Kim Da-Mi Can Relate To Her Character’s Choices In ‘Our Beloved Summer’

Kim Da-mi’s character Yeon-soo makes some puzzling romantic choices in the k-drama Our Beloved Summer, but the actress can relate to the choices her character makes. Yeon-soo seems strong and determined, but she has an Achilles heel and it’s her feelings for artist Choi Woong, played by Choi Woo-shik. 

“My character Yeon-soo looks strong on the outside but she’s actually quite delicate,” said Kim. “She builds layers of walls and thorns to defend herself and to hide her soft side and the only one to penetrate those layers is Choi Woong. That’s why Yeon-soo’s signs of affection only show when she’s with Choi Woong, and I think that’s what makes her character so attractive. Yeon-soo lacks love and doesn’t think she deserves romance, but she finally accepts it and finds new aspects of herself through the process. The growth of her character throughout this process of finding herself was impressive to see.” 

Yeon-soo’s difficult life has forced her to narrowly define her priorities. She has to work her way out of poverty and care for her grandmother. That drives her to be a top-ranking student and a dedicated worker. Associating with anyone who lacks her ambition will only sabotage her plans. So, despite her genuine feelings for Woong, who is perfect for her in every other way, she has to break up with him.

“I can strongly relate to the reason Yeon-soo had to break up with Choi Woong,” said Kim. “Yeon-soo loves Woong so much, but at one point she starts hiding her feelings as she sees that they are different, given her own reality. She breaks up with him so that she won’t get hurt. I totally understand Yeon-soo’s thought process. I would probably have done the same thing if I were in Yeon-soo’s shoes. Like Yeon-soo, I would have thought that pursuing a romantic relationship is a luxury for me.”

The characters meet again because of work and that forces Yeon-soo to reexamine the reasons for their break-up. As a result, she learns a lot about herself.

Kim made her acting debut in a 2017 omnibus film, Project With The Same Name, playing a woman who was recently involved in a break-up. Kim made her TV debut in the 2019 series Itaewon Class, where her distinctive take on the role of blogger Jo Yi-seo earned her a Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actress. In her first romantic comedy, Our Beloved Summer, Kim creates another memorable character, a woman who seems to know her own mind, except when she doesn’t.

“It’s hard to define Our Beloved Summer as just a romantic comedy,” she said. “But I think having good chemistry with the other actors is important in any story that involves romance. Since Woong and Yeon-soo have been broken up after dating for five years, those time frames were important to capture in scenes. I tried to focus on detailed expressions or nuances to convey that this couple had a long history.”

Achieving that chemistry was easier working with an actor she already knew.

“Thankfully, my counterpart was actor Choi Woo-shik, who I already had the pleasure of working with before. We were already acquainted with each other, so we had fun filming through our characters, Woong and Yeon-soo.”

Kim and Choi worked together in The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion, a 2018 mystery horror action film that topped the box office during its opening week and is set to have a sequel. Kim was chosen for the leading role from among 1,500 actresses who auditioned, but she thinks she was cast in the film because she seemed “ordinary.” 

“I don’t think there was a particular reason,” said Kim. “When I saw the script, I thought that the character Ja-yoon, a very average and ordinary girl, was a lot like me. I guess the director saw what we had in common in the audition.” 

Ja-yoon may be an ordinary young woman, but she turns out to have extraordinary superpowers. Choi played one of the people looking to harness those powers. 

“When we filmed The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion, I remember thinking that Choi Woo-shik really enjoyed acting on the set, which I admired. I wanted to have fun acting and shooting on set, too. At that time, it was my first time on such a huge set and I was nervous. I still get nervous, but I’ve gotten a lot more used to it. Woo-shik and I were comfortable with each other and had more fun shooting scenes than before in this series.”

Kim wanted to become an actress because she enjoyed identifying with characters onscreen. 

“There wasn’t a particular event that inspired me, but I did watch a lot of series and films alone when I was young. It was amazing to be immersed in the characters on screen and feel what they were feeling, which is when I vaguely thought that I wanted to try it, too. That’s when I started dreaming of becoming an actress.” 

Watching films is still one of her favorite ways to relax between projects and draw inspiration. 

“I love curling up in my bed and watching movies the most,” she said. “I like going camping, too. Having good food surrounded by nature is comforting. When I have time, I need to catch up on relaxing and recharging to have energy for the next project. 

Kim wants to explore as many types of projects as possible. 

“But I don’t put a limit on which projects to pursue. I think each project has a different timing that calls out to me. I want to slowly expose myself to various genres and characters.”

Whichever future characters she decides on, it’s likely that none of them will be “ordinary.”