Last year Hwang Jung Eum had a surprise hit when she played a woman who goes to prison for love in "Secrets," also known as "Secret Love." Her character Kang Yoo Jung confesses to a crime she did commit to protect her lover. Then her boyfriend dumps her. Without becoming bitter, Kang Yoo Jung manages to achieve success and witness justice being served. The drama reached Nielsen ratings as high as 18.9 percent nationwide.
This year Hwang Jung Eum appeared in the drama "Endless Love," playing a woman who is determined to avenge her murdered mother. But "Endless Love" was not nearly as successful as "Secrets." Her performance in "Endless Love" was every bit as touching as her performance in "Secrets," but the drama never caught on with viewers and the ratings remained low.
Not being discouraged by the roller coaster ride of drama ratings is essential to having a successful career as an actress. Despite the low ratings, Hwang Jung Eum has no regrets about appearing in "Endless Love."
"Whatever the outcome was, I was happy to work on that drama," she said in an interview with Chosun Ilbo. "I wanted to challenge myself and tried hard to make the versatile role touching and convincing at all times. I thought in order to improve my acting skills I should try to do something unfamiliar or even play characters I'm not naturally good at. In the end, it gave me a lot to reflect upon so I don't regret it."
Hwang Jung Eum has been acting for 10 years. She first debuted as a member of the girl group Sugar. But after two years with the group, she decided to focus on acting. It was not easy making the transition, but she is happy she did and has no plans to give up.
"I should be grateful about how quickly and how far I've come as an actress when it's rare to see successful cases of singers turned actors," said Hwang.
While it's nice to get good ratings for a drama, Hwang Jung Eum says she does not act for the ratings alone. The very process of acting makes her feel good and when her performances are praised, she is happy.
"Acting is like a healing process for me," she said. "I get the most satisfaction and greatest pleasure when I get praised for my acting. I think for my immediate happiness I have nothing else to focus on but acting."
Hwang Jung Eum has appeared in several dramas, including "Incarnation of Money," "Can You Hear My Heart," "Giant" and "East of Eden." This year she can be seen in the film "A Pig-Like Woman."
