[trans] +act. Mini vol.25 - Yunho's Interview (Part 1)

Yunho (Tohoshinki)
The drama "King of Ambition", broadcast in 2013 in Korea and obtained 1st place in ratings for that year. That popular piece of work has now gone on sale in Japan through a DVD. The casting consists of Korea's representative actor Kwon Sang Woo. Actress Su Ae, who has a reputation for combining both beauty and acting capabilities. And the so-called most luxurious lineup is completed by Tohoshinki's Yunho, who boasts of overwhelming popularity in Asia.
If one starts watching this story of an extreme and sad love and revenge, it will undoubtedly be difficult to stop watching it. Yunho's role is the youth with a bright personality, Baek Do Hoon. How did he act out this role?

"The atmosphere of canvassing the field as an actor is for some reason different." Through these shy words from Yunho, the interview this time around started.
No matter who it is, everybody probably knows this, that Yunho is an artiste who is representative of Asia, and is a member of Tohoshinki. Although there are many usually many situations whereby he accedes to collection of data of him as an artiste, we got the feeling that he was feeling a little amazed in talking about the drama he appeared in and his role. "Nevertheless", when we said to just start talking, the words just flowed from him, taking us aback. How much he immersed himself with a passionate mindset into the production called "King of Ambition", he conveyed that fully. This was an interview which enabled us to be able to take a peek at the filming set incidents which happened while he was filming the massive 24-episode story, which is rarely seen for Japanese dramas, and also the behind-the-scene stories of Korean dramas. Indeed, looking at the mindset of Yunho, who revelled in his spirit of challenge as a "rookie actor" and who used his unique bright personality to enjoy the difficult days, even if one isn't a fan of him, one will also undoubtedly be touched by him.

Q: How did you feel when you got the offer to appear in the role as Baek Do Hoon in the drama "King of Ambition"?

A: I thought that I wanted to try it out no matter what. At the start, the character of Baek Do Hoon was that of an ice hockey player with a bright personality, and he was kind of had an idol-like presence in college. But even so, as he grew older, he slowly developed a darker side to him. Because it was those kind of difficult roles, of course I agonized over it at the start. In addition, because the actors whom I would be acting alongside comprised solely of seniors who were outstanding, I also felt pressured wondering if I would be able to enter that setting and do my part properly. But everybody treated me in a really friendly manner, and we got closer before the filming started, so I was happy.

Q: You must have felt reassured. We heard that the filming of Korean dramas take place in harsh conditions. How was "King of Ambition"?

A: It was tiring / difficult. There were also times when the scenes we filmed in the morning would be broadcast on the same day (laughs). But even so, because everybody was focused on their work, the drama was able to be broadcast without any glitch. And while working so hard on the drama, there were also aspects which I surprised myself at. And so I wonder if the time when I was doing this drama had also become a time when I showed everybody a new Yunho.

Q: The things you said you surprised yourself at?

A: That undoubtedly one's personality changes according to the role he is acting out. I'm originally the kind of person who thinks in a really positive way, but Baek Do Hoon was not just a positive person, but he was also a strong youth who had a strong sense of believing in people. Although his style of loving people is a little similar to the me in real life. If it were me, if the things happened to me just like to Baek Do Hoon, I would think "Will I be able to believe in the person I love till the end in the same way?", and while acting out that aspect of it, I learnt a lot of things. And while filming this drama, I came to realize just how treasured one's family relationships are.

Q: Although we can't write this in detail for fear that it could be a spoiler, there is also a complicated background between Baek Do Hoon and his sister, Baek Do Kyung (Kim Sung Ryung).

A: The situation Baek Do Hoon was in, it is most likely that this hardly occurs in Japan. Actually, there would probably be not such as thing even in Korea too (laughs). I thought that the relationship between Do Hoon and Do Kyung was one of the appeals in this drama, and I thought about how best to express this relationship.

Q: Did you act out this role while closely communicating with Kim Sung Ryung-ssi, who took on the role of Baek Do Kyung?

A: Yes, although Kim Sung Ryung-ssi is my big, big, big senior, I called her "noona" right from the start, and we continued to keep in contact. Kim Sung Ryung-ssi is beautiful and really good at acting, and is someone who is really outstanding. Of course, Kwon Sang Woo (role of Ha Ryu) is also an outstanding person. I am now still in contact with Kwon Sang Woo-ssi and Kim Sung Ryung-ssi.

Q: Is that the case? If you guys get along so closely in that way, the atmosphere at the filming set would have been comfortable.

A: Yes, that is so. But even so, I felt pressure instead too. The reason being, no matter how amicable we are, when filming has started and everbody is focused, their aura just comes out. For me, because I have been active as an artiste for about 10 years, I will also be able to emit that aura on the stage in reality (laughs). So because I know how to transform in that way, I got the feeling, "Ah ah, even if the genre is different, a pro is undoubtedly a pro", and it dawned on me that "I also had to work hard so that I won't lose to everybody".

Q: So you worked together with seniors who have those type of aura.

A: Yes. But even so, thanks to the fact that I did "King of Ambition", it became such that I was able to mix the experiences I gained in that place into my songs and performances. And so, it has become such that on the stage, I am now able to convey even more of what I want to convey to the audience.

Q: Thanks to the fact that you did the drama, your stage performances have also transformed?

A: Yes, although filling the songs with my heart is similar now, the breadth of that seems to have gotten wider.

Q: Looking at how you have managed to analyze and express a song's emotions, you are saying that you have come to convey those emotions on an even bigger scale.

A: Yes. For those too, it is not about me myself realizing those things, but it has just naturally become such that I can do it now. The people around me also said to me, "Yunho has changed, but even so, we think that it is a good thing", and during these times, I thought "Ah ah, it has turned out well".

