Kim Tae-ri “A webtoon with over 100 episodes, a challenge to record it in 12 parts… A drama like a miracle”

“Every week, I felt a regret in a corner of my heart, thinking, ‘I wonder if there was something I could have done a little more.’ It was a challenge for everyone to incorporate the original webtoon with over 100 episodes into 12 episodes (of the drama). We had to draw a stepping stone that would convince the audience of the next scene every time within the implied narrative.”

Actress Kim Tae-ri, who played the lead role in the tvN drama ‘Retirement’, which ended on the 17th, expressed her thoughts on the ending through her agency on the 18th.

Kim Tae-ri recalled when she first encountered the drama ‘Jeongnyeon’ and said, “I just thought, ‘This looks fun.’ The world of women’s national theater depicted in the original work was exciting. When a woman plays a male role, I was so curious about the charm that transcended the defined gender.”

Kim Tae-ri studied singing, choreography, and even dialect separately to transform into Jeong Nyeon-i, a genius female national theater actor from Mokpo.

He said, “I started practicing my voice right away. I started from the basics in all areas,” and explained, “I started practicing my voice with vocal teacher Kwon Song-hee from the first class in 2021, and I also took a few lessons from master singer Kim Su-yeon.”

He also expressed his gratitude, saying, “Choreography teacher Lee Yi-seul tried her best to find movements that fit my body. Actress Jung Soo-jung, who is from Mokpo, taught me the dialect during all the filming days and post-recordings.”

He added that in order to express Jeongnyeon who was ‘frozen to the bone’ (a state where she was unable to make a sound), she did not drink a single sip of water for several hours and made sounds by scratching her throat.

He also mentioned that it was not an easy challenge as it was a drama that required a lot of preparation.

He said, “It was a nearly impossible challenge with the actors’ voices, the burden of stage acting, four large stages (a play within a play), and the 1950s setting,” and “The drama that was created miraculously received the love of many viewers in a short period of time.”

He added that despite the hard work, he still feels regret.

Kim Tae-ri said, “I often thought, ‘Should I have acted in a way that protected my loveliness as the main character, going beyond all logic? ‘” and confessed, “I haven’t found a specific answer, but I think it’s enough growth even without an answer.”

Editor. Hong Se-yeong