Son Dam Bi Describes How Her Career Changed After "When The Camellia Blooms" + Preparations For Her Character

Son Dam Bi spoke about her latest drama “When the Camellia Blooms.”

The popular KBS 2TV drama aired its final episode on November 21 and set a new record for the highest ratings for a 2019 miniseries. Son Dam Bi portrayed a part-time employee named Hyang Mi who worked at Dong Baek’s pub Camellia.

In the interview, the actress began by talking about when it hit her that the drama had ended. “A few days ago, I dyed my hair in a dark shade and cried thinking that I was sending Hyang Mi away,” said Son Dam Bi. “She’s a character I feel really attached to. Our teamwork was so good that I felt sad wondering, ‘Will I be able to meet another dream team like this? Will I be able to meet another project like this?’ On one hand, I feel relieved that I was able to show myself in a good project. I didn’t expect viewers to be immersed in my character and to love me like this, so I feel dazed by the attention and moved. It’s difficult to express it in words.”

Speaking about the link between herself and Hyang Mi, the actress said, “The director said that I had some things in common with Hyang Mi. He said, ‘I’m looking at myself, but it seems as if I’m not looking at myself. I feel like I’m talking to myself, but it feels as if I’m talking with someone else. If you use that, then you’ll become closer to Hyang Mi.’ I used that point to analyze my character. She’s not inarticulate, but she speaks slowly and has an unclear focus in her eyes. She wants to dress up a lot, but doesn’t have money so can’t touch up her roots. She painted her nails with a free manicure, but it has rubbed off because she couldn’t take care of it. She looks fancy, but dresses unfashionably. That’s how I began creating my character.”

She continued, “When I first got the offer, I wondered if this was the right way to do it. She felt like a female con artist, and I wondered if it would appear negative since she was someone who took others’ money. But the more I read the script, the more I liked this character. She was someone with her own story, and it was a deeper story as the plot progressed to the second half, so I thought that the negative image would be reduced if I did a good job expressing her. I heard that there was fierce competition for Hyang Mi’s character. She was a character many actresses wanted to portray. Her way of speaking is unique, and she has refreshing charms because her thoughts go straight out of her mouth. She’s someone who’s not welcomed in society. She’s also someone who’s alienated and wants to give love but doesn’t know how to, so I felt more sympathy and love for her.”

As for staying true to character and not getting her roots touched up, Son Dam Bi explained, “I’m of the type to get totally messed up if I’m going to look messed up. I thought that it wouldn’t feel realistic to the viewers if I were to do it half-heartedly, so I made up my mind when I began acting. What’s interesting is that I had always portrayed characters who got messed up, but viewers really took notice of it this time. I felt so happy that they took notice of the details of the nails and root touch-up.”

“This was the first time my character was liked and sympathized with to this extent,” said Son Dam Bi. “When Hyang Mi died, there were many comments that said, ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s my first time not receiving a lot of hate comments. I wondered if this was right, and it was really fascinating. I felt so happy I couldn’t put it in words, and it was hard hiding those feelings on set. On one hand, I wondered if I had not shown good acting until now. I had worked hard in the same way for every project and wondered if those things had built up to create this great result. Since I appeared in many projects and built up many things, I was able to be more comfortable towards Hyang Mi, and it was shown well to viewers because I was confident I could do a good job. There were many reactions from people around me. At first, I received the most amount of text messages asking who died. Later, I received many text messages asking who Gabuli was. I stayed silent and didn’t say anything, but there were some surprising explanations. I was a possible candidate for Gabuli, and there were theories about being transgender. I laughed a lot seeing those kinds of reactions.”

Comparing herself to her character, Son Dam Bi said, “We’re similar in how we’re both observant, and maybe sometimes how I don’t have focus when looking at something. Everything else was created. I paid a lot of attention to controlling the tempo of my speech while acting as Hyang Mi. I usually speak quickly, but Hyang Mi speaks slowly. She’s a character that was created after many discussions with the director.”

Son Dam Bi and Gong Hyo Jin (who played Dong Baek) created a womance on screen. “She’s a senior who I’m close with in real life,” explained the actress. “It was comfortable acting with her because we’re close, and the director said that I looked the most natural when I was with Dong Baek. Gong Hyo Jin is someone who has many ideas and gives a lot of advice. She asks, ‘How about this? How about doing it this way?’ a lot. For the scene before going on the last delivery with Dong Baek on the scooter, I cried so much that my chest hurt. I began crying thinking about why Dong Baek took care of someone like me. The script was also unable to be said without tears, and the tears that I had held back all came out at once. I remember that scene the most.”

“I let some of [Hyang Mi] go while dyeing my hair, but I think she’s going to linger for a while,” she said. “I’m going to Copenhagen next week for a pictorial shoot. I feel as if I’m going to achieve a dream that Hyang Mi wasn’t able to, and I think that it might be a bit easier to let her go after returning from the shoot.”

Son Dam Bi concluded the interview by describing what “When the Camellia Blooms” meant to her. “It’s the project that opened the second chapter of my life,” she said. “My first chapter was the 10 years from when I began acting to when I met ‘When the Camellia Blooms.’ I think that I can now freely roam about more. I’m going to fully enjoy it and work harder to see you again in a better project. I want to tell Hyang Mi, ‘You worked so hard.’ You had many concerns and worries, but thank you for overcoming them well, and you worked hard.”

Source (1)