Actress Cha Joo-young set the internet abuzz by laying bare her hidden backstory—from how she was raised to the truth behind her debut—and even the blunt confession that she had "lived freely enough before debuting."
On January 27, Cha appeared as a guest on Sung Si Kyung's YouTube channel and candidly walked through her journey from childhood to debut. "I was a mature and quiet kid," she said, adding, "I wanted to study dance, but my conservative family strictly opposed any path in the arts." As the eldest granddaughter in a traditional family, she said she grew up under the expectation to be "ordinary," which led her to study abroad and major in business as her father wanted.
Still, Cha admitted she kept dreaming of a different life. Even after finishing her studies abroad and spending a year in New York, she recalled, "I even submitted an application to a major bank," explaining, "I needed a justification to present to my dad." She also surprised Sung Si Kyung by revealing an anecdote about quietly dipping into some of her saved tuition money during that time.
Then, an unexpected opportunity opened the door to acting. After someone suggested she try taking profile photos, she went to a shoot—having only ever taken ID photos before—and was immediately offered a casting. Her first project was the drama Cheese in the Trap. Cha confessed, "I filmed it without telling my father, and when I finally did, he said, 'Are you out of your mind?' and the whole house exploded."
Even after her debut, Cha said she spent years anxious that she was only "imitating" acting. Admitting that "being on set terrified me even while shooting The Queen Who Crowns and Lobby," she added, "It was while working on the film Sister that I first thought, 'Ah, I'm finally moving in the right direction with what I do.'"
Marking her 10th year since debut, Cha emphasized that starting late has actually been her edge. "I already had my own life, and because I got all my partying out of my system before debuting, I don't feel deprived as an actor," she said. "I've had my fun—now my goal is to live healthily."
Meanwhile, Cha Joo-young is currently on a break from activities while receiving treatment for a recent episode of epistaxis (nosebleeds).