First Lead Role in a Screen Movie… “A Film That Will Keep Coming to Mind”
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Young-jae = Actor Noh Yoon-seo (24) is often remembered for his youthful student roles in dramas ‘Our Blues’ (2022) and ‘Crash Course in Romance’ (2023).
Noh Yoon-seo portrays the excitement and conflict of a first love in one’s 20s. This is in director Jo Sun-ho’s new film ‘Listen to the Universe’, which opens on the 6th of next month.
‘Listen to the Universe’ marks Noh Yoon-seo’s screen debut. His previous work ’20th Century Girl’ (2022) was a Netflix film and did not have a theatrical release.
“The theme of ‘Listen to the Universe’ is related to ‘first’. It’s also a story about first love. Since it’s my first screen movie, I think it will keep coming to mind.”
Noh Yoon-seo said this with a smile when met at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the 31st.
In the movie, Noh Yoon-seo plays Summer, who supports her younger sister, Ga-eul (played by Kim Min-ju), a swimmer dreaming of Olympic gold. The story begins when Yong-jun (played by Hong Kyung), who encounters Summer at the swimming pool, falls for her at first sight.
Seeing Summer and Ga-eul communicating in sign language, Yong-jun intuits that the sisters are hearing impaired and speaks to them using the sign language he learned in college. The three of them exchange feelings through sign language.
Noh Yoon-seo said, “When communicating in sign language, expressions make up 70% of it. Even with the same sign language, the tone can change from a statement to a question depending on the expression,” adding, “I’ve become more expressive as I focused on expressions.”
He added, “Without using vocal expressions, I naturally expressed myself through gestures,” expressing that he learned a lot while focusing on body language, and it will help in future acting.
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Noh Yoon-seo, Hong Kyung, and Kim Min-ju learned sign language together for three months to portray natural sign language acting. At the same age in their 20s, they reportedly became close quickly.
Noh Yoon-seo reflected, “There was chemistry from being of similar age,” and “We hit it off well and could enjoy filming together.”
‘Listen to the Universe’ is a remake of the Taiwanese film of the same name that was released locally in 2010. It retains the pure emotion of the original while making bold changes to fit the era’s changes and Korean sensibilities.
Regarding why she accepted the casting offer, Noh Yoon-seo said, “There were many scenes that moved my heart when reading the script,” and “The relationships between Yong-jun, Summer, and Ga-eul had depth and plausibility.”
The character experiencing the most dramatic emotional change in the film is Summer. Believing her life revolves around taking care of her younger sister, she undergoes growth as she faces conflicts not only with Ga-eul but also with Yong-jun following an unfortunate incident.
Noh Yoon-seo introduced her character Summer as “a friend who is very cautious and considerate in new relationships” and explained, “Being trapped in such thoughts, she misses out on more important things in life.”
Recalling the times when her co-star Hong Kyung injected liveliness into scenes with witty ad-libs, she expressed admiration, saying, “He researched the character a lot and was completely immersed. I felt respect for him as an actor.”
Noh Yoon-seo studied art in high school and college before embarking on an acting career. She was suggested to try acting while working as a model during her studies.
She also made a special appearance in the Netflix series ‘Into the Woods’ (2024), showcasing her action acting.
Noh Yoon-seo said, “I received positive responses from various places at that time,” and added, “I thought I should continue to show diverse sides in the future.”
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