Actress Cha Joo Young, best known for her portrayal of Hye Jeong in The Glory and, more recently, Queen Wongyeong in The Queen Who Crowns, broke down in tears during an interview, talking about her experience in the entertainment industry.
The actress recently appeared on the popular variety show You Quiz on the Block, where she shared many anecdotes from her career’s past and present. While talking about her early days, the actress stated that she has always felt like she didn’t belong.
I’ve always been an outsider. I’ve always felt like I didn’t belong wherever I went.
— Cha Joo Young
Cha Joo Young’s debut was quite anomalous since she didn’t step into the entertainment industry until 27. She promised her father that she would succeed as an actress before turning 30 and that if it didn’t work out, she would go back to higher studies.
Cha Joo Young recalled feeling isolated since she was young and studying abroad, adding, “It was the same after I debuted.”
Everyone else had connections, but I had none in Korea. Since I didn’t know how to handle the very concept of acting, I didn’t know what questions to ask, and I felt like a mayfly, caught in doubt about whether what I was doing was right.
— Cha Joo Young
Cha continued, explaining that she was focused on her academics and studied abroad. But even then, she would get asked why she wasn’t getting married instead. The actress teared up recalling how difficult it was for her to choose to follow her passion.
Even though I had studied abroad, people would say, ‘Why don’t you just get married or something? Why are you doing this?’ and I would think, ‘But that’s not me. That’s not it.’ Explaining it was so ambiguous, and everything felt ambiguous. It was embarrassing to write ‘actor’ or ‘actress’ as my occupation, and I had never gotten used to telling my own story.
— Cha Joo Young
While choosing this profession was a battle in itself, Cha Joo Young is also under immense pressure from her own goals- to build something of her own. And the actress is up for the challenge like nobody else.
She confessed that she tends to go to extreme lengths for her work, to the point of harming her physical health at times.
I don’t sleep when I’m working. I can’t. My gums have sagged, and since I don’t know how to use tricks, I just keep going until it’s done. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t. I realized that I have to do my part before I can introduce myself as an actress.
— Cha Joo Young
Given the success of her two consecutive projects, The Glory and The Queen Who Crowns, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this hard work has started to pay off, earning Cha Joo Young her well-deserved recognition.