JHJ the man and the actor (Part 4)

This is an English translation of Jo Hyun Jae's exclusive interview with KBOOM (October 2008 issue) prior to his military enlistment. Jo Hyun Jae speaks frankly with KBOOM about his acting and his life on the eve of his enlistment in the armed forces. (Translated by misa123 first published in EVERjohyunjae on 2008.9.20)

(Cont. from Part 3)

Q. After that, you appeared in Three Daddies with One Mommy. That was a completely different character than 1st Lt. Yoo.
A. The character of Han Soo Hyun in Three Daddies with One Mommy was a kind of comical character that I had never tried to play before, so I decided to take the role. It is a completely different character than Lt. Yoo of Guard Post. The part is of a fund manager who dreams of marrying a rich girl, but the interesting thing about this character is that even though he is talented himself, his dream is to "land a rich girl!" Also, the fact that he was stingy made the character interesting as well. I wasn't trying to play the character over the top. For Soo Hyun, that was his serious life goal, so I played it seriously (laughs). I'd like to keep playing roles that are each slightly different from the last.

I'm not good at talking and I'm a shy person, so I have a hard time getting close to my fellow actors. But in the case of Three Daddies and One Mommy, the other actors I was working with were all about the same age, so we became good friends very quickly. We drank a lot too, and before we knew it, Eugene [Kim Yoo Jin] would come and hang out with us as well (laughs).

Q. Looking at both Guard Post and Three Daddies, it seems like your criteria for selecting projects is changing.
A. I don't use any complex process when I select a project. When I was new on the scene, even if I didn't want to take a role, I would try it anyway. It was because I was a rookie. Now, I can take responsibility myself and I only take roles I really want to play. Maybe it is my actor's instinct that following the dark role in Guard Post, I did the opposite and played a lighter role next. As I told you, I prefer mysteries and powerful movies rather than comedies. But if you're an actor, I think you have to be able to play a variety of roles. From now on, I want to look not just at the character I'd be playing, but the overall story and feeling of the work.

Q. I hope you will be treating us to even more funny performances than Three Daddies.
A. You'll see it sometime. The completely relaxed Jo Hyun Jae. In fact, even when I'm on location, people have told me that I get more interesting the longer they know me. I think there are still different aspects of myself that even I'm not aware of. I have to search for them in my performances (laughs).

Q. We've talked about it coolly, but you seem to have a lot of enthusiasm regarding your performances.
A. I do have a lot of enthusiasm. I guess it's because of the impression I give, but even when I'm enthusiastic, I don't appear that way. I used to think that looking like an honors student got in the way of performances, but now I don't think so. A performance is based on the results, so it's a question of how I act.

Q. What do you think you would do if you suddenly became a papa like you did in your show?
A. Uh, first I think I would panic. Honestly, I think it would be really awkward. To meet someone for the first time and have her say, “This is your baby” would be a shock. But I think that type of problem would work itself out with time.

Q. When you encounter something unforeseen, how do you solve it?
A. First of all, I think about it. Why did this happen? What are my own thoughts? How should I resolve this? Of course, there may be some part of me that suddenly gets angry and that even I can't control. But that isn't all of me. I'd make an effort to resolve it rationally.

(TO BE CONTINUED)