Every actor and actress from Korea has to cry genuinely while filming a show or movie. Some scenes demand them to be able to cry easily. The crew also tries hard to create an atmosphere where they can cry.
However, the following Korean artists faced difficulty when filming crying scenes. They admit that expressing emotions is actually quite tough. Let’s delve into their struggles!
1. Park Bo Young
Park Bo Young (instagram.com/boyoung0212_official)Park Bo Young confessed during a live broadcast on V Live in 2017 that she wished for a button to control her tears. She wanted it to make her cry just by pressing it because acting out crying scenes was not easy for her. Sometimes her left eye teared up when it should’ve been her right, and on bad days, her tears wouldn’t come at all even if she pinched herself. This often led Park Bo Young to blame herself. In the past, directors even scolded her for not being able to cry on cue.
Park Bo Young mentioned that her ability to cry has improved over time. She hopes to become a better actress as she continues to develop her skills. Moreover, she has been in the industry for many years.
2. Jeon So Min
Jeon So Min (instagram.com/jsomin86)Jeon So Min admitted on the program Life Bar in 2018 that she felt pressured when the crew paid close attention to her acting behind the camera during filming. As a rookie, she couldn’t even shed a single tear. Despite the crew waiting for her, the pressure made it difficult for her tears to flow. Nevertheless, Jeon So Min persevered and finished the scene by staring directly at the light without blinking, which eventually made her cry. She was grateful to the director for understanding her struggles with emotional scenes.
3. Go Hyun Jung
Go Hyun Jung (instagram.com/iokcompany)In an interview with Chosun Ilbo, Go Hyun Jung admitted that she struggled during her film debut in A Woman on the Beach (2006). She found shooting a film to be much more demanding than working on a television drama. She experienced difficulty when she had to cry during scenes, but her tears refused to come despite the crew’s efforts to set the right atmosphere on set for 2 to 3 hours. She once believed she was talented in emotional scenes but realized the challenges during filming.
4. Lee Do Hyun
Lee Do Hyun (instagram.com/ldh_sky)Lee Do Hyun shared his experience during an interview with Cosmopolitan about acting in the drama The Good Bad Mother (2023). In one scene, he had to appear on the verge of tears without actually crying. However, upon meeting his co-star Ra Mi Ran, tears welled up uncontrollably. Ra Mi Ran advised him on better tear control, as he struggled to hold back tears even after multiple takes. Lee Do Hyun hopes to improve his emotional control as an actor in the future.
5. Choi Woo Shik
Choi Woo Shik (instagram.com/dntlrdl)Choi Woo Shik discussed his experience filming Our Beloved Summer (2021) on the program In The Soop: Friendcation in 2024. He admitted that he lacks talent in acting, especially in crying or emotional scenes. He had never cried while delivering lines before. However, in the drama, Choi Woo Shik had to face the challenge of a crying scene. Despite initially struggling to summon tears while delivering his lines with a tense face, he eventually succeeded and confessed to crying the most during filming.
For the Korean artists mentioned above, filming crying scenes was anything but easy. They had to skillfully control their emotions and feelings on set to cry according to the project script.
