“My Black Mini Dress” Press Conference

Director Huh In Moo, who produced “Love, So Divine” (2004) and “Herb” (2007), has come out with a new movie “My Black Mini Dress.” Actresses Yoon Eun Hye,  Park Han Byul, Cha Ye Ryun and Director Huh attended the press conference, and each showed a strong attraction to the movie. Yoo In Na was unable to attend for personal reasons. Below are the questions and answers from the press conference.

Question and Answers:

What kind of movie is “My Black Mini Dress?”

Director Huh: It’s about four twenty-something-year old girls who dream of living the good life.

Yoon Eun Hye: While the movie shows all the glitzes and glamour, the story is actually one about friendship. It’s a story that will warm people’s hearts.

The four best friends start growing apart as Hye Ji (Park Han Byul), an aspiring model, shoots her first commercial. You’ve all debuted at an early age; do you have any similar experiences?

Yoon Eun Hye: Debuting at an early age is enough to win you jealous stares from your friends. However, I believe I handled the situation well. Friendship never changes. I talk to my friends often about everything to avoid any misunderstandings between us.

Park Han Byul: I’ve had a couple of instances that were exactly like the scenes in the movie. There were times when I felt like a third-wheel when I met my friends after a long time, and I was able to understand my character so well because of them.

Cha Ye Ryun: I could perceive my friends feeling envious of me when I started working as a model. However, they also said that I’ve changed a lot since filming dramas and movies. Personally, I feel like nothing’s changed.

While Yoon Eun Hye, Yoo In Na, and Park Han Byul wore glamorous clothes, Cha Ye Ryun had a relatively plain wardrobe. Were you a little disappointed?

Cha Ye Ryun: Well, I am human…and a girl. So yes, I wanted to wear the gorgeous clothes too. There was a scene where I was really hard to spot because while the three wore amazing clothes, I wore a long coat over some black clothes. Initially, I was a bit sad, but I didn’t have a choice because my character was the easy-going type who didn’t put too much thought as to what she wore.

The four of you collaborated for the original soundtrack. Since Yoon Eun Hye is a former singer, how would you rate the other three’s singing skills?

Yoon Eun Hye: Haha, I don’t know what to say…I wasn’t a very good singer during my days as Baby V.O.X. Yoo In Na has always been a great singer, and Park Han Byul has her unique cute way of singing well. Cha Ye Ryun surprised me with her voice. Other than that, I think we’re all in the same boat.

Yoon Eun Hye has stated that out of all the characters she’s played, her Yoo Min character resembles her the most. How much does your characters in “My Black Mini Dress” resemble each one of you?

Yoon Eun Hye: Out of all the characters I’ve played, Yoo Min does resemble the real me most. It’s a side of me that only close friends know. I’ve always had a little shortcoming when it came to my acting, but it was a lot easier to express Yoo Min because she’s so similar to me. In my opinion, I think Park Han Byul matches well with her character. In the past, she’s done characters that were quiet and innocent; but she’s actually very cool and laid-back, a lot like her Hye Ji character. Cha Ye Ryun is a lot like her character Soo Jin because they while they both seem strong on the outside, they are actually very tender and frail inside.

Park Han Byul: Most of my previous characters were always the type that were innocent, coy, and sneaky; and they haven’t been accepted too well with female viewers. However, this time I’m the type who’s cool and care-free. She’s the reliable, trusty friend. Hye Ji and I are also similar in that we both are very optimistic. One of Hye Ji’s lines in the movie is “Because I don’t worry all my worries disappear,” and I was able to relate to it. It seems like everyone matched their characters pretty well. All four of us are about 70%-80% like our characters.

Cha Ye Ryun: Soo Jin likes to take control. She’s the type who makes the decision for people if they can’t make one for themselves, and I’m also like that too. Yoon Eun Hye is great at everything, and her character is just like her. Park Han Byul and Hye Ji are similar in that both are very free and remain composed even in difficult situations.

The movie seems like a 2010 version of “Take Care of My Cat,” and many are associating it to “Gossip Girl.”

Director Huh: Many people have told me that it’s a lot like “Take Care of My Hat,” “Sex and the City,” and “Gossip Girl.” I wanted to show what fresh-out of college twenty-something-year old girls were thinking. Many young people live such exhausting lives, and I tried to give these people a break from their lives with this movie.   

Yoon Eun Hye: One of the main reasons for taking this movie was the fact that I may no longer get the opportunity to express a twenty-four year old girl’s troubles. I’ve seen “Take Care of My Cat” back in the day, and I recently re-watched it and found myself reminiscing about my youth and the feelings I had then. I hope “My Black Mini Dress” touches someone else like that in ten years.

Which scenes where you able to identify with yourself?

Park Han Byul: Very few people can relate with Hye Ji because of her profession. However, I’ve gone through the situations she’s going through; and when she fought with Soo Jin (Cha Ye Ryun), it really tugged at my heartstrings because I fully understand how she feels.

Cha Ye Ryun: The scene that really pulled my heart was when she pretended to be strong in front of her friends when everything in her house had seizure stickers stuck on them. The fight scene with Hye Ji touched me deeply too.

Did your boyfriend Seven give you any special advice for this movie?

Park Han Byul: Just as I can’t give him any advices when he’s preparing for a new album, he doesn’t really give me any advice (laughs). But he did support me by saying how I can show everyone else a new side to me.

It must have been fun on set because you are all of similar age. Do you have any memorable episodes you can tell us about?  

Park Han Byul: It was always so chaotic. We all have similar skin types, so we were constantly talking about cosmetics when we weren’t filming.

Yoon Eun Hye: We all like eating, so we would be eating constantly. It got to the point where Director Han had to ask us to concentrate on the shoot. (laughs)

All of you are in your mid-twenties. What do you think defines twenties?

Yoon Euh Hye: Just like in the movie, I don’t think anything is easy when you’re in your twenties. It’s just a stepping stone to maturing into a thirty-year-old. You go though many pain and sufferings over and over again until you can look back and not be affected by them any longer.  

Park Han Byul: There were many rocky moments, as well as some pretty amazing ones, in my twenties. I casually dismissed them then; but now that I think about them, they were pretty fun.

Cha Ye Ryun: When I turned twenty, I figured I was all grown up. But nowadays, I still feel like there’s so much stuff I have to do. I feel like the twenties are a time where you prepare for your future.

Written in Korean by songsoonjin@soompi; translated by hotshotlover30@soompi

Photos by Lee Sang Hee