Korean actor Song Hye-kyo attended a press conference for The Glory Season 2 on March 8, 2023. Along with her, the drama’s director and screenwriter Ahn Gil-ho and Kim Eun-sook, and the actors Song Hye-Kyo, Lee Do-Hyun, Lim Ji-Yeon, Yum Hye-Ran, and Park Sung-Hoon, were also present.
During the event, Song Hye-kyo explained that she had not eaten anything prior to the filming of Episode 6 and that it took four hours to apply makeup to show off her scars. The actress also discussed her feelings before the first season’s release.
“It was a real honor” – The Glory’s Song Hye-kyo discusses struggle of playing Moon Dong-eun
In the press conference held on Wednesday, March 8, Song Hye-kyo discussed her feelings before the first season’s release, saying:
“Before The Glory Part 1, I felt very nervous because I was afraid that I would ruin the show since I am the lead. So, the reaction was beyond expectation and I felt numb at first, but I am very happy with the reaction.”
The Glory‘s first season, which had eight episodes and starred Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, and more, was released on December 30, 2022. It quickly became one of the most watched non-English programs on Netflix and received a smashing success on the global scale. In the three days after its premiere, the show had received more than 24.5 million hours of worldwide viewing.
Audiences adored Song Hye-kyo’s character, which she played for the first time in her acting career. The series tells the tale of Moonn Dong-eun, who spent her entire life seeking retribution after being cruelly tormented by Park Yeon Jin while she was a student. Dong-eun replaced Yeon Jin’s daughter Ha Ye-sol’s homeroom teacher in Season 1 after she left school and went into teaching. In season 1, Dong-eun started planning her retaliation gradually.
Moon Dong-eun and her make-up received plenty of compliments from the fans. They also adored Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun’s chemistry.
At the press release, Song Hye-kyo also discussed how challenging it was for her to play a character like Moon Dong-eun, who endures a great deal of abuse from her classmates and is never truly able to find true pleasure in life due to all the challenges and troubles she has. She acknowledged the fact that the character was depressed, but she nevertheless loved how she managed to provide a glimmer of hope in The Glory:
“It was difficult & sad to express a lot of pain, but it was very meaningful to show that there is hope for a character like Moondong. It was a real honour to appear in a workplace where everyone can sympathize, suffer together, and share their hearts.”
The actress continued by saying that while portraying Moon Dong-eun, she made every effort to act exactly like the character, but could’t help but show a little bit of herself. Song Hye-kyo also claimed that applying her make-up, which included painting over the burn scars on her body, took her close to four to five hours each time she had to film.
Furthermore, she also mentioned that she started a severe diet where she wouldn’t eat anything for three days in a row. She also admitted that the day before the shoot, she didn’t drink any water in order to be at her best in the drama.
Why should you watch The Glory?
In the series we can see that bullied at age 19, Dong-eun yearns to be “happy” just enough to pass away without having any regrets. She discovers her “executioner” in Joo Yeo-jeong, a wealthy and attractive doctor who is also a man of mystery. What happens when two utterly sad people come together for a common goal?
In Season 2, Dong-eun starts a full-fledged campaign of vengeance. She brings attention to the “Yoon So-hee death case” that took place when she was a student and puts pressure on Yeon Jin’s organization. To hide her lies, Yeon Jin commits a new crime and gets herself into yet another mess. According to their individual goals, the criminals divide one another. She is assisted in avenging her by Dong-eun’s helpers.
The Glory is not a pointless drama about getting even. It emphasizes how bullying hurts teens and can often lead them to make serious life decisions. There is frequently apparent disregard for the psychological anguish it creates. The show give it the correct amount of attention.
The depiction of violence on screen is not subtle. Writer Kim Eun-sook and director An Gil-ho want fans to see Moon’s suffering with your own eyes. As a result, fans recoil in horror when Yeo-jin uses a curler to burn Dong-eun’s skin in the first episode. So, to sum it up, should you watch The Glory? Well, yes, absolutely.
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