Q: The challenge at attempting a difficult role has paid off.

A: That is really the case. I don't have experience in acting that way. Baek Do Hoon is a really complex role so instead of (acting) techniques, I invested more into experimenting on my own, "If it were me in these circumstances, what will I do", "I definitely did it in this way", and deciding on these things each time around and strived to act in this way. I thought, "Ah so the result of that is also a character who is a little refreshing to myself". This is what we spoke about earlier on the aspects "which I surprised myself at". For instance, I thought, "To me, of course other than the Yunho as an artiste, there is also the Yunho who is like a young boy, or the Yunho who is wild". In that aspect, although I became darker / more brooding while acting out Baek Do Hoon this time around, I got the feeling that the kind-hearted Yunho also appeared. Thinking about that aspect, I also found it fun / interesting. As an actor, I am still at the starting point, if I were to learn about acting even more in the future, wouldn't it turn out to be such that I can possess many more of those even more refreshing characters within myself?

Q: From acting as Baek Do Hoon, Yunho-ssi himself also discovered a new side of himself. But you mentioned earlier that "The style of loving a person is similar to myself". The part which is similar to you, is it the part about being unwavering?

A: Yes. Because I am the type who will believe in people till the end unwaveringly, I could identify with that aspect. But even so, in reality, there were also situations which I found it difficult to be able to believe till the end. For instance, I had the mindset of wanting to believe. But I thought that it would be more realistic to portray it such that it is not the case of believing in that person no matter what happens, but that the belief slowly gets lost. So I mulled a lot over how best to act out that aspect.

Q: Although Baek Do Hoon had a lot of strong feelings for Joo Da Hae (Su Ae), in reality, that women was using him. But even so, even if he kept getting betrayed, Do Hoon believed in that woman till the end. Looking at this side of him, our hearts ached.

A: Perhaps going till the end, Baek Do Hoon would also have known that he was being used. But even so, because he believed in Da Hae, I think that he pretended not to know. So I wanted to show everyone that will of Do Hoon who resolved to believe till the end, "No matter what anyone says, I will believe in her". I acted out the role with the thought that if I could not let that aspect break down (ie could not fail at that aspect).

Q: It is a sad role, Do Hoon.

A: Yes, that is really the case. He was really positive and had a bright personality at the start... (laughs)

Q: Yeah. When he was the ice hockey star in college, he was a really energetic and innocent youth.

A: At the end, he cried and let out a heartending scream (laughs).. Actually, the crying scenes concluded in just one round without any NGs. Although we also didn't have time, that's why I really focused myself and did it. Even while I was acting out Do Hoon, I thought to myself, "Whoa, he's a really pitiable person". But I also thought that he was a really cool person. In one's life, being able to meet a person whom I love to that extent, isn't this something lucky instead?

Q: Yeah, it seems so. But if one loves unwaveringly like that, it turns a little into that of yearning.

A: Yeah right? As a man, I also think that way. I want to try those type of love. Although it could also be fairly tiring in reality.

Q: But, looking at Joo Da Hae from the perspective of a woman, one will think that she is a really evil woman. What does Yunho-ssi think are the aspects of that woman which caught the eye of Baek Do Hoon?

A: Although Baek Do Hoon is a 2nd-generation chaebol, isn't Joo Da Hae a person who grew up in an almost completely different environment? Although she is beautiful, she has a dark side to her for some reason, and I think that because Baek Do Hoon has a bright personality, he wondered why this person had a dark aura about her, and thought "Ah so she is a little different from the people around him", and his heart just followed after her. Although that was how it all started, I think that as he got to know her through this and that, he came to know that she worked hard even while living in difficult circumstances, and because of that, he felt that he wanted to watch over and protect her.

Q: Even if she was really ambitious?

A: Should I say, "At the start, didn't he think of that kind of woman as a pitiful person?" Or that "As his heart went along with her, he subconsciously fell in love with her?" Although of course there would be parts when he think of her as being weird the more he got to know her in more depth, because he was like that, I think that his will to "I have to protect her!" became stronger.

Q: Were your thoughts about acting in that way something which the director requested? If not, were they Yunho-ssi's own ideas?

A: It was my own decision at the start. Of course, the director also gave his opinion. For instance, he will say "Because Yunho yourself possess an innocent side to you, I think that if you bring that out naturally in that way, it will be even more within reach" and give me recommendations in a friendly manner. The director said that because I am a rookie as an actor, I bring a lot more diverse possibilities to the role. So in order to bring that out, I think that he cheered me on. However, because we really did not have time this time around, he also said, "It's a pity, if there were more time, I think that you could have done better". In reality, we received the script on that day itself and had to go into filming shortly after.

Q: Wow~ That would have been pretty tiring / difficult. You mean that it is not just that the broadcast will go on shortly after filming, but the script also came out by narrow margins..

A: I also knew the rumours about the filming set for Korean dramas being tiring (laughs). But even so, amongst all the rumours I have heard, I have also heard "Wasn't "King of Ambition" the most difficult?" The broadcast was tonight at 7pm, we could be filming until 5pm in the evening.

Q: Ack!! What about the editing?

A: Editing took place within 2 hours (laughs). Because there was no time to meticulously edit the drama, if we did not take that into consideration and carrying out filming, that would have been a no no. Should we do away with that cut? We made the decision at the filming set and shot it that way. Because there was a lot of dialogue, I worked hard at memorizing them, but when a different script was given to us on that day or something... I would go "Whoaaaa~~" (laughs). Although it was tiring / difficult, I learnt a lot of things because I was able to experience those things.

[Jap-Kor trans cr: tvxqdrip]

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