Gong Yoo. Image: Instagram/@tvn_drama
One must have a heart of stone to not be enamored with Gong Yoo when he starred as Kim Shin in the hit 2016 series “Goblin,” which enjoyed record-breaking success, but the actor confessed a part of him couldn’t help but feel “empty and sad” at the time.
Gong opened up about his struggle with mental health during a Chuseok (or Korean thanksgiving) episode of the web series Pinggyego, saying he wasn’t able to enjoy the attention he received from “Goblin’s” success.
“I had gone through emotional anxieties in my twenties and thirties. I don’t think I can clearly explain why I was anxious,” he said. “For example, ‘Goblin’ did very well but weirdly, I wasn’t happy.”
The actor clarified that he’s grateful for how much the series made a mark but he couldn’t brush off the emptiness he felt at the time.
“[Let’s be clear], I was happy that it did well. But apart from that, there was a time when I felt so empty and I couldn’t wake myself up. It’s not that the work was hard or that it went well, I wasn’t able to enjoy the spotlight when it was a success,” he explained.
As a result, the “emptiness” turned out to be a moment of epiphany for Gong as he learned how to understand people more.
“It’s hard to say this openly. It should be a time when others would be happy, like they’re floating in the clouds. But if I say my heart feels strange, it would [make others think] that I’m not grateful,” he said.
“After going through a hard time like that, the way I look at people around me changed. I became more nosy [in the sense] that I didn’t want others to go through the same hurt,” he continued.
Originally titled “Dokkaebi” which literally translates to “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” it also starred Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, and Yoo In-na. The series aired from December 2016 to January 2017.
Its soundtrack also gained attention among avid K-drama fans, including hit songs such as “Stay With Me” by Punch and EXO’s Chanyeol, “Beautiful” by Crush, “You are So Beautiful” by Eddy, and “I Will Go to You Like the First Snow” by Ailee, to name a few.
“Goblin” was critically acclaimed among domestic and international fans, and is currently ranked as the sixth highest-rated cable drama in South Korea’s history, according to Nielsen Korea.
The series also bagged the Daesang (or Grand Prize) and Best Actor for Television awards at the 2017 Baeksang Arts Awards. EDV