▲ South Korean actors Kim Tae-ri (L) and Hong Kyung pose for photos at a press conference for Netflix' first Korean animation film, "Lost in Starlight," held in Seoul on May 27, 2025. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- Actress Kim Tae-ri shared that she once had a complex about her voice, but now finds herself living a dream as the lead in a Korean animated film.

 

"After working on The Handmaiden and the drama Mr. Sunshine, I developed a significant complex about my voice. That’s when I started thinking about how I could better use it," Kim said during a press conference following the premiere of Netflix’s upcoming animated feature Lost in Starlight held at Lotte Cinema Konkuk Univ. in Seoul on Tuesday.

 

The film, directed by Han Ji-won, marks Kim’s first venture into voice acting since her debut. She admitted she was both thrilled and anxious when first offered the role.

 

"It felt like a dream, but I was worried at the same time," she confessed.

 

 

▲ South Korean actress Kim Tae-ri speaks during a press conference for Netflix' first Korean animation film, "Lost in Starlight," held in Seoul on May 27, 2025. (Yonhap)

 

In Lost in Starlight—Netflix’s first Korean animated film—Kim plays Nanyeong, a young woman who follows in the footsteps of her late mother to become a Mars explorer. Set in Seoul in the year 2050, the film follows Nanyeong as she fails to pass the Mars exploration program selection, only to stumble into a love story after taking her mother’s old turntable to a repair shop, where she meets former guitarist Jay, played by actor Hong Kyung.

 

“Since Nanyeong goes through a wide range of situations, I had to express all her emotions through voice alone,” Kim said. “It was a kind of breathing and delivery that wouldn’t have come out in live-action.”

 

She added with a laugh, “Romantic scenes might have been less embarrassing in live-action. In the recording booth, you hear every little breath of your partner. Trying to act with all that rich sound in your ears felt incredibly embarrassing. Hong Kyung and I would burst into laughter whenever our eyes met.”

 

To enhance their voice performances, Kim and Hong also filmed live-action scenes. A handheld camera followed the two actors as they freely acted out scenes, capturing vocal nuances different from those produced in the recording booth.

 

“I didn’t worry about how my expressions looked on camera. I memorized my lines and focused solely on breathing and reacting with Hong Kyung,” Kim said. “It was fun—almost like doing a stage play.”

 

 

▲ South Korean actor Hong Kyung poses for photos at a press conference for Netflix' first Korean animation film, "Lost in Starlight," held in Seoul on May 27, 2025. (Yonhap)

 

Hong Kyung echoed the sentiment: “The goal of filming was to capture the range of expressions we were giving, so we acted boldly and freely, like we were just playing around.”

 

The duo also collaborated on one of the original soundtrack (OST) tracks for the film, Life Goes On, contributing vocals and lyrics. The song is written as letters exchanged between their characters, Nanyeong and Jay. Hong, who plays a musician in the film, also recorded a solo track titled Bon Voyage.

 

“We treated it like homework, exchanging ideas on what our characters would say to each other, and the lyrics came together from that,” Hong recalled. “At first, it was awkward and nerve-racking, but it turned out to be a fun and meaningful experience.”

 

 

Kim added, “Having my voice on an OST is such an honor. I was both excited and worried, but I cheered myself on and pulled through.”

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]