Actor Yoo Jae-myung shared his deep affection for the comedy genre.
Attending the press screening and press conference for the film "Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng" held at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on the afternoon of October 19, Yoo spoke about stepping away from the serious image of his past projects to make a comic transformation: "Because I have worked tirelessly like an ox without rest, I ended up with a serious image. But in reality, I love comedy, and I did a lot of comedies back when I acted in theater."
He went on to describe the appeal of the genre, saying, "I think the greatest charm of comedy is the unexpected laughter where you never know where things will bounce. The process of clashing and creating something alongside fellow actors—each of us bringing our own uncalculated weapons to the table—was truly fun. The power of comedy is that both the person watching and the person performing can enjoy it."
Yoo added, "I also worked very hard to throw away my usual image," noting, "If I come across as a bit obnoxious and unlikable in this film, I think I have fulfilled my role."
"Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng" is a mission comedy about Maeng Bo-ram, a high school Korean language teacher from a small provincial town who unexpectedly ends up joining the test preparation headquarters—sealed off from the world for 40 days to draft questions for South Korea's Level 2 state secret, the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The story traces her chaotic struggles to craft "problem-free questions" free of typos or controversy. Yoo Jae-myung takes on the role of Moon Joo-yeol, the head of the CSAT exam preparation committee.
The film opens in theaters on October 28.
<Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-cheol>
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)