You seem confident as your first movie is a leading role“I do have confidence. In acting I found one must be good at lying. You have to believe what something isn’t true to be true and have to convince others that it’s true. I’m actually quite good at that. When singing I possess the talent to convince others of something that isn’t true to be true for a moment."
"Writer Chun Sung Il told me he wrote the scenario with me in mind. Whenever I sing a song, I sing it as though I’ve become that song’s main person and I think [Chun Sung Il] saw that and offered the role to me.”
"Writer Chun Sung Il told me he wrote the scenario with me in mind. Whenever I sing a song, I sing it as though I’ve become that song’s main person and I think [Chun Sung Il] saw that and offered the role to me.”
But even with a lot of confidence I’m sure the acting didn’t come as easily“I have confidence that I can focus on expressing the things I’m feeling as much as any other actor but I’m not good at acting what others tell me to do. An actor needs to do what the director tells him to act. But a singer just does what he or she feels. There is that bit of a difference. That aspect was a little difficult as it wasn’t a part of me that was trained."
"Thankfully in the movie there weren’t many places that the director and I had differences in interpretation. There weren’t even that many NGs while filming. There were times that once I made an NG I would continue over 20 times. I either did my scenes in two takes or over twenty, there was no in between.”
How was it working with the other actors?
“Jo Sung Ha I give a 99 percent. Min Hyo Rin acts like she’s not acting which I liked as though she was just being herself. She’s a friend that possess that talent.”
You also acted in the drama Dream High. What was the difference between that and this movie?
“Back then it felt more like doing sketches. A lot of things happened unexpectedly which was fun. It didn’t feel like acting. But this time, I really had to focus.”
With the premiere being made soon there must be a lot of pressure.”
“At first it felt easy. But with the premiere approaching closer I feel nervous. I think it’s because of other people. Actually I’m not one to be afraid of failing but if the movie doesn’t do well it will affect others so I’m worried that others will be affected because of me."
"I’ve had a lot of failures in life too though luckily I never experienced a failure so great I couldn’t do anything next. I’m not one to feel remorse or pity about failure. I’ve never been depressed for one second in my 40 years.”
What are your plans for your music?
“Music is my energy. In the past 18 years I’ve written 47 songs that have placed first. Crazy. Wonder Girls’ Like This was my 47th first place-hitting song."
"In the 18 years, I’ve written three first place reaching songs a year. The reason for this is because I was able to stand on stage. I will continue to do music.”
"Thankfully in the movie there weren’t many places that the director and I had differences in interpretation. There weren’t even that many NGs while filming. There were times that once I made an NG I would continue over 20 times. I either did my scenes in two takes or over twenty, there was no in between.”
How was it working with the other actors?
“Jo Sung Ha I give a 99 percent. Min Hyo Rin acts like she’s not acting which I liked as though she was just being herself. She’s a friend that possess that talent.”
You also acted in the drama Dream High. What was the difference between that and this movie?
“Back then it felt more like doing sketches. A lot of things happened unexpectedly which was fun. It didn’t feel like acting. But this time, I really had to focus.”
With the premiere being made soon there must be a lot of pressure.”
“At first it felt easy. But with the premiere approaching closer I feel nervous. I think it’s because of other people. Actually I’m not one to be afraid of failing but if the movie doesn’t do well it will affect others so I’m worried that others will be affected because of me."
"I’ve had a lot of failures in life too though luckily I never experienced a failure so great I couldn’t do anything next. I’m not one to feel remorse or pity about failure. I’ve never been depressed for one second in my 40 years.”
What are your plans for your music?
“Music is my energy. In the past 18 years I’ve written 47 songs that have placed first. Crazy. Wonder Girls’ Like This was my 47th first place-hitting song."
"In the 18 years, I’ve written three first place reaching songs a year. The reason for this is because I was able to stand on stage. I will continue to do music.”
Since you divorced do you have plans for a new love life?“There is a kind of love that gives you comfort and stimulus. I don’t believe one should compromise. I need courage for a kind of love like that.”
Do you have confidence you can continue to do things that are fun and makes your heart race?
“Yesterday I only studied for nine hours. Studying is fun. I particularly find studying religion fun. I think the most meaningful fun one can have is studying. I was very excited to hear that they recently discovered the Higgs particle.”
You studied at graduate school too didn’t you?
“Because of my military service I wasn’t able to graduate from university. I studied how to do a talk show on current events but with so many talented people in that field around, I gave that up.”
What kind of an actor do you hope to be?
“I just want to be looked on easily. Not just an actor, singer but just an easy person. I want to be a person that’s good at making others cry and laugh. After becoming an actor I think that aspect of me grew, kind of like as though I had only been using my right arm until now and suddenly began using my left arm. I think of myself similarly as the recently departed Ms. Kim Ok Jin and Nam Bo Won, Yoon Moon Shik seniors.”
Do you think your sense of adventure is too much?
“I don’t have the heart to attract a lot of money or popularity. If I had plans to make money I wouldn’t have brought the Wonder Girls to America. I would have traveled around Asia just milking it for what its worth. I’m not afraid of wealth or popularity, I’m afraid to live a boring life.”
Photo credit: Hea Jung Min
