Song Hye-kyo, Fearless in Her 40s “I Make a Living with My Looks, So I Must Take Care of Myself”
On Feb 26th, fashion magazine Vogue Hong Kong unveiled Song Hye-kyo’s cover shoot and interview for its March issue. In the revealed cover, Song Hye-kyo perfectly pulled off a short haircut and smoky makeup, drawing admiration.
In the interview, she opened up about her career, “Even before ‘The Glory’ I had the opportunity to tackle [thrillers], but it didn’t happen. I think because I received a lot of love within the romance genre, I felt a sense of security with it and generally had more offers in that genre.”
She continued, “The excitement that comes from taking on new genres and characters is what motivates me.”
Song Hye-kyo also mentioned her upcoming Netflix series “Show Business”, “My character Min-ja is someone who experienced all kinds of hardships in childhood and has developed an inner core stronger than anyone else’s. While living a tough life, she sees an opportunity in the Korean music industry and takes a bold leap of faith. I’m excited to showcase a new side of myself through Min-ja.”
She also expressed interest in the comedy genre, “I have fond memories of filming ‘Full House’. At that time, director Pyo Min-su encouraged all of us to have fun, so there was a lot of ad-libbing and I have great memories from it. Since then, I’ve not had the chance to work in the light romantic comedy genre, so if there’s a realistic and witty comedy that suits someone in their 40s, I would love to try it.”
At 44, Song Hye-kyo reflected on aging, “I’ve gone through my 20s and 30s to become who I am today, and since we all grow old together I have no fear of aging. Of course since I have such a visible profession, I try hard to manage it. To be honest, I don’t really have any ambition. Now that I’m in my 40s, I value the present more than the past or the future. I want to work hard on everything that I’ve been given and live wisely and well as a human being.”
She added, “I’d say that the original me always lived under the gaze of others; my friends and family always came first and if they were happy, I’d be happy too. As long as they were happy, even if I lost out a bit, it felt comfortable. But at some point I realised that I had never put myself first in life and I thought, ‘Let’s put me first no matter what.’ I made up my mind. After that, I felt more centered in everything I do and in every situation I faced. Thinking about ‘myself’ has brought me a sense of calm, and I’ve even found that I can approach others with being more relaxed. I suppose I could say that by embracing ‘myself’, I’ve become stronger on the inside.”
Lastly, regarding hobbies outside of acting, she shared, “For me, acting is enough on its own and it’s difficult. So [it’s] just acting. However, when I have free time and nothing to do, I sometimes draw alone. Rather than drawing with the mindset to complete something, I just focus on the act of drawing itself and don’t think of anything else and I like that feeling.”
Meanwhile, the full interview can be found in the March issue of Vogue Hong Kong.
