ah revealed that it was actually her third time visiting Singapore. The first two times were for personal leisure.

Media interviews were divided into two groups to meet with Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah separately. I got to meet Kim Sun Ah first and below is a recap of the Q&A from my group.

Q: Do you know how big is the Korean pop culture in Singapore?

KSA: Yes, I’ve definitely heard of it, be it the Korean Wave and Korean Boom. But while I’ve been here, it’s been more of Korean Wave? And actually what I know is, from my website and homepage, there have been a lot of Singaporean fans who left comments and messages, and they are really enthusiastic. It seems that Korean dramas are getting more popular here, and I feel so grateful and so happy about it. 

Q: Were there any interesting happenings or difficulties during filming? 

KSA: Well, there were a lot of scenes and happenings in the drama. But in the beginning, I acted by myself for almost a month, because I chose to film all my solo scenes first. My first partner was a chicken (Kim Sun Ah made flapping actions with her free hand here) so I chased a chicken for three hours, it was really tiring. There was another scene where I really explode myself, I had to crash and break down all the plants, and then after that scene, I had to move on to a very bitter crying scene.

But I can’t really remember how I moved from scene to scene. I think I was so much involved in each scene. It is a very sad drama, with a great storyline. People who watched the drama said they had a lot of fun, and every time I think about the people that I worked with in “Scent of a Woman”, I am very emotional, it is not just a drama for me but a really emotional drama. Every time I act, I am so involved into my character, both of us, not just me.

There was once I wore a blue dress, a very revealing dress, and Dong Wook said to me, “How come your dress is so revealing and low-cut?”. He started to complain as if I were actually his girlfriend! I think both of us were very very involved (into our roles).

And there was another emotional scene when Dong Wook found out that I got cancer, there were a lot of sad scenes for both of us during then, which took a lot of hard work to complete.

[side note: Kim Sun Ah got a little teary and emotional as she shares her filming experience, she has had to pause a few times before continuing.]

Q: What is one most memorable scene that all viewers should watch out for? 

KSA: First of all, before I state any recommendable or favorite scene, you should complete episode 1 to 16, then you will know what kind of drama it is. Once you watch our drama, you will find the meaning of life, because this kind of things could happen to me as well, its not just something that happened in the drama. My favorite scene was when Yeon Jae for the first time, when she went to Eun Suk and asked him to save her, and also when Kang Ji Wook told her “please live for me”. Those scenes were the most memorable for me.

Q: In what ways do you think you are able to relate to your character?

KSA: I think everyone can think about this, but when the only reason you don’t feel accomplished is because death is coming to you. When you find out that you are facing death, you push yourself to the cliff, you can only think of the one last thing that you want to do, that will be your bucket list. My bucket list was something very simple in the drama, “make my mom laugh everyday”. This is something you can do everyday, but you just don’t do because it just pass by. And “I want to meet my first love.” You don’t take it seriously and it just pass by and you forget about it. It is not something you cannot achieve, something you can do, that’s why I’m so involved in the drama.

Q: Kim Junsu from JYJ made an appearance as a special guest. What do you think of him?

KSA: Most people’s bucket list contain this “I want to meet my favorite actor or singer”, and that was why we decided to put Kim Junsu in the drama OST. Actually, I was the first one to listen to his song, and I got goosebumps. The lyrics and melody is well matched with the drama.

Q: Your portrayal of Yeon Jae is very real, did you learn from cancer patients to act this real in the drama?

KSA: Actually when I act, I don’t think about acting anymore, I just live as Yeon Jae. I think like her. Most importantly, when I’m in the act, I’m completely with that person. Its the same thing as when I’m filming “My Lovely Samsoon“, I was very lively and very cheerful, I feel the same way. So my message is, if you don’t think you can play the character, then don’t do it, even if its a fictional person.

With that, it concluded the session with Kim Sun Ah. Do stay tuned for the installment on Lee Dong Wook’s interview! Here are some more pictures from the media event.

Special thanks to SPE Networks – Asia and Integrated Marketing Solutions Group for inviting Soompi to cover the press conference.