In 'My Name' Yeom Hye-ran dances through grief, toward future

▲ This still from "My Name," provided by CJ CGV and Wide Release, shows Jung-soon, played by Yeom Hye-ran. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Actress Yeom Hye-ran is seen in this photo provided by Let's Film and Aura Pictures. (PHOT NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ A still from "My Name" is seen in this image provided by CJ CGV and Wide Release. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

actress-interview

In 'My Name' Yeom Hye-ran dances through grief, toward future

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- Yeom Hye-ran believes even a film dealing with historical tragedies should find something, however slight, that is forward-looking.

She carried that thought into a scene where she dances, or rather moves deep in sorrow, in a barley field at sunset, with the barley swaying gently in the wind, a scene she described as "the highlight" of the drama film "My Name."

"It was a very difficult scene, so complex and multilayered, but the bottom line was I wanted to talk about the future," Yeom said in an interview with a group of reporters in Seoul on Tuesday.

"I thought the scene shouldn't just be sad, but should give a sense of direction for what comes next," she said of the scene, which she said took a long time to film and demanded intense discussion with director Chung Ji-young.

While filming, she talked quietly to herself to bring out the scene's layered emotions. "I quietly said 'I am sorry' to the victims. Other times I said, 'I wish you rest in peace.' And still other times, I said, 'I remember you.'"

"I wanted the message to be not about blaming someone but pointing the way forward."

In the mystery drama film, Yeom portrays the lead character, Jung-soon, who has no memory of her life before age 8. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1948 Jeju April 3 uprising, one of the bloodiest state massacres of civilians during the ideological conflicts of the era.

"I wanted to portray her as an ordinary woman and mother who forges ahead through life. The memory loss is not something critical enough to stop her from living her life fully," Yeom said. "She faces the painful history head-on, and that resembles the Korean people."

In February, she visited Berlin for the first time to attend the Berlin International Film Festival which invited "My Name" to its Forum section.

The city left a strong impression on her as a place of "remembrance."

"I thought the movie and the city have something in common, as both carry painful memories," she said. "The audiences showed a deep connection to the film's narrative, as if it were their own. It made me think that the film has universal value."

Making her debut in a theatrical play in 2000, she has built an acting career across platforms. Her first appearance on the silver screen was a supporting role in Bong Joon-ho's "Memories of Murder" in 2003, and she went on to take the prominent role of A-ra in Park Chan-wook's 2025 thriller "No Other Choice."

She has made a strong impression on television as well, appearing in multiple hit series, such as tvN's "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," and the Netflix original series "The Glory" and "When Life Gives You Tangerines."

"I still find it surprising and unbelievable," she said of her stardom. "It still feels new and strange to be where I never imagined I would be."

Not to be swayed by things beyond her control, she said she focuses on maintaining her composure, taking both praise and criticism with a grain of salt.

"I always try to stay neutral and emotionally balanced," she said.

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