You and Everything Else's Kim Go-eun reveals difficult moments in personal life inspired powerful performance

The Netflix K-drama centres around the journey of two childhood friends whose lives have been inextricably linked through grief and a shared love. After drifting apart, the two are reconnected when Sang-yeon asks Eun-jung to accompany her on her final journey as she is suffering from terminal cancer.

Leading the 15-part series is Kim Go-eun, who is known for Exhuma and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. The Korean actress was instantly drawn to the role of Ryu Eun-jung as it had a narrative that “runs deep” with “multiple layers".

It was also a project that felt like a simple twist of fate as it came at the “perfect time” for the actress in her personal life.

“When I got the script for You and Everything Else and decided to join the project, I was going through some things in my life. There were certain emotions that I was feeling and this project was the chance for me to channel those emotions into the series and this character. This came at the perfect time, the timing was incredible,” said Kim Go-eun.

You and Everything Else tackles the theme of assisted dying, which was a challenging prospect for Kim but one that she relished as she pushes herself to have “thematic diversity” within her acting career.

“It got me thinking about friendships and relationships and if you can properly send off someone in their final moments, I think that’s a big chance that you have and it’s a really great opportunity for you as a friend and someone who loved that person,” said Kim Go-eun. “It’s very rare that you get to send someone off in their final moments; you’re usually not there when they are dying."

She added: “I think it’s almost a miracle that you get to be there in their final moments. I felt that through being part of this project, I got a chance to properly send off a friend and be there until their last minute.”

Starring alongside Kim Go-eun is Park Ji-hyun, who delivers an incredibly emotional performance as Sang-yeon. The natural chemistry between both actors added a layer of depth to the show as they played the friends/rivals who have had a troubled relationship over the years.

“I’ve always liked [Park Ji-hyun] as a person and an actor and I have always felt that she can be a very trusted actor. This time, working with her, I was very much energised and happy to work with her,” said Kim.

“In these scenes, I can feel that our energy clicks and it matches. She is a great actor whom I’m grateful for. After watching the whole show, she was sparkling. Just like Eun-jung admired Sang-yeon, I felt that admiration for her as she is an amazing actress.”

The series follows Eun-jung and Sang-yeon throughout their lives from childhood to their 40s. Kim plays the protagonist Eun-jung in her 20s, 30s and 40s, which was an interesting challenge as she had to portray the same character in different ways as circumstances and life experiences affect her demeanour and outlook on life.

“For Eun-jung in her 20s and 30s, I’ve been there. I’ve been in my 20s and I’m in my 30s right now, so I looked back at myself as a reference. When you’re in your 20s, you might be a little bit naive and feel these emotions that are hitting you for the first time,” said Kim Go-eun. ”In her 30s, she’s probably very focused on her work, just like I am. I know these moments so it was a little bit easier to portray the 20s and 30s.”

The actress reflected that she played Eun-jung differently in her 30s as she is more career-driven and her “professional attitude” and job as a producer will affect the way that she acts and speaks as she grows in confidence with life experience.

As Kim Go-eun portrayed Eun-jung in her 40s, she made slight changes to the character but didn’t want to make “dramatic changes.” Instead, she decided that her character’s new job as a writer would make her more “introspective” and “calmer” so she reflected this within her acting.

Currently in her mid-30s, Kim had to look outside of herself to play someone in their 40s and see how life experiences, grief and relationships would have an impact on her character at this age.

“40s is uncharted territory for me. I thought maybe there should be some dramatic change outward but I decided not because I looked around and I have friends who are in their early 40s and I don’t feel like they go through dramatic change just because they turned 40. I had to rely on imagination for Eun-jung in her 40s, said Kim Go-eun.

She added: “I wouldn’t say there was one thing that was extremely challenging about playing these different ages but I just felt that Eun-jung was a nothing out of the ordinary person who was going through small changes and then I wanted to add those different nuances and vibes to her as I’m portraying her.”

You and Everything Else is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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