[NC Interview] Moon Ga-young at 29, 19 Years Into Her Career: What She Did Right, and What She Did Not

Moon Ga-young in Once We Were Us. Photo by Showbox.

“I have never had my face covered in blood or sweat. I want to try noir.”

Since making her acting debut as a child actress in the 2006 film To Sir, With Love, Moon Ga-young has steadily crossed between television and the big screen, establishing herself as a full-fledged adult actress. After landing her first terrestrial-network lead role in MBC’s The Great Seducer in 2018, she went on to star in True Beauty, The Interest of Love, My Dearest Nemesis, and Law and The City, firmly earning her reputation as a “romance queen” of television. Now in her 19th year since debut, Moon Ga-young is 29 years old.

Recently, News Culture met Moon Ga-young at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, where she spoke at length about her first film lead in nine years, Once We Were Us, along with many other stories.

Once We Were Us is a realistic romance that follows Eun-ho and Jeongwon, once deeply in love, who unexpectedly reunite after ten years and revisit the traces of their memories. Playing Jeongwon, Moon Ga-young delivers a deeply resonant performance, as if perfectly tailored to her, drawing strong empathy from audiences.

Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young in Once We Were Us. Photo by Showbox.

“When I first read the script, I was really drawn to the story itself and the message it carries,” Moon said. “Once We Were Us uses black-and-white imagery by reversing past and present, and having my face captured in black and white felt like a rare opportunity. That made me want it even more. I felt it was a role I could play, and a face I could show, at this stage of my life.”

She continued, “Once We Were Us is a story about parting well. It shows a period at the end of a sentence, allowing you to turn the page to the next chapter of life. It’s something I myself envy, and something everyone dreams of. The word ‘if’ makes you look back on the past while imagining the future. It feels like a magical word that consumes a lot of time.”

Moon Ga-young has recently appeared in several projects centered on love and separation, ultimately earning her position as a romance queen. On this, she said, “A ‘good story’ has always come first for me. I think I especially like stories about relationships. When I was younger, I used to wonder why there were so many love stories, but when you really think about it, there aren’t many stories that can exist without love. It’s not just about romantic relationships. Throughout life, we constantly love and part from one another. I think I wanted to keep telling those kinds of stories.”

In this film, Moon Ga-young also created what many call a “legendary scene.” Her explosive emotional performance moved not only the director and staff to tears but also everyone who saw the film at advance screenings.

“It was filmed less than a week after we started shooting,” she explained. “We did two takes. We tried one more just in case something different might come out, but they ended up using the first take.”

She added, “Deleting someone’s contact information feels like standing at the very end of a breakup. I acted with the thought that Jeongwon’s emotions were at their absolute peak. The director told me to cover my face if I wanted to, and to do whatever felt comfortable. He said not to worry about the angle and to just let it all out. That allowed me to immerse myself much more deeply.”

Moon Ga-young in Once We Were Us. Photo by Showbox.

“Usually, when filming an emotional scene, you regulate yourself a bit because of the next line,” she said. “But for that scene, it was like turning the faucet all the way on.”

She continued, “On a real bus, you normally try to hold back your tears. But there are moments when, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t. When I see someone holding back tears, it actually feels even sadder. I focused on that moment when someone tries to endure, but eventually breaks down.”

Moon recalled, “All the men on set were crying. The space felt almost dreamlike at the time. It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” she said with a smile.

In the film, Moon Ga-young and Koo Kyo-hwan portray lovers who experience love and separation, despite a real-life age gap of 14 years. The two actors overcame this difference purely through their acting, convincing audiences with their delicate emotional performances.

“There was no generation gap between Koo Kyo-hwan and me,” Moon said. “I’ve often worked with actors who are older than me in previous projects. We even played a game guessing old movies, and I actually did better. I’ve always liked analog things,” she added with a laugh.

She went on, “I invited friends born in 2000 to the screening, and hearing that they cried a lot while watching the film made me realize that generation really doesn’t matter. Koo Kyo-hwan and I also have similar senses of humor, which was great. He gave a lot of ad-libs that fit the situations perfectly. We talked endlessly about the script, and ideas just kept flowing. It was always amazing.”

Moon Ga-young in Once We Were Us. Photo by Showbox.

Moon Ga-young was born in Germany and returned to Korea in the third grade, growing up in Hannam-dong, Yongsan. She was discovered by chance as a child model and began acting at the age of 10. “I was lucky to find something I loved before I even had time to dream about other things,” she said. “I’ve never really imagined doing anything other than acting. I’ve been doing it for too long.”

She added, “Rather than thinking ‘what if I hadn’t become an actress,’ I thought about ‘what if I hadn’t come to Korea.’ When I was in Germany, I did ballet and really loved it. If I had stayed there, I think I might have dreamed of becoming a ballerina.”

Now 29, Moon reflected, “I used to think that once you turned 30, you became a true adult, someone fully mature and enlightened. But when I reached that age, nothing had really changed. It feels like my way of thinking is still stuck in my early to mid-20s, which is confusing. I don’t really know what defines a good adult. I think I read books in order to become a good person and live well. That’s probably why I like books so much.”

This year, Moon Ga-young also served as an MC on Mnet’s band music variety show Steel Heart Club. “I’ve loved band music since I was young, so I joined with a lot of personal enthusiasm,” she said. “Watching the contestants reminded me of my early days as an actress. The desperation in their eyes looked just like mine when I first started acting. I received a lot of stimulation from watching them.”

Looking back on her 19-year career, Moon was asked what she did well and what she did not. “I think not losing interest in acting is what I did best,” she said. “If there’s something I didn’t do well, it’s that I’m still immature. Becoming mature isn’t as easy as I thought.”

She also briefly mentioned her next project, the drama Whale Star (working title). Based on a popular webtoon set during the Japanese colonial period, the series is directed by Hur Jin-ho and stars Moon Ga-young alongside Choi Woo-shik and Heo Nam-jun. “We haven’t started filming yet,” she said. “It’s a genre I’ve never tried before, and I think I’ll be able to show a new side of myself. I’m excited by the idea of taking on a challenge.”

Meanwhile, Once We Were Us is set to be released on the 31st.

Reported by News Culture [e-mail]