At the 31st Busan International Film Festival's prestigious Actors House, actress Kim Go-eun lifted the curtain on her transformative acting method, revealing how she personally conceptualized her buzzcut transformation in 'The Price of Confession,' built the stylish 'MZ Shaman' in 'Exhuma,' and reacted to viral memes.
Few Korean screen performers possess the chameleonic gravity of Kim Go-eun. From her electrifying screen debut in A Muse (Eungyo) and the gritty underworld of Coin Locker Girl to the timeless romance of Guardian: The Lonely and Great God and her career-defining turn in the 12-million-ticket occult sensation Exhuma, Kim has consistently redefined Korean cinematic acting.
On October 8, the celebrated star took center stage at the Culture Hall of Shinsegae Centum City in Haeundae, Busan, for the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) ‘Actors House’. The signature program, established in 2021, invites contemporary acting titans to candidly deconstruct their artistic philosophies, script analysis methods, and untold behind-the-scenes stories in front of a captivated audience.
The Visual Architect: Designing Appearances from Script Pages
Rather than waiting for stylists or directors to dictate how her characters should look, Kim revealed that she approaches every script as a visual architect.
"When I first receive a script and re-read it from the perspective that I have to live as this person, an initial mental image naturally forms," Kim explained. "Once that visual identity takes shape in my mind, I dissect the screenplay to understand why I felt that way. Once I have completely convinced myself through rigorous analysis, I present my proposal to the director. Most of the time, they accept it."
However, she underscored that she never pitches ideas impulsively. "Whenever I present an aesthetic choice to a director, I arrive armed with exhaustive preparations. I anticipate every possible counterargument or hesitation they might raise, and I prepare clear, convincing answers in advance."
- Aesthetic Autonomy: Personally architects hair, wardrobe, and physical silhouettes after comprehensive textual script analysis.
- 'The Price of Confession' Pixie Crop: Subverted the "tough criminal" trope to create psychological paradox—making the character appear delicate and physically vulnerable.
- Deconstructing 'Exhuma's' Hwa-rim: Replaced outdated shaman stereotypes with an urban "MZ Shaman"—driving sleek cars, wearing designer coats, yet hauling chicken blood in the trunk.
- The Philosophy of Gestures: Believes the line between an amateur and a master actor exists in millimeter-level physical mannerisms.
- Pre-Production Coping Mantra: Endures extreme preparatory anxiety by telling herself "So what? (어쩌라고)" before surrendering stress completely on set.
Crafting 'Exhuma's' Hwa-rim: Redefining Shamanism for the MZ Generation
This same meticulous methodology gave birth to Hwa-rim, the magnetic young shaman who catapulted Jang Jae-hyun's supernatural mystery Exhuma into an international box-office juggernaut. Kim was determined to steer clear of clichéd, archaic depictions of Korean shamans (mudang).
"I viewed Hwa-rim as someone with an uncompromising sense of professional duty. Above all else, she had to be a consummate professional in her craft," Kim shared. "She is a modern woman who wears sharp, stylish clothing and drives an expensive car, yet keeps fresh chicken blood ready in her trunk. When she works, her focus is razor-sharp; when off duty, she lives fully for herself. That duality was my definition of an 'MZ Shaman.'"
Kim placed immense emphasis on avoiding clumsy imitation: "My biggest fear was that her ritual duties would look amateurish. The distinction between an amateur and a veteran lies in imperceptible, delicate details. That is why I obsessed over every minor finger movement, chanting breath, and subtle physical gesture."
Tackling High-Pressure Stress: The "So What?" Coping Mechanism
Despite projecting effortless charisma on screen, Kim confessed that pre-production remains the most agonizing phase of her career. The process of inhabiting a character often pushes her into intense bouts of perfectionism and mental strain.
"When preparation stress reaches its peak, I tell myself, 'So what? (어쩌라고),'" she confessed with a laugh. "While preparing, I drive myself ruthlessly. But the moment I step onto the filming set, I actively force myself to let everything go. I agonize and torture myself beforehand, but once cameras roll, I surrender the stress. People often remark that I appear stress-free on set—in truth, I consciously work to look that way so my performance remains loose and natural."
"Did You Grow Up Poor?": Reflecting on the Viral 'Little Women' Meme
The conversation took a delightfully humorous turn when discussing the enduring cultural afterlife of her 2022 tvN mystery drama Little Women. In recent months, a cutting dialogue delivered by co-star Gong Min-jeung—"Did you grow up poor?" (가난하게 컸어?)—has exploded into one of the most widely shared social media memes across Korean TikTok and Instagram reels.
Asked about the meme's viral resurgence, Kim beamed: "I love it! It means the drama is still living in people's minds."
She then recounted working with Gong on their upcoming series You and Everything Else (은중과 상연): "Whenever we reunited on set, I teased her: 'How could you deliver that line with such razor-sharp precision? It pierced straight through my heart. I was genuinely hurt!' It truly deserved to become an iconic meme."
With multiple high-profile projects spanning feature films and marquee streaming series slated for release through 2026 and beyond, Kim Go-eun's masterclass at BIFF reaffirms why she remains one of the most intellectually compelling and fearless storytellers leading the global Korean wave.
Introduced in 2021 at the Busan International Film Festival, Actors House is an intimate masterclass series where leading contemporary actors discuss their acting craft, filmographies, and unpublished behind-the-scenes stories directly with festival audiences.
Kim Go-eun suggested a short crop not to project outward toughness, but to create visual vulnerability. She wanted the audience to see her delicate silhouette and psychologically question how such a seemingly frail individual could be accused of murder.
Kim conceptualized Hwa-rim as an 'MZ Shaman'—a stylish, modern professional who drives luxury cars and wears sharp fashion while carrying chicken blood in her trunk, paying obsessive attention to nuanced ritual gestures to ensure authentic, veteran credibility.