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 talks about his starring role in the television drama Seo Dong Yo. (by misa123 first published in EVERjohyunjae on 2008.9.22)
Seo Dong Yo depicts the dramatic life and love of Seo Dong, prince of Baekje, as he struggles against fate to establish his ideal kingdom. Based on the legends that have grown up around the venerable Korean folk song "Seo Dong Yo," this drama might be described as a Korean version of Romeo and Juliet. It raised Jo Hyun Jae's name recognition, and he grew as an actor in tandem with his starring role.
Q. Seo Dong Yo seems to have been a very significant role for you. It was a drama with a unique setting and content that also made you a star. But how do you feel about it personally?
A. I was 26 when we filmed Seo Dong Yo, and the simple fact of playing the lead in a major historical drama series at such a young age was a fresh challenge for me. It was fortunate that the director Lee Byung Hoon, famous for his work on Dae Jang Geum knew and liked me, so I had the chance to play the part. It took a lot of hard work, but it was an opportunity to seriously study the style of acting required for historical drama, and I think I was able to develop into an actor suited to such roles.
Q. I imagine it was not easy to decide to perform in such a major historical drama. What was the biggest reason making you agree to play the part?
A. I did wonder about whether appearing in a long-running historical drama at such a young age might be pretty difficult for me. But the director had shown an interest in me for some time before that, and he said to me "It will probably be tough, but let's both give it our best shot!" It was my faith in the director that convinced me. Also, I was interested in Seo Dong as a character and his rise from the ranks, through a lot of adversity and challenges, to become the king of his country, a figure respected by all. I was attracted to the idea of playing such a splendid role.
Q. Was there anything you paid particular attention to in playing the role of a king?
A. I consulted a lot with the director on how to get the proper tone for historical drama in my delivery of my lines. As a character, Seo Dong must neither be too weak nor too strong; the part requires that he preserve his equanimity. I worked to show viewers that outstanding aspect of his personality.
Q. The first half of Seo Dong Yo has a lot of action scenes in it. Did you do anything special to prepare for them?
A. I went to action school and did a lot of practicing. A lot of my scenes were done without any stand-ins. There were a number of scenes on horseback, but there wasn't enough time in the schedule for me to really learn how to ride. So I had to learn on the job, and though I got up on the horse right away, he had different ideas about where we were going (Laughs).
Q. I am told that you got along so well with Ryu Jin, who played Sataek Giroo, and Lee Chang Hoon, who played Mok Rasoo, that you were called the Three Brothers. I heard you even wore the same hats.
A. Other people were jealous of the fact that Lee Chang Hoon gave hats as a present to Ryu Jin and me and nobody else. It seems sort of silly, thinking back on it. At the time I was so busy I didn't have time to buy clothes or shoes. Every day I just wore sweats and that hat. I hardly even had time to go home and take a shower before I had to be back at the set.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Seo Dong Yo depicts the dramatic life and love of Seo Dong, prince of Baekje, as he struggles against fate to establish his ideal kingdom. Based on the legends that have grown up around the venerable Korean folk song "Seo Dong Yo," this drama might be described as a Korean version of Romeo and Juliet. It raised Jo Hyun Jae's name recognition, and he grew as an actor in tandem with his starring role.
Q. Seo Dong Yo seems to have been a very significant role for you. It was a drama with a unique setting and content that also made you a star. But how do you feel about it personally?
A. I was 26 when we filmed Seo Dong Yo, and the simple fact of playing the lead in a major historical drama series at such a young age was a fresh challenge for me. It was fortunate that the director Lee Byung Hoon, famous for his work on Dae Jang Geum knew and liked me, so I had the chance to play the part. It took a lot of hard work, but it was an opportunity to seriously study the style of acting required for historical drama, and I think I was able to develop into an actor suited to such roles.
Q. I imagine it was not easy to decide to perform in such a major historical drama. What was the biggest reason making you agree to play the part?
A. I did wonder about whether appearing in a long-running historical drama at such a young age might be pretty difficult for me. But the director had shown an interest in me for some time before that, and he said to me "It will probably be tough, but let's both give it our best shot!" It was my faith in the director that convinced me. Also, I was interested in Seo Dong as a character and his rise from the ranks, through a lot of adversity and challenges, to become the king of his country, a figure respected by all. I was attracted to the idea of playing such a splendid role.
Q. Was there anything you paid particular attention to in playing the role of a king?
A. I consulted a lot with the director on how to get the proper tone for historical drama in my delivery of my lines. As a character, Seo Dong must neither be too weak nor too strong; the part requires that he preserve his equanimity. I worked to show viewers that outstanding aspect of his personality.
Q. The first half of Seo Dong Yo has a lot of action scenes in it. Did you do anything special to prepare for them?
A. I went to action school and did a lot of practicing. A lot of my scenes were done without any stand-ins. There were a number of scenes on horseback, but there wasn't enough time in the schedule for me to really learn how to ride. So I had to learn on the job, and though I got up on the horse right away, he had different ideas about where we were going (Laughs).
Q. I am told that you got along so well with Ryu Jin, who played Sataek Giroo, and Lee Chang Hoon, who played Mok Rasoo, that you were called the Three Brothers. I heard you even wore the same hats.
A. Other people were jealous of the fact that Lee Chang Hoon gave hats as a present to Ryu Jin and me and nobody else. It seems sort of silly, thinking back on it. At the time I was so busy I didn't have time to buy clothes or shoes. Every day I just wore sweats and that hat. I hardly even had time to go home and take a shower before I had to be back at the set.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
The 3 hats are so cute! Is Jo Hyun Jae studying his SDY script? He looks tired.
ReplyDelete