Actor Ahn Jae-wook has opened up about acting in a middle-aged romance.
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 Hyeon-sook and produced by DK E&M).
In 'For Eagle Brothers', Ahn Jae-wook portrays Han Dong-seok, who has been a chairman of LX Hotel since birth, and has been widowed for 15 years, exuding diverse charms from a prickly tsundere appeal to a late-blooming pure love.
On this day, when asked if he had made any cosmetic efforts for the romance role, Ahn Jae-wook said, "I am not the kind of star that pays detailed attention to my appearance in everyday life. I do care a lot about my outfits and such."
Ahn Jae-wook challenged his first role as a chairman through 'For Eagle Brothers'. He recalled, "Acting is acting. But in the beginning, there was a hotel where we were filming regularly. Since the pre-production started months ago, the hotel staff saw me just as the talent Ahn Jae-wook. But when the drama started and the response was good, a few of them greeted me respectfully, stopping to greet me as if I were a real chairman, which made me laugh."
Regarding the construction of the 'Han Dong-seok' character, Ahn Jae-wook said, "First of all, I tried to approach it easily. Han Dong-seok is a chairman who is difficult to approach, prickly and fastidious, but I had to think about why that person was formed. Was it always like that since birth, or did the environment lead him to be isolated? He appears to live fastidiously alone, and I thought that image should be persuasive to both co-actors and the audience."
He continued, "That feeling should remain, as an unexpected gap provides an opportunity for Kwang-sook to come in and get closer. If the two mismatched encounters are to be understood, even if it is artificial, I had to pay more attention to my appearance and speech. To guarantee the audience's promise about the character, I should show that this is the kind of person he is. I might say that I added a more artificial scent to it. That way, I could blend with Kwang-sook."
Ahn Jae-wook's appearance in the KBS weekend drama is his first since 'Five Children' nine years ago. As he returned to a long-form drama after a long time, was there any physically challenging aspect?
He said, "But I didn't feel anything like that at all. Because of the 52-hour work week. I was someone who found that very challenging. Now, I couldn't escape the set, which lasts several hours a day, so I felt very comfortable. On the contrary, I worried a lot about Kwang-sook. She had a lot to handle."
Compared to the initial rise, 'For Eagle Brothers' faced a slight slowdown in viewership ratings as it progressed into the latter half, characterized by lower dopamine and a calm atmosphere. When asked if he felt any regret as an actor, Ahn Jae-wook replied, "Of course, I do," adding, "I regret it a lot. In reality, I also wondered what ideas we could come up with (during conversations with Kwang-sook). I mentioned that anyone can look at the script and say it's fun or not, just relying on the writer and director. Instead of just rushing to shoot the late-coming script, it would be better if both the actors and producers, before the script comes out, create ideas that could help the writer."
He continued, "I think the writer also found it quite challenging. After the middle part, I felt that he seemed to struggle a bit. The speed of the script also slowed down. At that time, I wondered if I should bear the stress alone. So, after the middle, I think I engaged in more conversations with Kwang-sook. However, each character has different weaknesses and desires. Dong-seok and Kwang-sook probably have a greater sense of regret from the middle to the latter half. They need to gain some more momentum for a thrilling spiral, but I fear it might have become too loose, lacking tension."
[Photo] Provided by JAYB Entertainment
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