All About Girls' Generation - SNSD 소녀시대

Seohyun (interview) - 2

Q: What’s the difference between this and your previous musical, ‘Moon That Embraces the Sun’ ? .

SH: First of all, the gestures while acting is really different. In ‘Moon That Embraces the Sun’, I would modestly fold my hands and walk backwards, but I express myself a bit more confidently in this. I also use less vocal technique when singing. Aside from vocal techniques, French works have strong pop elements. So I keep talking with the music producer and am learning .

Q: Is there a difference standing on stage as a singer and a musical actress ? .

SH: Of course. When I get on stage as a singer, I am myself, and I try my best to give the audience joy. As a musical actress, because I’m getting on stage as a character, I put more of a focus on trying my best to appear as that person within the set time and limited space .

Q: Lately, idol group members have been spreading out into different areas. They mostly become MCs or actors, but why did you choose musicals ? .

SH: I really like musicals. When we go to New York for Girls’ Generation activities, I purchase tickets to the musicals I want to see beforehand and make sure I go to them. The last one I watched in New York that really left an impression was ‘Matilda’. I don’t know if it’s a cultural difference, but I got a refreshing shock watching the young actors leading the musical for almost 3 hours. It’s not easy even for adults, so their energy was amazing. I was stimulated to work harder. This [past] year, I watched musicals whenever I had time in Korea, and I think I watched about 20 . 

Q: If you watched 20 musicals within your busy schedule, that’s amazing devotion. Which character did you want to play the most ? .

SH: It’s difficult to choose just one…… Glinda from ‘The Wicked’. The musical itself is fun, but I think the image of Glinda suits me well. I watched ‘The Wicked’ in New York first, and I fell for it so hard that I think I watched it about ten times. I looked up almost all the videos that have to do it online as well. I also watched the one in France. What’s funny is, when I watched it for the first time in New York, I thought that it would suit [Ock] Joohyun unnie well, and she really did take a part in it .

Q: What drew you to ‘The Wicked’ ? .

SH: The musical number is good, and the characters were good, too. But, the message this musical had, in particular, was really nice. At first, I thought it was for children, but I felt a lot of things the more I watched it. So, in order to keep my grasp on the message of the musical, I looked up this and that and rewatched it. I was so into ‘The Wicked’ that even my parents said, “You’ve gone crazy.” I think that’s the best way to express it. Watching it for the tenth time, I think I’ve got a good understanding of it, and it made me want to take on a role in it. But, in order to take part in a musical like this, I would have to learn a variety of sounds. So I’ve been working hard on learning vocal music .

Q: Fortunately, the actress who was double-cast for the role of ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ was a fellow SM Entertainment member, Bada of S.E.S. Isn’t it burdensome ? .

SH: It’s just such an honor being able to stand on the same stage as her. My dream of becoming a singer started thanks to S.E.S. and Finkl unnies. Because I got double-cast with her for the same role, I honestly don’t know what to do with myself. But, I think I was given this opportunity because Bada unnie and Joohyun unnie hold a firm place in the musical scene. I’ve been feeling the responsibility of becoming like a lighthouse for juniors that will follow after me by doing better in these works . 

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