Actor-singer Bae Suzy interview: ‘Through Doona, I am representing all K-pop idols’

Along with co-star Yang Se Jong and director Lee Jung Hyo, former K-pop idol Bae Suzy speaks about her latest K-drama ‘Doona!’, what makes this a unique romance story, the importance of portraying mental health issues mindfully, and more

A young K-pop star (played by Bae Suzy) stands motionless on stage before her performance. Of all that she could think of, she imagines herself jumping into the water and drowning, sinking into the vast depths of the ocean. The next moment we see her, she wakes up alone in a sparsely-covered room and shakes off her reverie. This sets the tone of the narrative unfolding ahead.

An adaptation of the webtoon ‘The Girl Downstairs’, Doona! follows Lee Doona (Suzy), the lead vocalist of the K-pop girl group Dream Sweet, who calls it quits at the peak of her career and moves to a shared house.

Actor Suzy debuted as a K-pop idol in 2010 before taking to acting full-time, and though the character reminded her of the time when she was a member of Miss A, their experiences were vastly different, says the actor in a conversation with The Hindu. “There are emotions which are hard to put into words, but you understand what a person is feeling and what they are going through. Though having been on that side myself, I portrayed the character with the emotions I knew best”.

Doona, who on the surface appears as a reckless in-your-face person, is a woman dealing with several complexes, from abandonment issues to self-doubt and confidence. Did Suzy feel a resonance with her onscreen character? “Doona is the type of person who follows her heart; she would just do something without thinking too much about it, and then go back and regret her actions. It was quite thrilling to portray her because there were certain moments where I felt I was living vicariously through her,” says Suzy.

The actor confesses she envied her on-screen character for the ease with which she could articulate her feelings. “I am the type of person who has a hard time expressing my emotions or what I am currently going through.”

It has been a while since Yang Se Jong (known for Temperature of Love, Still 17) appeared on screen. After completing his two-year mandatory military service, the actor is now making a comeback with Doona!; he admits that he feels weighed down by the anticipation.

Yang Se Jong plays Won Jun, a university student who strikes a friendship with Doona and becomes her emotional anchor, only to find himself falling for her. “My focus was to stay as loyal as possible to the script. I didn’t want to miss out on any emotional nuances of what Won Jun goes through; that was my prime area of focus,” says the actor.