Actor Bae Hyun-sung shared his feelings after finishing Shin's Project and his expectations for his next work.
Recently at a cafe in Gangnam District, Seoul, actor Bae Hyun-sung, who played Jo Philip in the tvN Monday-Tuesday drama Shin's Project, gave an end-of-series interview.
That day Bae Hyun-sung said, "I want to say thank you for taking an interest in our drama and giving it so much love. I'm very happy because many people around me said they watched it and enjoyed it."
Shin's Project is a dispute-resolution hero drama in which Shin, the owner (played by Han Suk-kyu) with a mysterious secret, solves cases and realizes justice while straddling the line between illicit and lawful methods. Shin's Project, which started with a first-episode rating of 5.9% (Nielsen Korea, nationwide households), aired its final episode on the 28th and closed its 12-episode run with 8.6%, ending on a high note.
When asked whether he had expected such success, Bae Hyun-sung said, "I did not expect it. From the first broadcast we received so much attention. As soon as the first episode aired, I called the director and senior actors and said, 'It went well,' 'That's a relief.' It feels like we started off well and have continued to the present, and I'm so happy. I always try not to worry about ratings, but when they come out well the drama team is always happy and I feel good too. I feel great right now," he said with pride.
As for factors behind the success, he said, "The drama includes cases that feel close to everyday life. There are scenes where the owner and surrounding characters quickly resolve those cases like a refreshing blast, so viewers don't get bored and the issues are resolved quickly, which I think led to much interest and love," he said.
In the series Bae Hyun-sung played Jo Philip, a rookie judge and an employee at the owner's chicken restaurant, forming a comic duo with Han Suk-kyu. About the comic acting, he said, "Maybe because I once experienced it when I did Gause Electronics, it wasn't very difficult. Senior actor Han Suk-kyu is also very good at funny and everyday acting. We adjusted while talking beside each other, so there weren't any difficulties."
However, he said there were challenges because it was his first time portraying a legal professional. He said, "Since the legal world was new to me, Philip is awkward in society, but when talking about law I felt I had to speak professionally. I told the director before filming and attended courtroom observation classes, and met practicing lawyers to ask how to speak to sound more professional when discussing law. I also looked up the specific article and clause numbers that appear in the lines. I wanted to talk about the law without getting a single word wrong, so I researched and practiced a lot."
Jo Philip is a rigid character who follows laws and principles in everything. True to his inflexible model-student setting, he initially appears in suits and glasses with a "nerdy man" style, enhancing his character. Bae Hyun-sung said, "I don't think I've ever shown myself wearing glasses before. When I first thought about the Philip character for this work, glasses came to mind. When we first discussed the image, I asked the director about wearing glasses, so we decided he would wear them at the start. And as he slowly develops feelings for Sion (played by Ire), he wants to groom himself, so we set it so he takes off his glasses and wears contact lenses."
As episodes progressed, Jo Philip gradually changed as he worked with Shin and began to resemble him. Bae Hyun-sung said, "Up until then, there were episodes where the law alone couldn't solve things and Shin solved them behind the scenes. I think Philip changed as he felt that. In the rental fraud episode, Philip and Shin have a conversation in a jjimjilbang and even though Philip knows what Shin is planning, he says, 'The owner will take care of it, so I trusted and followed him.' That was the starting point of Philip's change."
He continued, "At first, when I played Philip I wanted to show an annoying side, so when talking about the law I tried to speak clearly and quickly. As he gradually changes, his manner of speaking becomes slicker like the owner's and he gets more playful. I tried to create differences by having him return to the owner the very words the owner said to him."
When asked about similarities between Jo Philip and his real personality, Bae Hyun-sung answered candidly, "I don't think there are many similarities." He said, "I tend to be flexible and let things go, thinking, 'That could happen.' I'm not the type to pry and question like Philip. I try to look on the positive side." He added, "Although Philip appears inflexible on the outside, inside he empathizes with people's stories and feels sadness. He knows those things internally but acts rigidly to solve them. That part is similar. When friends talk about concerns, internally I think, 'I know what you're struggling with,' but I talk rationally to try to solve it, so that part is similar."
Through this work Bae Hyun-sung had to perform a wide range of acting from romance to comedy and the legal world. Still, he said, "That made it all the more exciting and fun." He explained, "It's fun to play a single type of role, but doing action, romance and learning legal knowledge gives me a lot to do, and I find that enjoyable. Even on days off I can learn and practice various things. There were no hardships. It was more fun."
He added, "I always feel regret and emptiness every time I watch the final episode. I think it will be the same this time. When I act I always want viewers to feel that I'm doing well and I try to show many diverse new sides. I always hope my thoughts are conveyed well to viewers and fans who like me, and I hope that happened this time too."
He also said, "Because I'm not a finished product yet, I hope to gradually show growth in my acting and more natural parts. I don't want to stand out when viewers watch the work. I want things to flow naturally. I hoped people would feel that I'm blending in well."
In particular, Shin's Project generated anticipation with an ending in the final episode that hinted at a possible season 2. When asked about the possibility of a season, Bae Hyun-sung said, "If it's made as a season, I would be very happy to join. Because it's an episodic format, if there is a season 2 there are still many stories to tell, so I think good stories could come out."
Asked what story he would like to cover in season 2, he jokingly answered "substitute college entrance exam," naturally promoting his next project and drawing laughs, and when asked about a project titled Jo-Owner Project led by Jo Philip, he emphasized, "No. Philip hasn't grown enough to become the owner yet, so Shin needs to be there."
Bae Hyun-sung, who has mainly shown upright and proper roles, said he wants to try acting that is the opposite: "So far I've played many gentle roles, so I want to try very different ones." He chose the TVING project Substitute College Entrance Exam as his next work because it shows many images opposite to his previous image. Bae Hyun-sung said, "Right now I just want to show various acting and diverse looks, so when choosing the next step I tend to look for works where I can play characters and acts I haven't shown before."
He also shared points to look forward to in his next work. Bae Hyun-sung said, "When I looked at the work Substitute College Entrance Exam, I thought it contains material that is worth thinking about seriously. If someone takes an exam on behalf of another, there could be victims in that situation. It's a work that makes you think seriously about such processes," and added, "Watching the character Nam Jae-yeop, I thought I could show a different kind of performance from the villain image I showed in Gyeongseong Creature, so I'm very interested. He's someone who honestly expresses the emotions he feels. He can express anger when he's angry and fun when he's having fun, so I thought it would be fun to act those parts, which is why I joined."
Coincidentally, with the actual college entrance exam not far off, he offered encouragement to test takers: "This must be the toughest time right now; you've worked hard studying, and I want to wish you the good results you want," and he added, "Wearing a school uniform always gives me a fluttering feeling. For this project, the costume team and director have been discussing making a pretty uniform. I'm looking forward to showing you my new school uniform look this time too."
[Photo] Awesome ENT
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