[Interview] Go Ah-sung of 'Samjin Group' "Filming on the way to Chungmuro was overwhelming"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] Actress Go Ah-sung recalled feeling overwhelmed while filming a commuting scene.

Go Ah-sung recently shared various stories about the film during an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ahead of the release of the movie Samjin Group’s English TOEIC Class (directed by Lee Jong-pil).

Samjin Group’s English TOEIC Class tells the story of three friends who have been working at the company for eight years, are veterans in their tasks but always at the bottom of the hierarchy. They attend the company’s TOEIC class together and join forces to uncover corruption committed by the company.

Ja-young (played by Go Ah-sung), a junior employee in the Production Management Department 2, Yuna (played by Lee Som) from Marketing, and Boram (played by Park Hye-soo) from Accounting accidentally witness the illegal discharge of wastewater at the company and bravely confront the massive barrier that is their company.

On this day, Go Ah-sung said, “After finishing filming the movie Justice, I wanted to meet a cheerful character for my next role. Then Samjin Group’s English TOEIC Class came along. The title itself was unique and drew me in. It was a fun, cute script that I could do with actors of my age, so I liked it,” adding, “The story of three friends gathering their energy and boldly accomplishing their goals resonated with me,” explaining why she chose to appear in the film.

She continued, “The growth story of three women in their late twenties was touching, and it contained a sincere message, so I felt it was a substantial film.”

Ja-young accidentally witnesses the illegal wastewater discharge at the factory where she went on an errand and, with her meddlesome and persistent spirit, plans to uncover the incident that the company tries to cover up. Why does she strive to reveal the company’s corruption to the end?

“I saw it as part of Ja-young’s personality. She is meddlesome and altruistic, and when she witnessed the damage site, she knew she was a small person but couldn’t tolerate it. I also think she had company loyalty. With the help of her friends, she probably managed to achieve it.”

Go Ah-sung revealed that unlike the cheerful and spirited Ja-young, her real personality is introverted. She said, “I made efforts to approach people even in small ways on set. I couldn’t do that before, but I’ve changed a lot recently through acting as Ja-young.”

She added, “Ja-young plays the role of conveying the process of the incident to the audience. I thought a lot about whether an ordinary employee who happily goes to work could accomplish something big. I believe the deep sense of justice in a person’s heart gained courage through the support of friends.”

Go Ah-sung played 1980s police officer Yoon Na-young in the OCN drama Life on Mars, which aired in June 2018 and gained great popularity. At that time, she received strong responses for her detailed portrayal of a woman’s speech and behavior. The 1990s details of Ja-young in Samjin Group’s English TOEIC Class are also well reflected.

“Ja-young and Na-young are not very different in their situations or era, and they are both in their late twenties. Na-young was someone who was greatly influenced by her surroundings, while I wanted to express that Ja-young, who has been a junior employee for eight years, loves her work. Even when answering the phone, she did so satisfactorily and meticulously searched for and organized documents.”

Go Ah-sung said she wanted to differentiate from Life on Mars. She said, “Since some people remember the drama, I wanted to create a difference in details. The speech of women in the 1980s and 1990s was different. Of course, Na-young was a bit shy and gentle, while Ja-young was a character who wanted to appear confident, so I tried to express the character by changing the tone of speech and so on.”

Life on Mars ended with an open conclusion, raising expectations for a second season. When this was mentioned, Go Ah-sung laughed and said, “I’m also waiting for season 2, but there’s no news yet.”

Go Ah-sung said, “Before filming the movie, I told director Lee Jong-pil about Life on Mars. I mentioned that I might repeat some acting. After I explained what kind of speech I used and what character I played, the director watched the entire series and wrote a review over three pages long on A4 paper. I was touched.”

Lee Ja-young is an eighth-year employee from a commercial high school background, a veteran whose practical skills surpass those of college graduate assistants, capable of writing most reports smoothly, but she can also make 10 cups of coffee perfectly tailored with coffee, creamer, and sugar preferences in just 12 seconds. Go Ah-sung revealed that the scene where she polishes a man’s shoes and makes coffee was shocking.

“While acting in the scene where a prosecutor casually asks her to buy cigarettes, my heart actually ached. I like senior actor Kim Tae-hoon, but I felt genuinely hurt while acting. Since period dramas deal with the situation of the time, I think they mix historical accuracy and the creators’ intentions. If it were just a scene of running errands for shoes and cigarettes, it would have been only historical accuracy, but the scene included the manager’s lines, so I understood the director’s intention. We filmed that scene early on, and I realized what kind of tone the work had.”

When asked about the most memorable scene during filming, Go Ah-sung answered, “The commuting scene filmed in Chungmuro, Seoul.”

She said, “I have only lived as an actress and never experienced office life, so I never commuted with office workers. When filming that scene, I walked the street with countless people, and my heart was full and amazed. I had never walked a street with so many people before,” saying it would be unforgettable.

Samjin Group’s English TOEIC Class opens on October 21.

Photo = Lotte Entertainment

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.