Friday, September 22, 2006

Ha Ji-won’s Agonizing Road to Period Drama

The actress Ha Ji-won came close to despair while practicing the wide range of skills needed for her role as "Hwang Jin-I," a famous Chosun-era gisaeng or female entertainer, in a new KBS mini-series. Her head endured the leaden weight of a big decorative wig or gachae. Ha confessed to the suffering, saying, "The gachae is too heavy. My neck is already stiff, although I’ve only filmed three episodes. It’s too painful to sleep." Her fingers are blistered and bruised due to hours of practicing the gayageum, a 12-stringed Korean harp, and geomungo, the six-stringed zither at which the Chosun-era entertainers excelled. Ha is even practicing even tightrope-walking.

To keep up her strength, she is eating eels, which are believed to be good for stamina. And her pains are rewarded with a sense achievement: after all, she now has several skills she never dreamed of. "I want to break away from the typical image of gisaeng and create a new one to win approval from women," she says.
Source: english.chosun.com
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doozy: Wow... Now, that is suffering for your art! And man, this is an episode-drama so Ha Ji Won is going to be in pain for a while. Be strong, Ha Ji Won sshi! For what it's worth, you look gorgeous in the traditional costume. Those pictures above are breathtakingly beautiful! I love the colors and the extravagance of the hanboks. I like her poses as well. She looks very regal and sophisticated.

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