Actor Kim Jaewon said he worked to take on the male lead in Yumi's Cells 3.
Kim Jaewon gave an interview on the morning of the 7th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. At the meeting with domestic reporters, he talked about the recently concluded and popular TVING original series Yumi's Cells 3.
Yumi's Cells 3 is a cell-stimulating, relatable romance drama about Yumi, now a star writer, who once again laughs, cries and falls in love because of an unexpected person who appears like a bolt from the blue in her unstimulating daily life. Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, the series opened with its first season in 2021, and Kim Jaewon gave a passionate performance as Shin Sun-rok, the male lead of season 3.
Kim Jaewon, who said, "I am proud and feel like I'm living a dream to be part of the final journey of a work that received so much love," confessed about playing Shin Sun-rok, a character who was also beloved in the original work: "The character is like a unicorn in the original, so it was also true that I felt pressure, but I was so happy when I received the script. Such a big opportunity came, and I was joyful to be able to play such an existence. I also worked hard on set with the thought that I wanted to express this well somehow."
Kim Jaewon smiled and said, "The director seemed to think that Sun-rok's appearance resembled me. I actually wore glasses when I was young. Even in daily life I like styling with glasses now. When I wore those glasses, and because he takes them off when active, I think they saw that synchronization." He laughed and said, "Personally, I thought Sun-rok's biggest charm was his 'dog-like cuteness.' I thought the contrast between his dog-like behavior at home and his coldness at work—contrasting sides of his personality—was his charm. My close friends around me know my real self better than I do, so they said I resembled him. Some said I seemed boyish, and I tend to be affectionate in real life, so they told me I resembled that side of him."
There were details he took for Shin Sun-rok. He said, "Externally, I talked a lot with our stylist team. In the original, Sun-rok had half-up hair when he worked and very loose curly hair at home. We matched that styling. Internally, there wasn't much difficulty. Internally, I thought more about a slightly more rational and businesslike tone when he is at work. When relaxed, I reflected my real self."
Kim Jaewon added, "The reaction 'Where can I meet him?' to Sun-rok was, as expected, good. I felt proud thinking that I expressed him not badly. I felt proud that the synchronization rate was well matched. Even if I express the tone well, people will look a lot at external things. So I lost a lot of weight, put effort into styling and worked on skin care. I felt good and proud that people noticed each of those things."
He said, "I lost about 3-4 kg. I naturally don't lose or gain weight easily, so I had to work twice as hard as others to lose weight. I exercised every day, and because Sun-rok's slim, delicate physique is an external characteristic, I focused more on cardio than strength training. I did two to three hours whenever I had time. I started dieting with cardio and, although I didn't follow a strict meal plan, I reduced meals from three a day to two, then to one and a half meals to lose weight."
Previous male leads in the Yumi's Cells series, such as Goo Woong in season 1 (played by Ahn Bo-hyun) and Yu Bobby in season 2 (played by Park Jin-Young), were all well received. Was there any burden about being chosen as the male lead for season 3 after them? Kim Jaewon confessed, "It's a work rumored to be a mega IP with a solid IP, and seasons 1 and 2 received a lot of attention, so rather than the burden of whether season 3 could be loved as much, my first concern was whether I could perform my role well since the seniors in seasons 1 and 2 did such a great job. I thought I should do my part well first; only then could the work do well. I thought I should work 200% hard so as not to let down a work that received so much love."
He continued, "Compared with Goo Woong and Bobby, Sun-rok's greatest charm is actually his 'straightforwardness.' Once he decides on his heart, he will go all in; after he makes up his mind, he doesn't calculate or hesitate and runs straight for Yumi — those straightforward moments are true to Sun-rok, and although he is younger, he can also be forceful, moments of a masculine man. I think that's his charm." He laughed and added, "In actual dating style, I try to be honest when it comes to love."
(Continued in interview ②)<
[Photo] Provided by TVING.
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