Twenty Five Twenty One star and WJSN member Bona has spoken about her desire to break the mold as an idol-actress.

In a recent interview with Esquire Korea, the singer-turned-actress opened up about wanting to break the stereotypes surrounding K-pop idols who have joined the acting industry. Although it is common for idols to venture into acting, many are often scrutinised for their allegedly lacking acting abilities.

Yet, the 26-year-old star shared that she was secure in her identity as both an idol and actress. “These days, I just say this. If they say, ‘You’re like an idol’, I say, ‘I am an idol.’” commented Bona, as translated by Soompi. “I can just break stereotypes by doing well. I just have to do well.”

Later, Bona discussed the different ways she enjoys performing on stage as a K-pop idol and acting in front of camera. “There’s a lot of pleasure in perfectly showcasing a performance I practiced and prepared so much for,” she said.

“Acting is a bit different, but there’s pleasure when something arises that I didn’t intend for. Like when I cry when I didn’t mean to, or when an emotion pops out that I didn’t think of when I read the script,” she added. “I think the charm of acting is discovering [a side to] myself that I didn’t know about.”

Bona currently stars as fencing gold medalist Go Yu-rim in tvN and Netflix’s Twenty One Twenty Five, alongside Nam Joo-hyuk (Start-up) and Space Sweepers’ Kim Tae-ri. The coming-of-age series ranked fifth globally among Netflix’s non-English TV shows for the weeks ending March 13.

Additionally, WJSN will be competing in the season season of the Mnet reality TV competition show Queendom, which is set to air its first episode later this week. The girl group will be competing against other acts such as LOONA, Brave Girls and more.