Actor Ahn Jae-wook shared his thoughts on completing "For Eagle Brothers."
On July 31, an interview with actor Ahn Jae-wook was conducted at a studio in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ahead of the conclusion of the KBS 2TV weekend drama "For Eagle Brothers" (directed by Choi Sang-yeol and Lee Jin-ah, written by Kwon Hyun-sook, produced by DK E&M).
In "For Eagle Brothers," Ahn Jae-wook plays Han Dong-seok, who has been the chairman of LX Hotel for 15 years since his wife passed away, exhibiting a range of charms from a prickly tsundere appeal to a late-blooming pure love.
In particular, Ahn Jae-wook naturally expressed a romantic relationship with Ma Gwang-sook (played by Um Ji-won), the representative of Eagle Soju, as he gradually depicted falling in love, earning much affection from viewers.
On this day, when Ahn Jae-wook was asked about his feelings on the end of "For Eagle Brothers," he said, "Filming wrapped up completely on Monday (July 28). Since it was a longer work compared to the previous one, we naturally grew close to each other, which makes it sad to part ways."
Ahn Jae-wook added, "I felt that way too, but the brotherhood between friends must be much stronger. I filmed separately." When asked if he was lonely, he said, "Not really... but I was envious," adding, "The kids were always filmed together, and I either in the hotel or on a standalone set. Until mid-way, we filmed separately, and as we became closer and filmed together, while we created memories, it was tough to share personal time. I felt it was a bit regrettable that we missed each other."
"For Eagle Brothers" started with a rating of 15.5% (nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea) on its first episode and recorded a peak rating of 21.9% by the 40th episode. It consistently maintained ratings between 19% and 20%, gaining popularity. Thanks to its hot popularity, the drama was extended by four episodes and concluded with the 54th episode on the 3rd.
Ahn Jae-wook shared, "Even if I don't really pay much attention to the ratings, wouldn't I still have feelings about it? If the numbers are good, of course, that's great. But the ratings aren't just about others; it made me realize that achieving over 20% is no easy feat. Given the current culture, and the habit of choosing works to watch through OTT services, even if the weekend drama's audience is older, it's still not easy." He concluded, "I feel that we received generous love because so many people liked it."
Regarding the romance with Ma Gwang-sook, Ahn Jae-wook said, "In the beginning, we kept a tense atmosphere and stiff demeanor. As time passes, we need to get closer and adjust our chemistry. I believe there was a lot of understanding regarding the ideas and intentions from the script that Ji-won thought about. There are differences in the actor's emotional arcs, but I felt that I had good chemistry with Ji-won in that regard. The director accepted all proposals without exception."
Having displayed a middle-aged romance in his previous work "Namnam," how does Ahn Jae-wook compare the differences? He said, "I think this should be a matter of depth in authenticity. While previous romantic comedies and melodramas primarily had a youthful and exhilarating feel, this one features two different people living varied lives. The family backgrounds and circumstances are different, and thus cannot be considered purely on a one-to-one basis."
He continued, "It can't just be about the depth of love between the two. The love they feel and the journey to marriage should not be awkward. It needs to resonate. I think that gaining empathy requires us to be more careful when acting together. Whether it's acting style or the style of the work, Gwang-sook and Dong-seok cannot have a love that is overly cautious, but I feel there is a difference in the depth of empathy."
As Ahn Jae-wook continues to meet audiences through middle-aged romances, what does he think is the reason for being cast? He replied, "Well... I don't think there's a deliberate intention behind casting me for middle-aged love. Regardless of age, love exists. It's not intentional; it's something that naturally deepens without my awareness."
He added, "The deep feelings experienced in love after 50 are not something one learns from acting in school. The mini-series I did before and this one are different. One may express joy in a glance, while another may convey sympathy in a different feeling—all such emotions differ."
[Photo] Provided by JBLE Entertainment
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