[Exclusive] 'Dora' Kim Do-yeon on Cannes, I.O.I Reunion and Breaking Her Own Mold

Actress Kim Do-yeon says the decision to break out of her own routine and study in London is what eventually led her to "Dora," the film that took her to the Cannes Film Festival this year.

On July 27, Kim Do-yeon sat down with K-POPIT at the office of her agency, Fantagio, in Seoul's Gangnam district. The conversation moved through her recent days, her current questions about acting, and the personal turns that shaped both.

She said she is slowly finding her own rhythm again after I.O.I's reunion. "Our song 'Suddenly' is still at No. 1," she said, referring to the group chat the members share. "We keep telling each other in the group chat how grateful we are." She added that after spending so much time together, going back to solo schedules has felt strange. "A lot of us are saying it feels empty and lonely. I think we're all trying to find our own rhythms again."

Asked about the tears she showed on the Cannes red carpet in May for "Dora," Kim said the emotion came from the film itself. "I was already crying while watching it," she said. "As an audience member who fully enjoyed the work, I was overwhelmed. When the film ended and I saw the director, the other actors, the crew and my parents, I could feel how much love had gone into the film. That's what brought the tears."

She said the feeling had started even on the flight to France. "The director wrote something for me about why she made this film. Reading it, I could feel how deeply she loves the film. That's what moved me."

Kim traced her path to "Dora" back to an earlier choice to leave her comfort zone. "I think my connection with 'Dora' began the moment I went to England a few years ago. I wanted to study acting there because I needed to break out of my shell. During my idol activities, I didn't have room to look back at myself. I wanted time to focus on me. After coming back from England, it was like waking up. I started thinking, 'I can be anything.'"

She said the experience changed how she approaches her work. "I used to be someone who always wanted a set answer. But after that, I became fascinated by the beauty of things that are unpredictable and unclear. That's why I could try theater. It's also why I started reading novels I never used to read. There was a novel I read around the time of my audition for 'Dora' that had a good influence on me. I went into the audition with the feeling of that novel still on me."

She said "Dora" also led her to a discovery about herself. "I realized that a feeling I could never name was actually loneliness," she said. "Even while I kept dreaming and kept achieving those dreams, there was a heaviness I couldn't get rid of. I named it loneliness. It's not the kind of loneliness you can solve by meeting someone. I've never really felt that kind. Once I defined that basic human weight inside me as loneliness, it felt like a relief."

On how she first came to acting, Kim said she treated it as the next natural step. "Honestly, an idol career isn't very long. I think I just assumed acting would come next." Even now, she said, acting still feels open-ended. "When I was doing idol activities, everything was set. You prepare a set performance as close to perfect as possible and show it on stage. But acting has no right answer. I'm still learning, and there's no shortcut. Parts of it still feel vague, but I work through it by thinking, studying and watching senior actors."

She also said she once doubted whether she really loved acting. "I thought if I chose it as my job, I should be good at it. For me, there’s a real sense of fun in working hard out of pure professionalism. But loving acting felt like a different question." She once asked her acting teacher directly. "My teacher told me, 'I can see you love it a lot.' Even so, I always carried a little guilt, wondering if my heart was enough. Looking back, I think that doubt was actually a wish to love it. As I did one project after another, I fell into it."

Asked what genre she wants to try next, she said melodrama. "I want to be part of a really realistic love story," she said with a smile. "I haven't done that kind of role, but for some reason I feel like I could do it well." She added that she is starting to think about the kind of actress she wants to become. "I don't usually pick role models, but lately I've started wanting to be an actress with a wide range. Every genre asks for different acting. I want to be a blank-slate actress like Bae Doo-na and Gong Hyo-jin, who fit into so many kinds of stories."

She also said she has not closed the door on music. "I'm keeping activities as a singer open. I have my own plans for music," she said. "I jot down what I feel like lyrics as it happens, but I've never really finished anything. I want to develop those and try writing lyrics and composing. I'm really curious how a song I make would turn out."

In May, Kim also took part in the photo exhibition "Our Moving Images" as an artist. Asked what taking photos means to her, she said she doesn't shoot with a plan. "I've never carried a camera with a specific purpose. I always bring it just in case. I pick up the camera when I have the room to enjoy a moment. I capture what feels good to me right then."

The favorite of her own photos, she said, is one she gave as a gift to fellow I.O.I member Kim Se-jeong. It's a blue-toned image of the sky and a plane wing, taken from a window seat. "I took it on the flight to London. Going to England was the first choice I made completely on my own. So I took it with all my hopes for that dream inside me." She said the gift also carried a wish. "Se-jeong unnie also lives like Peter Pan, never losing her dreams and her innocence. That's why I gave it to her as a housewarming gift. I made it without a frame on purpose. I wanted to give her a moment full of dreams, so she could fly freely across an endless sky with no set frame."

She said the interview had prompted her to look back through the notes she has kept over the past three years. "All my thoughts seem to circle inside me. The things I'm thinking about now, I was thinking about a few years ago too. Most of what's written is a reminder to myself: don't think too much." She added, "Right after I came back from England, the reckless things I did without overthinking gave me a lot of good experiences. I still think too much, so I remind myself that I don't have to be perfect."

She also said she is ready for a break. "After finishing I.O.I activities, part of me wants to rest a bit. It's been a long time since I ran that hard. Resting properly is actually a little difficult for me. When you work, it matters that you bring good energy to your team. If I'm tired and not in a good state, it affects the work."

Kim captured the spotlight in May when director Jung Joo-ri's "Dora" was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Reinterpreting one of Freud's famous case studies, Kim plays the titular role of Dora alongside acclaimed Japanese actress Sakura Ando. Following its world premiere, the film earned a standing ovation and rave reviews from the audience.