[Herald Interview] Go Youn-jung finds familiarity in playing Hui-soo

Go Youn-jung (Walt Disney Co. Korea)

It can take a lot of analysis and effort for an actor to transform into a character.

But for rising star Go Youn-jung, playing Hui-soo -- a high school girl with a superhuman healing ability in Disney+’s latest action fantasy series “Moving" -- came naturally.

She was auditioning for "Moving" not for a particular role, but when she read Hui-soo’s lines, she felt comfortable.

“Playing a character or reading lines without knowing the background story is always difficult. It doesn’t feel right on the tongue. But Hui-soo was a bit special,” said Go in a recent interview with reporters at a cafe in Jongno-gu, central Seoul.

“Director Park In-jae and screenwriter Kang Full told me to play the character without any worries, telling me that I was a real-life Hui-soo. They gave me huge confidence to perform the character well,” Go added.

Go Youn-jung plays a high school student Jang Hui-soo in "Moving" (Walt Disney Co. Korea)

Though the 27-year-old actor majored in contemporary art, Go said that she was most passionate about PE, just like Hui-soo.

“I always had a strange obsession with setting a record in sports. I had to become the most flexible student, the fastest runner and top long jumper in our class. Hui-soo was training to become a PE major, which made me feel nothing but pleasure to portray her,” the actor said.

Go said the action scenes were a little different from what she experienced in the past, because she had to convey an extraordinary character.

“The original webtoon series presents Hui-soo as an invincible person who doesn’t feel any pain. But the drama series creators decided to make Hui-soo feel some pain, but less so than ordinary humans. Finding a compromise between a human being and a girl with superhuman power was the priority before getting to Hui-soo’s dynamic action scenes in ‘Moving,’” she said.

After explaining Hui-soo’s defense-centered combat style, Go showed her desire to play an aggressive character like a sword master.

“I tried sword fighting while playing Naksu in ‘Alchemy of Souls,’ but it was too short. I really want to play a character with powerful, flashy actions,” Go said.

The rising actor was also happy co-starring in the series with a star-studded cast of veteran actors including Han Hyo-joo, Ryu Seung-ryong and Zo In-sung.

“I was not only surprised about their performances, but also with their attitudes and time efficiency. They never seem to waste their time lightly. Being surrounded by talented actors was a huge lesson for me to become a good actor,” Go said.

By Lee Si-jin(sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)