Singer and actor Choi Min-ho (SHINee Min-ho) is taking on his second play through "Rendezvous." Choi Min-ho, who became deeply fascinated by the charm of theater through his previous work "Waiting for Godot," is once again showing growth in "Rendezvous" as he continues to prove himself.
On the 25th, an interview with Choi Min-ho, who is currently in the play "Rendezvous," was held at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House. "Rendezvous" (written and directed by Yossef K. Junghan (Kim Jung-han)) is a two-person play that tells the story of the scientist Tae-seop, who is devoted to rocket development, and Ji-hee (played by Kim Ha-ri), who seeks freedom through dance, as they confront their respective wounds and emotions through an accidental meeting.
Choi Min-ho plays the role of Tae-seop in "Rendezvous" and has been meeting with audiences since the 5th at the Seoul Arts Center's Free Theater. He noted, "We've performed about 11 times now. As we've passed the halfway point, each performance feels increasingly regretful. As I perform more, I feel like my thoughts about myself are deepening and solidifying, making it hard to let go."
He continued, "In the first two or three performances, it was a chance to showcase the many things we prepared in the rehearsal room. I had my own nervousness and worries about whether I might make mistakes or if there would be no reaction to what I had prepared. Gradually, however, many people started to dive into the play, laughing and crying, which made me feel that what we prepared was well communicated to the audience. At that moment, I felt I could act more boldly in some areas, and with input from the director, I made changes to increase the comedic moments. As I became more familiar with the stage, I could express my character more clearly. Those who have seen it two or three times know the content and the characters, but I felt that I must help first-timers grasp the story clearly, and as I performed, my character became more solidified."
Choi Min-ho led the play without leaving the stage for 100 minutes in "Deja Vu," processing the intense emotions of Tae-seop. It was certainly a challenging endeavor, but Choi Min-ho candidly revealed, "There were parts I could dedicate myself to simply because I didn't know much about it." He shared his first impression, saying, "When I first saw the script, I felt enchanted as if by magic. I didn't see the volume of dialogue or the appearance of the stage; my strong desire to perform it grew so much that I thought I had to do it if my schedule permitted." Reflecting on the preparation, he mentioned, "I had a lot of concerns like, 'How will I memorize all these lines?' and 'Can I do this?'"
As he practiced day by day, he gained more confidence and said, "It was fascinating to memorize my lines. It was also fun to imagine how my thoughts would be conveyed to the audience in a stage that's a little less than 20m wide. As we continued to practice, I realize it was important to instill confidence in the directing staff who were observing. As trust built in the process and I discovered new things, I started to gain more confidence than I had at first, despite my worries and concerns."
Choi Min-ho, who took on the role of Val in "Waiting for Godot" last year as he challenged his first play, shared that his choice to select two consecutive plays was rooted in his childhood desire to pursue theater. He expressed, "I've always wanted to be a theater actor. I believe that if I perform as an acting actor, there's a limitless potential for growth and development that could open new doors. I think I fell in love with theater when the opportunity arose last year. After debuting for about 17 or 18 years, feeling new emotions made it really enjoyable. Thus, I hoped to keep continuing this path. However, at the beginning of this year, I was considering more personal activities and group projects, so in a way, I forced myself into a hectic schedule because I wanted to do this."
Choi Min-ho, who learned a lot from his previous work, stated, "When I did my first play with Lee Soon-jae, I felt as if I should be paying for this experience. He taught me so much. Those times brought me happiness that I can't find anywhere else, and I was grateful for the experiences I had. It ended too regretfully, which ironically made it easier for me to choose my next project."
When asked about the charm of theater he has felt, he explained, "The performances are live, so there are no NGs. Even if there are small mistakes, I have to respond well, as the audience's reactions differ from day to day. If what I've prepared fails, I must discard it and make different choices, which means I need to keep several options open. The rehearsal changes when there are audience members present. I feel like it's a performance that's created together with the audience. The more they laugh, the more energized I feel, and as I move to the next scene, I become more confident. If I deliver a monologue and the emotions are conveyed, and if we cry together, then the next step can have the pent-up energy explode, which is appealing."
Choi Min-ho debuted as a member of SHINee in 2015 and has since been on countless stages engaging with the audience. However, he noted, "When expressing something on stage, I don't actually look into the audience's eyes. But since the stage is so close, I feel everything. When performing at a concert, I have to wear in-ears and can't hear the breathing. I need to focus on the music, and the cheering sounds have to penetrate through that. The atmosphere is conveyed through facial expressions and gestures."
He continued, "Inside the theater, even small sounds like a gasp, a cough, a cell phone ringing, or something dropping can disrupt the performance. Each of those sounds can either uplift me or bring me down, so in a way, performing on a large stage requires more precision. I can see tears fall, sweat, and if there's a lisp, it becomes vividly audible. I feel it immediately if a line is mispronounced, which makes me prepare more thoroughly and perfectly."
Choi Min-ho, known early on as an icon of "passion," shared, "My character and my life itself are the type that digs deep once they start. Although I've been acting for a long time, I'm working harder now. I've always tried my best, but I've always wondered how I could convey this feeling to the audience and many people. Since everyone does their best, I've constantly thought about how I can do it better. While doing theater, I felt that I have grown and seeing myself learn many things made me proud."
