'I suddenly blurted out that line': Hong Huifang's improvisation in Ajoomma made her character relatable

In a spur of the moment, Hong Huifang blurred the line between fiction and reality with a few terse words.

In an interview with AsiaOne last Thursday (Oct 20), Hong Huifang revealed two instances where her improvised lines really helped to sell scenes in Ajoomma.

One of them was during a scene with co-star Kang Hyung-suk, where the two conversed in a car.

"I suddenly blurted out that line… The director really liked it, and you (Kang Hyung-suk) also understood what I was saying," the 61-year-old actress said to her co-star as she explained the moment.

In Ajoomma, Huifang plays a Singaporean tourist and auntie who goes to South Korea, but ends up getting lost after she's left behind by her tour group during an unplanned pit stop.

Her co-star, South Korean actor Kang Hyung-suk, plays the troubled tour guide Kwon-woo, who was experiencing familial problems in the film.

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The scene in particular took place in a vehicle where Kwon-woo expressed his desire to disappear off the face of the earth, believing that his family would be better off without him.

"In my heart, I thought to myself, 'How could they be better off without him?'" Huifang said. "My scripted response was, 'If you run away, your daughter will never forgive you', and ended there.

"In the moment, I felt very angry [at Kwon-woo] and said, 'You can't run away, you got it?'"

The 30-year-old Hyung-suk, who's fluent in both Korean and Mandarin, understood her and altered his acting accordingly.

Added Huifang: "Our chemistry was very good… however he acted, I would react accordingly and vice-versa."

She also said that everyone was in "harmony" on set and that was how they were able to bring their characters to life.

ALSO READ: 'What if I leave everything behind and retire?' Ajoomma was Hong Huifang's 'last chance' in showbiz

'I don't understand, but okay' 

Huifang also recalled another instance where she improvised her performance and elevated the scene. 

This time, instead of Hyung-suk, her scene partner was veteran South Korean actor Jung Dong-hwan, 73.

Interestingly, this scene also took place in the same vehicle, although it was parked at a different location.

"During the rehearsal for the scene, he (Dong-hwan) suddenly spoke a lot of lines (in Korean)," She recounted, adding that she only understood the "okay?" that Dong-hwan said at the end of his sentence.

In response, Huifang simply said: "I don't understand, but okay."

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TLZ4OGGmpU[/embed]

The director also felt that this was a really good line, and it was ultimately included in the film.

"Performances like these are made in a spur of the moment when you're overtaken by a feeling and you react [accordingly]. It's a really good feeling," Huifang said. "When you have these feelings, it will also resonate with the audience."

Ajoomma, also starring Yeo Jin-goo and Shane Pow, opens in Golden Village theatres across Singapore from Oct 27.

ALSO READ: 'This was a very meaningful trip': Ajoomma's Kang Hyung-suk didn't expect Singaporeans to like him so much

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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