'It probably sounded very bad to a Korean': Cynthia Koh attempts long scolding scene entirely in Korean

Just like how we might baulk when foreigners attempt Singlish, Cynthia Koh felt her Korean lines might not be particularly enjoyable for Koreans to listen to.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao for her new drama Oppa, Saranghae!, Cynthia revealed just how frantic she was when she learned that she had to take on a long scene spoken entirely in Korean.

The 49-year-old veteran actress said: "When I was offered the role of a middle-aged Korean scriptwriter, I said I would be okay taking it. But later I realised that I had to speak Korean and even quarrel with someone in Korean! I panicked when I found out."

Aside from a few words expressing greetings or thanks, Cynthia said that she doesn't actually know anything about the language.

However, she has a scene that lasts over 30 seconds.

In it, she had to deliver this in Korean: "Do you want to do it? Are you able to do it if I say so? Just do what you did in your audition. If you can't do it, then we will replace you!

"Do you think I really need you? What good is there for me to choose you? Cha Tae-woo, you think too highly of yourself! Take a closer look — just who exactly is the problem here?"

To aid her performance, a Korean language coach recorded the lines, which Cynthia listened to repeatedly. 

"After two or three days of learning by myself, I still felt that my pronunciation was wrong, so I had to ask the production crew to arrange for the coach to meet with me.

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"I revised my articulation sentence by sentence and then read the lines every day, and it took a week or two to get the lines right."

Her practice paid off in the end — on the day of filming, Cynthia said she didn't need to retake her scene too often.

Cynthia added to Zaobao: "The Korean coach only reminded me to pay attention to the intonation."

Also present on the set were local actress Tasha Low who is fluent in Korean as well as Korean actor Kimkim, who's also known as Kim Jae-hoon.

Modestly, Cynthia said: "It probably sounded very bad to a Korean, but Kimkim was very courteous and said my Korean was not bad. He said that I sounded genuinely Korean in the latter parts of the scene — hearing him say this made me very happy."

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Despite Cynthia's professionalism, she told the Chinese daily that she couldn't rid herself of the vibe that her performance seemed like "a foreigner speaking Korean".

"I'm not Korean after all," Cynthia explained. "I can only try my best!"

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When asked if she still remembered the lines she said back then, Cynthia repeated them for the reporter and replied: "Of course I remember, I've repeated these words so many times, so they've been engraved in my heart!"

In Oppa, Saranghae!, Qiqi (played by Rui En) manages to find love with Du Xiaojun (Kimkim) — the fictional character she magically pulled out of her TV — and is navigating her new relationship alongside her career and friendships.

The catch is that the heartthrob who portrays Xiaojun, fictional South Korean actor Cha Tae-woo, is also in Singapore, and is actually in a relationship with Qiqi's colleague Shine (Tasha).

The drama also stars Meixin and Darren Lim and is currently available on meWATCH and weekdays, 9pm on Channel 8.

ALSO READ: 'I think I will starve to death in Singapore': Nat Ho on why he wants to stay longer in South Korea

khooyihang@asiaone.com