"I learned a lot": "Miss Night and Day" Jung Eun Ji on Her Experience Acting with Lee Jung Eun

Singer and actress Jung Eun Ji who played the role of Lee Mi Jin, a late-20s job seeker who has failed the civil service exam for eight years, shared her thoughts on Miss Night and Day, behind-the-scene stories, her future aspirations and more. 

In this drama, Jung Eun Ji and veteran actress Lee Jung Eun portrayed the same character, and it is no exaggeration to say that the two naturally blended into one role. 

Talking about how she's feeling now the drama has concluded, she said, "We filmed for about a year, and it feels like the aftereffects are still lingering in my heart," and added, "I think we benefited a bit from the Olympic season. I think people watched our drama with the momentum gained from archery's good results right before the final episode aired."

She also talked about the central message of Miss Night and Day: "While portraying Mi Jin, I realized that everyone has their own pace, and they deserve to be respected whether they are slow or fast. I remember narrating with Jung Eun: 'Youth itself is so precious, but when you're in it, you don't realize that.' It's a phrase that often appears on Instagram, but when you have youth, I hope you love and embrace it."

When asked about the status of the dance challenge she had promised, she said, "At the press conference, I said that if the drama surpassed 10%, we would all dance to Mr. Chu together. I'm curious if people are really interested in seeing the three of us dancing to Mr. Chu. We'll have to think about which song to choose," she said with a laugh.

Here is an excerpt of the Q&A the actress had with local reporters: 

The final episode recorded 12.1% viewership in the Seoul metropolitan area and 11.7% nationwide. Your thoughts on it?

The ratings kept hovering around 10%, which made me think it might not surpass it. Honestly, I didn't think much about it. (Laughs) I was surprised that it not only surpassed 10% but even exceeded 11%. I didn't think we would do a dance challenge. I think we should do something other than Mr. Chu, so I think we will prepare for that and upload it. Since I've been dancing throughout most of my twenties, I don't think I'll need to practice separately. Choi Jin Hyuk said that he thinks people like it more when he can't dance well, so he probably won't practice too hard either (laughs).

What efforts did you make to perform as one with Lee Jung Eun sunbae?

I monitored her acting scenes. It could be uncomfortable to [let someone else] watch the monitor while [you] act, but she let me do it without any hesitation. Each time, I watched to understand the emotions from the previous scene and continue with them, since I had to carry them over into my scenes. For emotional scenes, there were many times when I would watch her scene while she delivered her lines, and then transition. I would observe the direction her arms or face were positioned and then act in the same way. It was nerve-wracking, but the feeling during the transition process felt really unique.

Did you ever feel like you had truly become one with her?

When I looked at her as Mi Jin — and although she naturally looks youthful and cute — she appeared even younger. I thought, 'Why does she suddenly look like she's in her twenties? Ah, because she's embodying that youthful vibe!' Especially when she was with Go Won, the way she interacted with him as Mi Jin made me think, 'Oh! She really feels like Mi Jin.' Watching it on TV was even more fun. On set, since our scenes were separate, I didn't feel as much like we were one, but watching the broadcast, I truly felt like we had become one.

How was it working with Choi Jin Hyuk?

He really felt like hyung-nim [a respectful way to address someone elder], literally. So, I often called him hyung-nim. ... Honestly, when I first saw him, I thought he might be a bit cold and distant, but as soon as he smiled with a 'hehe,' I thought, 'Oh, That's unexpected.' After that, we got along well. He's someone who laughs a lot on set.

In real life, if you had to choose between a competent prosecutor and a younger idol, who would you choose?

Both the prosecutor and the idol seem intimidating (laughs). I think I'd prefer Gye Ji Woong. He seems reliable and someone I could depend on. Go Won gives off a vibe where I feel like I need to protect him more [rather than him protecting me].

You've never actually been a job seeker in real life. But did you relate to your character?

