Oh Min-ae Reflects on Her Role as Park Bo-gum’s Mother in “When Life Gives You Tangerines”
Appearing as “Gye-ok”, the mother of Park Bo-gum’s character “Gwan-sik” and mother-in-law to IU’s character “Ae-sun”, Oh Min-ae delivered a realistic portrayal of a maternal figure that brought both laughter and tears to viewers.
Previously, she showcased diverse charms as Jo Jung-suk’s mother in the movie “Pilot” and exuded charisma as Lim Ji-yeon’s mother-in-law in “The Glory”. In this interview, Star Interview meets Oh Min-ae, an actress who believes that the power to portray vivid characters ultimately comes from living life to the fullest.
Q. Are you feeling the popularity of “When Life Gives You Tangerines”?
“I feel it especially through invitations like this. People around me are giving lots of compliments. Even people in my neighborhood only talk about “When Life Gives You Tangerines”, asking why I treated Ae-sun so badly. Some even said they’d remain my fans forever it’s been so heartwarming and fulfilling.”
Q. What was the most memorable compliment you received?
“You’re the same person who played Ha Do-yeong’s mom?” I loved that. It’s fun when people don’t recognize me from previous roles.
Q. How did you feel when you were cast as Gye-ok?
“I joined the project through an audition, so I didn’t even know what role I would be playing. I had no idea I’d be cast as Gwan-sik’s mother. I was simply thrilled to be part of it. But reading the script made me think, “I’m going to get hated a lot for this character.”
Q. Watching the drama, she did feel a bit cruel.
“That’s because her beloved Gwan-sik was “taken” by Ae-sun. She was already ignored by her husband and mother-in-law, so she wanted love and attention from Gwan-sik. But even he left her for Ae-sun—she felt betrayed, and from Gye-ok’s perspective, her actions were inevitable.“
Q. How was acting with IU?
“IU was incredibly kind and approachable to everyone on set. She was so lovely, and it was a lot of fun working with her.“
Q. What was it like filming the confrontational scenes with Ae-sun?
“Everyone was worried about how I could slap such a fragile girl. I’m known to have a strong slap, so we were all very cautious. But IU said she was ready to take ten slaps if needed. We agreed to aim for one clean take with no NGs—and we did it in one shot.“
Q. What did “When Life Gives You Tangerines” mean to you?
“I’m just so happy to have been part of it. I’m proud to be in a drama that gave strength to all the hardworking moms and dads out there.“
