Dae Jang Geum

Young Jang Geum - Jewel in the Palace changes her life

In South Korea, Jo Jung Eun is the beloved young Jang Geum.

During summer, she was being interview in Dae Jang Geum village of South Korean MBC television station. The refreshingly cute and small face, was pinched, rubbed, and kissed by the tourists from various Asian countries. By the way she ran away into the room, the face had already swelled into a “small tomato”.

She took down the heavy Korean traditional dress, put it on the floor, and took out a “the strawberry ice” from the pocket, then stared at strange faces inside the room with her big size eye- - - the innocent of 11 years-old young girl all written on her face.

Signature a quite a similarity to celebrity

Jo Jung Eun, 11 years old, before acting in Jewel in the Palace, is same with other ordinary elementary school four grades students, every day has to worry about reading, analysis and writing essays.

When Jewel in the Palace first broadcasted in South Korea, it’s broadcasted on late 10 pm slot. As it’s too late, her schoolmates all did not know that the class actually sits the young Jang Geum. Only school principal and the teacher in charge, every day holds the pillow to watch the drama - - - During the drama filming, the principal once gave her a box of hearts shapes chocolate to encourage her. After finished broadcasted, the teacher in charge rewarded her with 11 notebooks.

Her mother has hoped since childhood that she “works as a great person”, but she actually always fantasizes wanted to be a fashion designer, the bank staff, or a beautiful stewardess. Jewel in the Palace changed her life. What most makes she feeling “inflated” is, students and teachers also asked for her signature. Therefore, she has secretly practiced signature in the home innumerably.

At break of interview, tourists passed through, and holds on her to sign. She simply drew some “abstract picture”, sort of don’t care about it. As she signed until bored, she simply put the pen into the Korean traditional dress pocket.

Homesick in the adult world

The filming of Jewel in the Palace spanned across from the beginning of August to February the second year, experiencing intense summer heat to cold winter.

The filming place is adults world. Except mother, Jo Jung Eun did not have anyone else to talk to. So while there was break between shooting, she quickly took out her home work to do.

In the Jewel in the Palace drama, there is a frequent scene of young Jang Geum washing the plates. Asked if she is now very confident about washing the plates? Her mouth honked, eye slanted: “I am not specialized in washing the tray, when making a movie, brushed several has been good.” The big eye looks like was saying that, asks such question, too non-specialized!

The pay is kept by mother

“Jewel in the Palace” to Jo Jung Eun, was “several ancient times chefs’ story”.

The lines of script are too classical, had to memorised every day once woke up; Expression, trained by acting to the mirror; The strongest impression is in the 2nd episode, when the mother and daughter separated, the scene that they climb the mountain to picks strawberry, eat one herself, feeds mother one too, sadly enough to has tears streaming down the face. Asks her: “Is that really cries? Or using eye drops?”

She opened her eye big big: “You regarded me as what! Certainly have developed the sentiment, the tear unconsciously fell down.”

“How about rewards for the acting? Was not all buys the attractive skirt?” Asks her.

“All keeps in mother there!”

“Do you has the confidence to surpass Lee Young Ae sister?”

“Certainly!” Still is that kind of childish fearlessness.

Original Text:
　　在韓國，趙廷恩是萬千寵愛集一身的“小長今”。
　　夏天，在韓國MBC電視台“長今村”採訪她。粉粉嫩的小臉，被亞洲各地的游客捏一把，蹭一下，親一口，逃進房間的時候，已經腫成一只“小蕃茄”。
　　她摔開重重的韓服，往地上一癱，從口袋里挖出一支“草莓冰”，眨巴著大眼睛打量屋里的陌生面孔───11歲小姑娘的天真全都寫在臉上。

　　簽名頗有大牌模樣

　　趙廷恩，11歲，演“小長今”前，和每個普通小學四年級學生一樣，每天因為閱讀分析和作文而苦惱。
　　《大長今》在韓國首播時，排在每晚10點的黃金檔。熬夜太晚，她的同學都不知道，班里原來坐著個“小長今”。只有校長和班主任，每天抱著枕頭守在電視機前淌口水───拍攝時，校長曾送給她一盒心形巧克力，以資鼓勵；播完後，班主任又獎勵了她11本筆記本。
　　媽媽從小希望她“當個大人物”，她卻總是幻想成為一個服裝設計師、銀行職員，或者一個美麗空姐。一部《大長今》，卻改變了她的生活，最令她“感覺膨脹”的是，連同學、老師也問她討簽名。為此，她在家偷偷練了無數遍。
　　採訪間隙，恰有游客經過，又拉住她簽名。刷刷刷，她隨手畫出一幅“抽象畫”。“隨便劃幾筆，大概差不多就行了。”一派大牌式的不以為然。簽到煩了，幹脆把筆藏進韓服的大裙擺里。

　　在成人世界常會想家

　　戲從8月初拍到第二年的2月，經歷了酷暑到寒冬。
　　片場是成人的世界，除了媽媽，連個說話的小伙伴都沒有。趁拍片間隙一二個小時，趕緊掏出作業本，塗兩筆。
　　劇中，常常帶到“小長今”洗盤子的特寫。問她是不是現在對洗盤子很有心得？她嘴巴一嘟，眼睛一斜：“我又不是專業洗盤子的，拍戲嘛，刷幾下就行了。”大眼睛好像在說：問這樣的問題，太不專業了！

　　片酬藏在媽媽那里

　　《大長今》在趙廷恩眼中，就是“幾個古代廚師的故事”。
　　台詞太“古典”，每天從睜開眼睛起背；表情，自己對著鏡子“拗造型”；印象最深的是第2集中，母女離別，上山採草莓那場戲，自己吃一個，喂媽媽吃一個，悲傷到淚流滿面。問她：“那是真哭麼？還是滴眼藥水？”
　　她瞪大眼睛：“你把我當成什麼了！當然是投入了感情的，眼淚不自覺就落了下來。”
　　“拍戲的片酬呢？是不是都買漂亮裙子了？”問她。
　　“都藏在媽媽那里呢！”
　　“有沒有信心超過李英愛姐姐？”
　　“當然！”依然是那種孩子氣的無所畏懼。