In "Deja Vu," Tae-seop appears as a cold and rational scientist, but he carries wounds and loneliness from his past. Choi Min-ho reflected, "In the past, I tried to suppress my wounds. I believed I should be a strong person who carries pain and sorrow alone, so I rarely spoke about it. As a result, I realized that even that kind of strength can break. After experiencing that break, I understood that if it breaks like that, it can crumble, mentally and physically. Since then, whenever I have painful or upsetting experiences, I try more to talk to those around me. Those changes have helped me greatly in my emotions," he explained. "Tae-seop also never speaks of his wounds. As a character who never disclosed his pain, he begins to shed his layers when he meets Ji-hee. There were parts of the character preparation where I tried to integrate what I've felt in life into the performance."
In "Deja Vu," alongside Choi Min-ho, Park Sung-woong and Park Geon-hyung are also triple casting to present their unique versions of Tae-seop. When asked about the charm of his own Tae-seop compared to the two others, Choi Min-ho analyzed, "I think the character Tae-seop is fundamentally similar. However, because I am younger, I had less credibility to present from the start. He's a doctor and the research leader on rockets, but isn't he a young friend? It isn't easy to entrust that role to someone in their early 30s. The older actors carry an age of credibility and experience, so I had a lot of worries about what to do."
He continued, "I approached the beginning differently than the older actors. In the first and second acts, I had different monologues. I set up Tae-seop as a genius who graduated from college early and climbed to a higher position than anyone else but remained lonely and distrustful of people. Originally, there was no part where he gets angry in the first monologue. I'm the only one who gets angry. I told the director that if we want to capture the audience, we need to approach this differently. While it might sound confusing at first, I thought it could lead the audience to follow along. The director responded, "Let's go with this direction. I think Min-ho's Tae-seop fits better and will be more charming," so we made that change. Eventually, I attempted to inject a little more romance than the older actors. They all came off as pure, but I wanted to express a youthful freshness and innocence, so I added more scenes that represent that. In a way, I used my age to my advantage."
When asked if he had contributed ideas to choreography as a current idol, he replied, "Since I have more stage experience than other actors and still dance, I've been able to quickly learn the choreography. When working in sync with my co-actor, I also did one-on-one lessons with the dance director to teach them since they hadn't danced much. I wanted to express myself much better for the play's completeness, so I tried to convey well. In fact, initially, Tae-seop was a character who shouldn't dance, so portraying that he couldn't dance was tough. I thought it would look wrong, and when I extended my hand, my co-actor complimented, 'That looks amazing!' Then I wondered, 'If this looks great, what would look like it doesn't?' That was a memorable episode. I tried to do it awkwardly, but some moves are ingrained in me, so it was harder to remove that aspect in the beginning."
Having debuted 16 years as an idol and started acting 14 years ago, Choi Min-ho responded to questions regarding future ambitions in musical theater: "It's hard to say I'm not interested, but in reality, this is a moment of self-reflection for me. My top note isn't all that high when I sing. To truly move people through music, I believe I must achieve a certain top note level. Without that, I can't touch the audience, so I feel insufficient in that area, which is why I hesitate to challenge myself in that regard."
Despite having worked as an "acting idol" for about 15 years, he revealed concerns and worries regarding the perception of being an "idol". He stated, "I think I need to prove myself." Choi Min-ho emphasized, "When I participate in theater or musicals, if I can't prove myself to the staff and audience on that new platform, then I shouldn't do it. That's how it is. If I really love this and want to continue, I have to do well, and in order to do so, I think proving myself is crucial. Ultimately, doing well is what matters."
When asked to rate himself halfway through the "Rendezvous" performance, Choi Min-ho said, "I'm a harsh critic of myself and never give high scores. If I give myself a high score, I become complacent." He added, "I still don't think I've exceeded 50 points. I think I can't fill in the gaps. I believe this allows me the possibility to keep improving for the next performances, even if it's just by a point."
Regarding what he must fill to raise that score, he said, "It's an unknown. I sense things that aren't visible every time I work on a project, regardless of which piece I encounter. I had previously thought, 'This is the answer' while walking this path, but there have been many times when that wasn't the case. Each time I went through the past, I found myself questioning, 'Why did I say that? That wasn't right.' So, I think it's healthier for me to evaluate myself coldly and objectively, thus I'm giving myself lower scores now to influence myself positively moving forward."
"Rendezvous" will run until May 11. When asked what message Choi Min-ho would like to convey to the audience through "Rendezvous," he shared, "While working in the entertainment industry, I've met many diverse people from around the world. Not one of them was like me. Everyone is different in appearance, personality, and dispositions. When different people meet and understand, acknowledge, and embrace each other's pain, that can be love or friendship. I believe that the message of "Rendezvous" prompts the question, 'Could the parts we thought were impossible become a reality?'"
He further pointed out, "While understanding each other's pain might not lead to improvements, I believe there's a message that the more someone opens up and shares their feelings with another, both that person and themselves can change." He then emphasized reasons to watch the play "Rendezvous," stating, "It contains my proven experiences."
He expressed his deep affection for theater, stating that if he receives another offer to appear in a play after "Rendezvous," "Of course, I'd love to do it." He disclosed that the preparation process for the play is "the hardest among concert or album, film, and drama preparations." He elaborated, "Mistakes are not tolerated, and it requires us to delve deeper, making the rehearsals the most challenging, but the joy is more significant in proportion to the difficulty. I've been trying to think of words to express it, and post-performance, the feeling is "thrilling." Knowing that this stage conveys those emotions makes me want to experience that thrill again if the opportunity comes around."
Finally, regarding his aspirations as a play actor, he mentioned, "When people come to see my performance, I want them to express that they found it enjoyable as they leave. I wish to hear them say, 'This performance was amazing.' I want to make them feel that it's not about me, but about the performance itself that resonates with them."
[Photo] SM Entertainment
[OSEN]