Into the Wild Blue Yonder with Park Ji-hu

At just 18-years-old, Park Ji-hu has already picked up multiple awards for starring in Kim Bora’s Indie film, House of Hummingbird, which was released in late 2018. Since winning over film critics, Park has gone on to steal the hearts of international viewers — earlier this year, the actress’ popularity soared thanks to the Netflix hit, All of Us Are Dead. The series was reportedly watched over 470 million hours in its first 30 days on the service, and has since been renewed for a second season. And while it’s going to be awhile before the zombie apocalypse horror series returns, Park’s fans can look forward to her upcoming show, Little Women, which has Singapore included in its list of filming locations.

Two notable projects you started your acting career with are the film House of Hummingbird and Netflix's All of Us Are Dead. How would you say each helped you develop as an actress and as a person?

House of Hummingbird was my debut appearance on the screen, and so it holds a deeper sense of meaning for me. It was first shown at the Busan International Film Festival, and the feeling of excitement and the meeting of fans was an unforgettable experience for me, even to this day. It was also a project that motivated me to continue acting. As for All of Us Are Dead, it was my first project that entailed working with quite a lot of actors and staff members, and so I learned and grew a lot through the process. It's also a project that I really delved into and where I had ruminations over my love of acting.

For the indie sensation House of Hummingbird, you received the recognition of critics and several best actress awards. All of Us Are Dead, on the other hand, propelled you into the international spotlight. Were these experiences similar or very different for you, and would you say you've experienced the best of both worlds in a short time?

I approached my roles as Eun-hee and On-jo in House of Hummingbird and All of Us Are Dead respectively with the mentality of studying, understanding, and expressing the characters to the fullest. Luckily, the positive reception and love that we’ve received from audiences and fans have been nothing short of amazing and unbelievable. I am so grateful and empowered in my commitment to studying the craft and growing further as an actress and as a person.

A zombie apocalypse horror series is a lot to handle for some viewers. Have you always been good with horror and zombie shows?

I’m not the biggest fan of the horror genre, but I do make sure to watch works that are recommended to me through word-of-mouth. I personally love the zombie apocalypse genre. I religiously read all the zombie web-toons in my middle and high school days and the first thing I did as a legal adult was to binge watch The Walking Dead. So during the shooting of All of Us Are Dead, I was ecstatic about bringing something that I enjoyed in comics, TV shows, and films to life through my acting.

You've mentioned before that you'd like to be in a romantic comedy next. Why is that?

They say 18 is a good age to begin the experience of love, and as an 18-year-old, I want to capture the essence of exciting young love and gift that emotion to viewers. Another reason is that I want to try something different from my previous roles of genre-based and historied characters and reflect my off-screen personality on the screen as a bubbly and cheerful character. I enjoyed romantic comedies like Yumi’s Cells, Fight for My Way, and Discovery of Love.

One of your shows that is coming out in the very near future is Little Women. Some of the scenes were shot in Singapore, so what can your Singaporean fans look forward to?

My character, In-hye in Little Women, is a girl with a troubled background who finds the collective care and love of her two older sisters overbearing. She’s a character that differs from my previous roles in that she shows coldness and grit in her quest for the top. She’s also an artistic genius so I am learning art through the shooting of the drama. It’s still very much a work in progress, but you will be able to see my artistic efforts come to life on the screen.

How did you find Singapore when you visited us?

It was my first time in Singapore. It is such a pure and beautiful country with delicious food, and everyone was so kind. I want to post my Singapore photos on my social media account but there’re so many that I’m still choosing which photos to post. I had such a great time and made so many fond memories, and I learned so much about Singapore that I’ll even be able to act as a competent tour guide for my family the next time we visit.