Actor Ryeo-woon offered heartfelt reflections on his growth and the meaning of being an actor as Bloody Flower concluded.
Ryeo-woon recently took on the role of serial killer Lee Woo-gyeom, who has the ability to cure all incurable diseases, in the series Bloody Flower released on Disney+, attempting a bold transformation. He carefully planned the threads of emotion to portray a complex person standing on the boundary between good and evil in three dimensions, and added persuasive power to the character's choices and logic. Through this, he completed the character's inner life with densely nuanced acting and led the overall tension of the drama.
In particular, this work firmly imprinted a noticeably expanded acting spectrum. He fully absorbed the character as his own and revealed a new face that had not been seen before, and with delicate emotional expression and precise psychological depiction he drew viewers deep into the character's emotional line, amplifying the tension unique to the thriller genre. Shedding his previous benevolent image and proving the maturity of the actor, Ryeo-woon created another definite turning point in his image.
Not remaining in familiarity and proving new possibilities with bold choices, Ryeo-woon has shown a firmer presence through this work, raising expectations for his future path. Wrapping up a meaningful work that contained a distinctive acting transformation, Ryeo-woon left sincere thanks to viewers in a one-on-one written interview with deep affection.
The following is Ryeo-woon's full one-on-one written interview marking the end of Bloody Flower.
Q. Bloody Flower concluded with episodes 7-8 and finished airing the final episode. How do you feel about finishing the project?
▶ I watched the series with a tense heart each time an episode was released. There is a sense of relief, but at the same time I feel regret that it's already over. There were times when worry and expectation crossed over how the work would be received by viewers, and looking back, that time seems to have passed especially quickly. I sincerely thank all the viewers who stayed with and watched until the end.
Q. Through this project you challenged yourself with a genius serial killer character completely different from your previous images. If there was a particular reason you chose to appear, what was it?
▶ The setup that poses the ethical question 'murderer or savior' appealed to me. Since the character's tone was completely different from the roles I have played, it was a personally big challenge. It was meaningful in that it attempted an approach with a different tone from existing thrillers, and above all I wanted to show a different side of myself, so I was happy to have the opportunity to present it this time.
Q. In the drama Lee Woo-gyeom is a person who does not easily reveal his thoughts and feelings. Because the character required restrained expression, there were many moments when you had to convey the character's inner life only through the eyes or facial expressions; were there particular difficulties or worries while acting?
▶ I don't think there was any point that wasn't difficult from start to finish. Lee Woo-gyeom was a character who, while not easily revealing emotion, manipulated others with great composure, so I tried to maintain tension at every moment, and I spent a long time worrying. Especially because the story required tense confrontations between characters, I prepared carefully not only the eyes and facial expressions but also tone of voice and even hand gestures. On set, thanks to director and senior actors Seong Dong Il and Keum Sae-rok who gave me a lot of help, the character could be completed more three-dimensionally.
Q. With the shocking premise of a serial killer who can cure all incurable diseases, the heavy theme that runs through the work is the dilemma of being a 'savior' who saves the world and a 'criminal' who committed murder. How did you interpret and develop the character within this narrative? Was there any specific preparation you did for the acting?
▶ Lee Woo-gyeom's early goal was to 'prove the healing ability.' Because he is a figure who shakes the values of the world, I thought the process of proving the ability should come first above all to show why he made such choices. If that first button is fastened correctly, viewers will naturally follow Lee Woo-gyeom's story. Since meticulous psychological warfare was an important axis, I tried to maintain taut tension. Externally, I wanted to give a sharper impression, so I lost weight and barely wore makeup. I wanted to show a raw, rough face as is.
Q. There were especially many scenes of intense psychological warfare against lawyer Park Han-jun (played by Seong Dong Il) and prosecutor Cha I-yeon (played by Keum Sae-rok). How did you find chemistry with the two actors, and what did you pay the most attention to in that process?
▶ Because the clearer the clashes between characters, the clearer the message the work delivers, the chemistry between the actors was crucial. I was very nervous before meeting senior actor Seong Dong Il for the first time, but he welcomed me warmly on set and suggested we rehearse thoroughly like a play beforehand. Before each shoot we conducted readings as if it were a real situation, and that process greatly helped in linking long-breath scenes into a single take. Senior actor Keum Sae-rok also always waited for me so I could act freely, and thanks to that I was able to enjoy filming every scene.
Q. Is there a memorable episode from the actual shoot?
▶ The most memorable scene was the courtroom scene. It was a shoot where we had to carry a long-breath performance in one go, and the director of photography carried a heavy camera for almost 20 minutes, following the actors' movements and filming passionately. I thought that was really amazing.
Q. What is the most memorable great scene or line from Bloody Flower?
▶ The scene that stands out is when Lee Woo-gyeom laughed alone in prison after successfully demonstrating medical treatment. He had always maintained a cool smile without revealing his inner feelings, so it was the first time he burst out with emotion. Because it was a scene filled with complex emotions, it felt terrifying yet at the same time pitiable.
Q. Since the work showed a new side of you, it must have brought many thoughts. What do Bloody Flower and the character Lee Woo-gyeom mean to actor Ryeo-woon?
▶ It is a very meaningful work to me. It was significant in that I was able to bring out a new face I didn't know I had, and it is a grateful work in which the intensely deliberative times led to a lot of growth.
Q. You have steadily expanded your filmography and broadened your acting range by appearing in various genres. What kind of actor do you want to grow into in the future?
▶ I still have many sides I have not shown. I hope to continue working across various genres in the future.
Q. Is there a final message you would like to send to global viewers who watched Bloody Flower?
▶ It was a meaningful time because you shared interest in the work's theme and discussed many topics together. If anyone has not yet watched it, I think it would be good to share thoughts from each person's perspective and have lively discussions through this work. I sincerely thank everyone who loved Bloody Flower.
[Photo] Provided by The Walt Disney Company Korea.
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