Song Hye-kyo shares she didn't eat for three days, refused water for a day for 'The Glory' scene
The making of The Glory had its tough moments like the cast wearing winter clothes during summer. But for Song Hye-kyo, she had to go through four to five hours of make-up for the scars on her body, she didn’t eat for three days, and refused water for a day.
At a presscon for the much-anticipated The Glory Part 2, Song Hye-kyo, spoke to a live audience and international fans who beamed in from other countries.
She was joined by Daesang winner and superb screenwriter Kim Eun-sook. Kim has written all my favorites K-Dramas like Mr. Sunshine; Guardian: The Lonely and Great God ( a.k.a. Goblin); The King: Eternal Monarch; Descendants of the Sun; and The Heirs. No wonder The Glory is so impressive. Director Ahn Gil-ho of Memories of the Alhambra, Rooftop Prince, and Record of Youth fame, was also present to answer some questions. Having these three heavy hitters on stage was quite powerful.
According to Song Hye Kyo, she was “100% Moon Dong-eun” while filming and that had to skip meals. Thank God, now she says she “eats rice.”
“I did not eat for three days and I did not even drink water the day before [we filmed], so the makeup made me tired even before shooting [the scene],” she said.
“But since I was tired, the scene was portrayed even better but we wore that makeup often so it caused trouble to my skin,” she added.
The first part of the mega hit The Glory set the tone for this culmination of Moon Dong-eun’s (character of seasoned actress Song Hye-kyo) life goal to seek ruin for those who have treated her badly when she was a teen.
The brutish kids were on another level of bullies, a despicable lot. They not only psychologically tormented her because she was poor and had shady uncaring parents, they physically abused her, too. Their torture instrument of choice was of all things, a curling iron! You will love to hate these teenage “kontrabidas” who predictably ended up as cruel adults and just horrible human beings.
I watched the eight episodes of The Glory Part 1 straight. It was dark, heavy on the heart, but it was so compelling. For the first time, I watched Song Hye-kyo show this side of her. She has been lauded for her acting in the series and I agree that this is so far the best she has been.
When she showed her scars all over her body to Joo Yeo-jeong played by Lee Do-hyun, it was game over. Scarred inside and out, you'll root for her and wish she gets her revenge in grand style.
Now that Part 2 will be released on March 10 at Netflix, fans are eager to find out whether Dong-eun will successfuly be able to avenge herself, and if it will all be worth it.
Hye-kyo said, “I was worried at first and even thought I might ruin it but the drama’s result was awesome. I am so grateful.” Director Ahn added that due to the success of part 1, he felt pressured when filming part 2.
When the daughter of writer Kim asked if “it is better to beat up others or get beaten up,” it sparked the writing of The Glory. Though the plot centers on school violence (there have been many similar real-life cases), there are complex themes such as the rich versus the poor, and a “battle of believers and non-believers,” according to her. There are characters who don’t believe in god, smitten by a shaman, and belong to a church.
Hye-kyo stated that “in The Glory Part 1, my character Moon Dong-eun was calm, but in part 2, she explodes.” She felt that the interaction between cast members were so good that emotions “came out well.”
Side story: a few of the actors brought their dogs to the set. Ruby, the famous Bichon Frise of Song Hye-kyo, would visit but would bark at Ga-eul, the equally famous Corgi of Lee Do-hyun, because she didn’t like her. So the dog and even the handsome actor ended up staying away from Ruby. Let’s hope Ga-eul doesn’t ended up seeking revenge, too.
Back to the drama. The Glory 1 was bitin and viewers wanted to see the story unfold soon. Director Ahn had people asking him why can’t the sequel come out sooner which added more pressure. What can be said though is that in part 2, each episode keeps getting better. The director made sure of this. Plans were laid out on part 1, but part 2 is where the action happens.
To encapsulate The Glory is the line of victim Moon Dong-eun: “There is no forgiving, there will be no glory.” She means to sink her tormentors and sink along with them. A life ruined. They say that the best revenge is to live well, but what to do about those scars?
The Glory Part 2 drops on March 10 at Netflix.
