The late actress Kim Sae Ron began her career as a child model and child actress, but by her mid-teens, she began to transition to lead roles. A past interview with Allure Korea for the magazine’s July 2014 issue reveals 14-year-old Kim Sae Ron’s thoughts about her career, co-stars, and her future.
During the interview, Allure Korea mentioned Hi! School: Love On, a 2014 fantasy K-Drama starring Kim Sae Ron and INFINITE members Woohyun and Sungyeol. At the time of the show’s July 2014 release, Kim Sae Ron was 14, Woohyun was 23, and Sungyeol was 22. “It must feel special to be working with friends your age again after a long time,” the interviewer said.
There was a nine-year age gap between Kim Sae Ron and her co-stars, but that gap was actually small compared to the age gaps Kim Sae Ron often had with her co-stars as a child actress.
I’m really looking forward to Hi! School: Love On because it’s a side of me that I haven’t been able to show before. I have about a nine-year age gap with Woohyun and Sungyeol, so compared to my past roles, I’m working with actors much closer to my age this time. In the past, I often acted alongside people who were at least 20 to 30 years older than me, and sometimes even over 50 years older. Since there are many actors in their twenties in this project, it naturally feels different—more comfortable compared to working with senior actors.
— Kim Sae Ron
Hi! School: Love On marked a change for Kim Sae Ron, who had often tackled dark, gritty projects and emotionally charged roles up until that point. “The thought of you playing a kind yet naive character is exciting, but I can’t quite picture it,” Allure Korea said. “And on top of that, she’s not even human—she’s an angel!”
Kim Sae Ron expressed her excitement to show viewers a different side of herself, telling Allure Korea that there are “quite a few similarities” between her and her character.
Yes, that’s right. Since she’s an angel who has come down to the human world. Everything she touches, sees, and eats feels new and fascinating to her. Expressing that sense of wonder hasn’t been easy. But there are actually quite a few similarities between her and my real self. I’ll work hard so that viewers can get used to seeing this side of me!
— Kim Sae Ron
After chatting about Kim Sae Ron’s career, the magazine asked Kim Sae Ron a few questions about her personal life, such as, “What does 14-year-old Kim Sae Ron like?” The actress gushed about her love for reading and movies.
I love webtoons and novels, especially fantasy webtoons like Tower of God and Noblesse. Webtoons are my source of energy—I can’t live without them on set! I also make sure to watch every movie that comes out during each season in theaters. I collect movie pamphlets and tickets, and seeing my collection grow makes me feel really proud.
— Kim Sae Ron
“Do you ever imagine yourself at 20?” Allure Korea asked. For Kim Sae Ron, who was significantly younger than many of her co-stars, growing up would mean being able to socialize with the people she worked with more outside of work.
Everyone around me is an adult. There are so many people I’d love to get closer to, but since I’m still young, I don’t get many chances to meet them outside of work. Even if I want to see them, it’s hard to just say, ‘When can we meet up again?; I think once I get a little older, I’ll be able to approach my seniors, unnies, and oppas more comfortably.
— Kim Sae Ron