'I like the word journey': Kim Hyang-gi moves on from child actress image to play widow in Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist

It can be hard for former child actors to shake off their old image and break into adult roles, and South Korean actress Kim Hyang-gi is bound to know all about it. She was only six when she acted in her first movie, 2006's Heart Is….

Her latest drama sees the 22-year-old take on the role of widow Seo Eun-woo in Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist.

"I had to express the hurt that a widow goes through," Hyang-gi told AsiaOne in a recent interview.

"I had to put a lot of effort into making that work because the image the Korean audience has of me is that of a young actress, so I had to act in a convincing manner. I overcame that by believing in myself and taking care of my mental wellbeing."

Hyang-gi added she likes thinking of her growth from a child actress as a 'journey'. She explained: "I like the word 'journey'. It makes the process feel like a trip and I think I did my best each time."

Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist follows the titular Yoo Se-poong (Kim Min-jae), once a royal physician, who gets involved in a conspiracy that sees him ousted from the royal court. He moves to the idyllic Gyesu village where Eun-woo lives to heal people's hearts and mental suffering instead.

This is Hyang-gi's first role in a historical drama as well, which took extra "mental preparation" for her.

She said: "I needed more mental preparation [for this role]. This was my first shot at a historical drama and it was tough for me to predict what I might look like in it. Besides that, I also needed a certain amount of understanding when it came to the language used during that era."

Despite the historical setting, Hyang-gi thinks that the K-drama is important in showing how mental illnesses could affect anyone at any age and during any time period.

"The medical aspects of the drama might seem lacking compared to what we have in the modern day. However, it shows the audience what it was like to be suffering from a mental illness back then, regardless of the patient's age."

She added that psychiatry was a field she was already interested in, even before accepting the role.

As for maintaining her own mental health, she said: "There are times when I'm positive and times when I'm not. These days, I have been trying to get my body up and moving when I can't think of anything positive."

On the other hand, her co-star Kim Sang-kyung, 50, is a veteran in the industry and known best for his roles in 2003's Memories of Murder and 2007's May 18.

With almost two decades of experience, he is both a teacher on-screen for Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist as well as a mentor off-screen. His advice to younger actors is one of taking accountability and "becoming someone who can gain respect".

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"I think you need to always know where you are standing and think deeply about what you have to do as an individual," he said." Even if one isn't admired by others, as a member of our society, they should at least work towards becoming someone who can gain respect.

"And in order to do so, one should be responsible for their own actions and from there, moving on to help others, too. I hope we can all become such people."

When it comes to maintaining his own mental wellbeing, he has a lot of experience as well.

"I pay a lot of attention to how I enter and leave my roles," he said, "I also did a lot of hiking and would hike alone in the past. Currently, it is meditation that is helping me a lot."

Catch Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist, featuring Kim Min-jae, Kim Hyang-gi and Kim Sang-hyun, on the Viu streaming platform.

drimac@asiaone.com