Before acting in the acclaimed Netflix revenge-thriller series The Glory (2022), there was a period where South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo had doubted her talent.

"I felt bored watching my own performance," the 43-year-old told hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho in the latest episode of talk show You Quiz on The Block, which aired on Jan 8.

Hye-kyo, whose notable works include Autumn in My Heart (2000), Full House (2004), and Descendants of the Sun (2016), shared that it was because her fame came from starring mostly in romance dramas, where the genre and characters were similar.

"If I felt bored watching my own performance, I am sure viewers would feel even more so. My expressions were similar and I felt that I had no talent in acting. I was unhappy," Hye-kyo said, adding that she wondered if she should take a break from acting.

Jae-suk asked if she had ever blamed herself for it and she shared that if something didn't work out, she would ruminate about it.

"I wasn't aware of it, but after working for a long time, I realised there are a lot of rumours about me. Occasionally, when I am in an interview or meeting someone for the first time, they would ask me about it and I would always respond, 'I've also heard about it, so maybe it's better to ask the person who made it up'," Hye-kyo said.

Jae-suk, 52, agreed, adding that rumours have sometimes forced people to explain things that don't need to be explained.

She added: "I've been criticised so much that I'm okay now. To be honest, it doesn't bother me when I'm targeted, but when my family is affected, it breaks my heart."

When Se-ho, 42, asked how she overcame these difficult moments, Hye-kyo shared that she was advised by screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung, whose notable works include That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013) and It's Okay, That's Love (2014).

"She told me, 'You need to know how to put yourself first and love yourself, so that you can share love with others and view the world in a more positive light'," Hye-kyo told the hosts.

She added that she didn't know how to do it at first and was told by Hee-kyung to practise self-reflection — planning her day and her thoughts every morning and writing down 10 things she was grateful for every evening.

"I practised it for five years and only stopped last year," she said.

'There is so much to be grateful for'

Hye-kyo candidly shared that when she first started this practice of self-reflection, she couldn't think of anything.

"I don't have anything to be grateful for, what is there to be grateful about?" she said.

When she told Hee-kyung about it, the screenwriter told her: "Hye-kyo, you can be grateful for the good weather today. You didn't starve and had a full meal, that's worthy to be grateful. Your pet is healthy, you should be grateful about that. Even having seen beautiful flowers is also something to be grateful of. There is so much to be grateful for."

That was when she came to a realisation that there are many things in her life that she can be happy about, including having a successful filming day and having a good meal in a restaurant.

"I used to think about bigger forms of gratitude, but when I started to be thankful about the little things in life, I realised there is so much to be grateful for," Hye-kyo shared.

In a separate interview during the episode, Hye-kyo also said she had learned contentment and self-acceptance.

"I realised when I want something too much I would often not get it and I would get disappointed. I have learned to just go with the flow, what's mine will be mine. I won't regret the past," she said.

Hye-kyo also shared that after her experiences, she had learnt to accept that it is all part of life.

"Although I may have had a difficult time then, when I look back at it now, I see it as a valuable lesson that I had to learn to do better. Focusing on my feelings has made me happier," she said.

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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