Song Sun-mi Braces to Show Blanche's "Crazy" Side, and Designs Her Costumes to Match

"I think I have to look crazy," actor Song Sun-mi said, half-joking, as she prepared to play Blanche in the play A Streetcar Named Desire. She has also taken a hands-on role in making the character's costumes, showing unusual dedication.

Song shared a costume-fitting video documenting her preparations on her YouTube channel, Yes, Song Sunmi. In it she introduced the outfits herself, which change in step with Blanche's psychological state and story arc, showing a deep understanding of the character.

Costumes that trace a mind coming apart

During the fitting, Song was seen working through how to bring out the character's extreme sides. She noted that Blanche is someone who wants "magic" rather than reality, and spoke of the line between the character's innocence, ugliness and madness. She examined the colors and mood of the costumes closely, particularly to express the collapse of Blanche's emotions in her relationship with Mitch, a highlight of the play.

The costumes serve as a visual device for Blanche's psychological path. Early in the play, Blanche, from a Southern aristocratic background and obliged to keep up an air of elegance, appears in white tones. As the play proceeds she moves through clothes with showy patterns and then gradually into darker tones as her mind unravels. Song analyzed the character's inner life, saying: "Blanche considers outward appearance important, but it is also a sad attempt to cover up the anxiety of losing her youth."

"My own Blanche"

Song said she put her own effort into making the costumes this time, unlike her usual approach. She asked a designer friend to make them and said she was ambitious about the choices in order to give Blanche more dimension. "I really wanted to do well during the play, and this was an investment in myself," she said, explaining the background. "I wanted to create my own distinctive Blanche."

Song also showed some nerves ahead of the performances. "There were times I worried whether I was rehearsing properly, but there is no answer other than to keep going," she said. Alongside her joking resolve to look crazy, she added: "I feel I have to give it everything I have until the end."

After performing the play last Sunday, Song greeted fans through YouTube. She said she hoped the fitting video would let people who have not seen the production glimpse Blanche as well.

Source: original video (YouTube)