Kim Go Eun delved deep into crafting the character of Mo Eun in the latest drama 'The Price of Confession.'
"How do I fill in the gaps in plausibility?" That was the question Kim Go Eun kept asking herself after taking on 'The Price of Confession.' Rather than leaning on the conventions of the suspense thriller genre, she believed the audience first had to be convinced by Mo Eun as a character.
She left deliberate emotional gaps, reinforced an underdeveloped backstory, and reexamined every element that shaped the role—from appearance to performance details. Kim Go Eun essentially rebuilt Mo Eun from the ground up.
As a result, Mo Eun emerged not as a flat psychopath, but as a fully dimensional figure. Her empty, unreadable gaze heightened tension, while sudden emotional outbursts pulled viewers deeper into the story.
Kim Go Eun recently sat down for an interview to discuss how she breathed life into Mo Eun in the drama The Price of Confession.
Interpreting Mo Eun
'The Price of Confession' follows a dangerous deal between Mo Eun, who murdered a dentist couple, and Eun Soo (played by Jeon Do Yeon), who is accused of killing her husband. Mo Eun proposes a chilling bargain: she will take the blame for Eun Soo’s crime if Eun Soo completes the murder that Mo Eun could not finish.
Mo Eun’s apparent lack of guilt leads most to brand her a serial killer. Yet one prosecutor continues to suspect Eun Soo. These conflicting perspectives create a psychological battle in which the true culprit remains unclear.
Behind Mo Eun’s confession, however, lies a devastating truth. Her actions are driven by revenge against the dentist couple who covered up their son’s crime—sexually assaulting Mo Eun’s younger sister and driving her to death.
The drama reveals this truth only in the latter half, meaning Mo Eun initially had to appear as a textbook pleasure-driven psychopath. Kim Go Eun, however, felt that sheer madness was not enough to justify the character.
“At first, I approached her as a typical hedonistic psychopath, just as written,” Kim Go Eun said. “But from the very first scene, it didn’t sit right with me. She kills the dentist couple and waits to kill their son. The emotion needed there isn’t a killer’s madness—it’s resentment and rage toward those who drove her sister to death.”
She also worried that suddenly unveiling Mo Eun’s tragic family history later on might feel forced. To avoid that, Kim chose restrained emotional expression early on, laying the groundwork for Mo Eun’s inner emptiness.
“I wanted to leave emotional gaps,” she explained. “I hoped viewers would misinterpret that eerie stillness and see Mo Eun as a serial killer. I saw her as someone consumed by self-loathing for failing to protect her family, carrying a resigned desire to follow them in death.”
Designing the Performance
Once her interpretation was set, Kim Go Eun began by changing Mo Eun’s appearance. She opted for a near-shaved short haircut. “Even though everything—her face, her emotions—is exposed, I wanted her to feel unreadable,” she said.
That concept carried into her acting choices. Kim Go Eun expressed most emotions in a flat, one-dimensional way. “If the sky were pretty, she’d just stare at it wistfully. If it was noisy, she’d cover her ears. I thought those simple reactions would feel unsettling,” she explained.
“For example, a police officer asks Mo Eun what emotions the murdered couple might have felt. She answers honestly, exactly as the thought comes to her: ‘It must have hurt a lot. They probably regretted what they did.’ People see that as a psychopath’s emotionless response.”
Kim Go Eun also expanded Mo Eun’s thinly sketched backstory with her own ideas. The script briefly mentioned Mo Eun’s medical volunteer work in Thailand, but lacked detail. Kim Go Eun believed this was key to understanding her motive.
“The past just passed by too quickly,” she said. “Mo Eun was quarantined due to COVID-19 and couldn’t even attend her family’s funeral. I wanted to clearly show her despair. I imagined the entrance to the quarantine tent like prison bars and let the emotion explode, to the point where it felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
The scene left a strong impression, even on Jeon Do Yeon. Kim Go Eun recalled with a shy smile, “She told me she heard I had added that scene myself and said she also felt that part of the story was lacking. Hearing her say I did well meant so much.”
The Price of Persuasion
How was Kim able to overturn script settings and even add new scenes? The answer lies in meticulous preparation. She is, in her own way, a master of persuasion.
“I don’t try to convince directors blindly,” she said. “I organize exactly why I interpret the character this way, anticipate all possible questions, and prepare answers in advance.”
That level of preparation serves one purpose: reaching complete internal conviction and a clear consensus, so she can perform without hesitation on set.
The same approach applies when choosing projects. Kim does not rely solely on instinct. She shares scripts with her agency head and manager, gathering multiple opinions before deciding.
“I look for the overlap among different perspectives,” she explained. “Even if I’m drawn to a project, if everyone advises against it, I let it go. I respect the judgment of the people who review scripts with me.”
Thorough validation and relentless persuasion—this combination consistently elevates Kim Go Eun’s character work. “Even within similar genres, I’m always thinking about how to create variation. That’s how I end up taking on such diverse projects,” she said.
“I Always Give My Best”
From films 'Exhuma' and 'Love in the Big City' to dramas 'You and Everything Else' and 'The Price of Confession,' Kim Go Eun has been on a nonstop run of success since last year. She reflected modestly, “It feels like things are going well, and I’m just grateful.”
“I don’t plan my filmography in advance,” she added. “I simply choose projects that don’t overlap with my previous work and give it my all. Thankfully, scripts that suit me and are well-loved keep coming my way. I guess I’m lucky.”
What kind of role does she dream of next? “Before I get older, I really want to do a romantic comedy that makes you squeal just watching it,” she said. “Something with stronger romance than 'Yumi’s Cells'.”
She also shared her current obsession. “I’m completely hooked on the drama Kisses Are a Waste. I never miss a live broadcast and always send Ahn Eun Jin overly excited reactions. I want to play a love story where people fight, but it always ends in a kiss.”
When asked why directors so often rank her as the actor they most want to hand a script to, Kim paused before answering with a single word: sincerity.
“I really work hard,” she said. “Since my debut, I can confidently say I’ve never taken a single moment lightly. My acting might fall short, or my interpretation might be wrong, but at that moment, I always gave everything I had. I always have, and I always will.”
SHARE
