You guys are called best friends so I thought you were the same age, but you have a 1 year age difference? Is it ok to call your sunbae by name in the theatre department where seniority is emphasized?
KP: Our school doesn’t emphasize seniority. Whether you’re old or young, you call the people you hang out and live with your ‘friend’. Hyeyoungie has become that kind of friend to me. When we were in school, the sunbaes said that we were really alike a lot.
HY: That’s right, I heard the words “like twins” a lot. We’ve changed a bit now that we’re in society, but back then, we were really noisy. We’d greet people who we’re seeing for the first time on the streets and sing with foreigners…. We were mischievous.
What were your first impressions of one another?
KP: As a sunbae, I thought this friend really worked hard at school. If you told her greet you, she’d energetically do it, if you told her dance, she’d dance. She never shied away, so the sunbaes liked her a lot. But I was just like that 1 year before Hyeyoungie came.
HY: When I first saw Kyungpyo, he was with a close friend of mine. They were both tall and good-looking. But he takes good care of his hoobaes. He’s good-looking but even kind, so he was popular.
When did the two of you realize you got along so well?
HY: It seems like it started when we were talking about backpacking. One day, someone said that they wanted to go on a trip - we have two legs and youth, there’s no reason for us not to. Suddenly it caught fire, “We’re hot-blooded youths, let’s do it! Let’s do it!”.
So have you done that yet?
KP: It went to the back burner as we each dated. If you start dating, it’s hard to remain as close to a friend of the opposite gender as you were before, no? To go along distantly like that and then break up with our partners, we meet again and comfort each other.
You both think that it’s possible for a man and woman to just be friends, right?
KP: We’ve talked about that before. “If we come to like one another and date, only to break up, then we won’t be able to see each other for an even longer time, so let’s just be friends for a long time.”.
Can you tell us anything about each other’s dark past?
KP: She really loved leggings. She totally looked like a Power Ranger. You went around in green and pink ones, right?
HY: It wasn’t green, it was sparkly emerald. I was infatuated with those leggings back then. Kyungpyo has really ugly glasses. Ones that go in swirls. When he wears those, his eyes look like dots. It’s not ‘nerd’, it’s ‘idiot’.
You both have distinct filmographies. Has there been a role of each other’s where, even though you’re friends, you really admired while watching?
KP: INGtoogi’s Youngja was really a role that no one but Hyeyoungie could have done. Especially the scene where she kicked the sandbag! I knew that she worked hard practicing boxing, but she did really well. The scene at the end where she was sprinkling flour in the classroom - if it was any other actress, she wouldn’t have been able to save it that well.
HY: For me, it’s Kyungpyo’s role in The Escape. When he was filming for that, he was also doing other projects, so it was really cool seeing him digest all his schedules and immerse himself in the character. Seeing the complete film, he really showed a perfect Go Byungshin.
When do you feel ‘That is exactly Ryu Hyeyoung’, ‘That is exactly Go Kyungpyo’?
KP: Watching the tomboy but friendly image in My Dictator and charming image in INGtoogi, I think it was really like Hyeyoungie. There are a lot of times when I felt similarities in movies too.
HY: For me too, I think there are times here and there that it seems like Kyungpyo.
There are directors that haven’t worked with Ryu Hyeyoung before, but there doesn’t seem to be a director that’s only worked with her once.
KP: They can’t help but to like her. For actresses, there are some that are rather careful, but Hyeyoungie is really easy-going. And in the past, some of the things that Hyeyoungie said became my beliefs too.
HY: Really?
KP: Yep. When asked “What kind of actor do you want to be?” Hyeyoungie replied “More than wanting to be a kind of actor, I just want to be happy.”. I was really shocked when I heard those words. After that, I changed my goal to being a happy Go Kyungpyo.
When you two meet, what do you usually talk about? About your roles, seeking advice - things like that?
HY: The majority of the things I talk to Kyungpyo about is about our dreams and future. Are we idealists?
KP: We talk about things like “When are you going to go on a vacation? It’d be really fun if we go on one at this time”. Whether it becomes reality or not, we’re really happy as we talk about it. We believe that it’ll become reality at some point.
RY: Ah, we talk about that too. “I saw a Hollywood film and the main character looks just like you. If you did that role, you’d really suit it.”.
For the day that you may advance to overseas, what character would you recommend each other?
KP: Silver Lining Playbook’s Jennifer Lawrence!
HY: I really want to try that! Watching Kyungpyo shoot earlier, I thought of Taxi Driver’s Robert De Niro. I think he’ll do well with that kind of role.
KP: I really like that movie! It’s my life’s movie.
You’ve always hoped for a day where you’d be in the same project together - didn’t that day come sooner than expected? How do you feel about being cast in AM88 together?
HY: I was briefly in The Escape, but there weren’t any scenes we were in together. At that time, we called each other saying “It’s so great that we were in the same project. Next time, let’s be in one that we actually meet in.”. But seeing as how that day is really coming, it’s so fascinating.
KP: That’s right. Ahn Jaehongie hyung was in it too. Hyung too, Hyeyoungie too, Hyeri too - it’s all people that we’ve gone to school with, so it’s great that we get to meet at a filming site.
It’s been six years since you’ve became friends, right? How do you want each other to be in 10 years?
HY: For me, I just want Kyungpyo to be happy.
KP: Me too. I don’t dare to say what kind of actress or person she’ll become, but I just hope that this friend’s life won’t be hard on her.
Lastly, “For my friend, I can do this much” - what can you do?
KP: She likes vacations, so I can pay for a trip. Domestic or overseas.
HY: Later, I’m going to take Kyungpyo on a trip while we reminisce about our promised backpacking trip.
KP: I was talking about that too.
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