I ask a lot of questions and enjoy listening to stories, so I talked to many people around me. The people I worked with were either newbies or team leaders, and I've watched them prepare for new opportunities after leaving their jobs. Listening to their experiences, the emotions of being a job seeker didn't feel too distant to me. Even on set, I've heard stories about people like Mi Jin, who are highly skilled but just haven't had the luck to secure a job, despite making it to the final stages. Those stories helped me indirectly experience and understand the situation better.

Was there a moment when you felt the drama would be a hit?

I've never filmed anything while thinking it would be a big hit. I don't have that level of confidence. Just that it was funny and enjoyable. But I did think that people might enjoy Jung Eun's comedic acting when it aired. I remember laughing so hard on set that I almost passed out while watching her act. She was so three-dimensional in her performance that I thought, 'How does she do that so well? Is that what you call experience?' I learned a lot. During filming, I couldn't even call her unnie (older sister). I addressed her as sunbae [senior], but towards the end, she told me to call her comfortably, so I've been calling her unnie since then.

What did you learn from her?

A few days ago, I asked her about how to approach building a character. I had some questions about parts of the process that feel daunting to me, and she said those are things she also continues to work on. Hearing that made me feel like it was okay for me to keep struggling with it. She has a way of reassuring people, like how athletes who win gold medals often say they succeeded because people kept telling them they could do it. She's really good at that. And she’s amazing at getting along with everyone. Unlike her, I'm still at the stage where I'm mostly focused on handling my own stuff, but she takes such good care of everyone around her that I can't help but keep praising her.

You must have learned something from Choi Jin Hyuk as well.

He's very receptive. On set, when someone says something — whether it's another actor or the director — he listens with an open mind. I tend to spend more time trying to convince others of what I've prepared, but he listens and then says, 'I understand what you mean,' and proceeds smoothly. I realized that's the quality of a senior actor.

How will you remember Miss Night and Day?

It's a work that connected me with many people and felt like a gift. At a time when I was having a lot of worries not only related to work but also outside of work, this opportunity came to me like a gift. 

Do you plan to continue composing your own songs?

I used to sing songs that were created by others, but at some point, I started to have the ambition to try creating my own and ended up feeling a much greater sense of responsibility. It's challenging, but fun. My dream was always to be a singer, and I debuted as one. As a singer, I've always said I want to focus on the theme of 'comfort,' and that hasn't changed. In the past, when I was struggling with many issues, I watched TV on a day when I was feeling down. Watching dramas made me laugh and eased my negative feelings. I suddenly realized, 'I'm doing something worthwhile!' That made acting more enjoyable. Thinking that 'someone out there might be watching my work just like I used to?' or 'they might be laughing, crying, or empathizing without me knowing?' felt really great.

Do you have a bucket list?

I want to work for a long time. I enjoy this work so much that I want to be someone who can keep doing it for a long time. I also want to live a long, healthy life with the people I love. That's really important to me. Recently, I've seen quite a few of my friends who are still young but got sick, which made me anxious for a while. I hope that when I get older and have many memories to reflect on, there will be many people with whom I can share those memories. 

What kind of title would you like to be attached to your name?

I hope the titles 'actor' and 'singer' continue to be associated with me. These days, it's challenging to get projects going, isn't it? I would be grateful if I can continue acting, singing, and performing on stage. It's not a career with guaranteed stability, right? And I think I have those desires because I like things to be certain.

Are there any genres or characters you would like to challenge in the future? 

I saw a post that said they wanted to see Jo Jung Suk and me play siblings. I would also like to do a really funny family comedy with Sung Dong Il (laughs) as my dad Ra Mi Ran as my mom. I think it will be really fun. If there is such a project, I would really appreciate it if they cast me. I also want to play a detective running around here and there, and I'd like to portray a soldier. I want to take on a proper professional role at least once.

What are your plans for the second half of this year?

I'm preparing to start my next project. I'm discussing working without taking a break this year. Staying busy with work is entirely my choice. Though managing the schedule is up to the company, I've reached a point where I can say whether I want to do something or not. ... and I feel like my 'bossiness' is on the rise because of that (laughs).

Sources (1)(2)