(Continued from interview ①) Ryu Hae-jun of "Scarecrow" talked about the senior-junior chemistry with Park Hae-soo.
Recently, at the OSEN office in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a wrap-up interview was held with Ryu Hae-jun, the lead actor of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama "Scarecrow."
"Scarecrow" is a crime investigation thriller set in 1988 Gangseong, in which a detective investigating the real culprit of a serial murder forms an unexpected cooperative relationship with someone he despised. In the work, Ryu Hae-jun played Park Dae-ho, the youngest detective at Gangseong police station who follows Kang Tae-Ju (Park Hae-soo).
When asked about his chemistry with Park Hae-soo, Ryu Hae-jun said, "It was really, really great. Before meeting the senior, he was someone I had only seen through works for a long time. To be honest, I couldn't really imagine 'I'll meet a senior like this later' and I just approached him as a viewer of the drama, but when I met Hae-soo senior I was very nervous. There is a big gap in years and it seemed very difficult. But from the first meeting he put me at ease and was humorous. And when he was serious he was very serious, so I learned a lot from that mindset and attitude."
He recalled, "We talked a lot. Even after filming ended we sometimes met, went to performances together, and had meals or coffee, and now I can naturally call him 'hyung-nim,' which I like very much. During the preparation process for the work he would ask things like, 'Dae-ho, what do you think?' 'How was I? Was it good?' He treated me truly as an equal colleague, and seeing that made me think great people are different. The senior must have seen so many of my shortcomings. Naturally there would be many differences, but despite that he waited, gave ideas, and asked me questions, and through those things a natural chemistry seems to have formed."
Ryu Hae-jun, who said he still vividly remembers his first meeting with Park Hae-soo, recalled, "We filmed the first meeting scene between Tae-ju and Dae-ho on the first day. It was awkward with the senior and also stiff, but when filming, that stiffness and the curious atmosphere felt ticklishly close. The nervous excitement felt so good. At that moment I think I realized a bit, 'I'm sharing this kind of role and this kind of relationship with Park Hae-soo senior.'"
He also spoke about the point in the story when Park Dae-ho made a wrong choice after Kang Tae-Ju left Gangseong police station, saying, "I think Dae-ho wasn't in his right mind in the shaken situation when Tae-ju senior wasn't there. Because their chemistry was so good and the emotional lines they had built up, with the senior not there and the pressure of the case bearing down, it sometimes led to assimilation. I missed senior and it felt unfamiliar, and in the latter part when the senior wasn't around filming was a bit lonely."
He continued, "Then when I faced Tae-ju senior again, before we had felt connected even when apart, but (Park Dae-ho) had committed a grave mistake. So my heart dropped, I wanted to hide it, and being together felt broken compared to before. I wanted to mend that, but it didn't go as I wished, and a lot of irretrievable images came to mind and were felt. Also, the way Tae-ju senior's gaze and emotional line gave feelings of 'Why is he like this?' 'What is this?' just came across naturally."
Asked what acting advice he received from senior actors, Ryu Hae-jun said, "I saw and heard a lot from the seniors. Hae-soo senior told me, 'Dae-ho, you have a lot. You have intense energy and you are delicate and precise. But I think now you should put more effort into a more delicate and precise energy and refine it. Then the rest will naturally follow later.' Those words remained in my heart. Thanks to that my sense of direction broadened, and I think such reference points were formed."
He added, "Lee Hee-jun senior also casually threw out a remark that had a big impact. He said, 'Dae-ho, when you act, it would be good to get more from the other person and dive deeper to observe.' I watched Jung Moon-sung senior filming even though we had no overlapping scenes on set. I thought, 'How on earth should this scene be done?' but he did it so chillingly well. I felt deeply that the seniors' internal strength and dignity are truly different. So at the wrap party I asked, and the senior said, 'I just try to empty everything. Things come when you do nothing, so I also continued to explore and worry a lot. I tried many things. But you'll do well. You're doing well, and surely after some time you'll become tremendous. Your internal strength will build up. I can see that. Don't worry. I'm not worried about you at all,' and he gave many kind words. Hearing that gave me so much. I learned a lot," he said, expressing his emotion.
He added, "Senior Baek Hyun-jin also would blurt things out and naturally ease my tension and treat me warmly. He made me feel, 'This is a team,' and senior Kwak Seon-young also conveyed that kind of internal strength and composure. I think it's a great blessing to meet seniors who have reached their own distinct realms and be able to work with them on one set. I, by chance, had never had the opportunity to work with seniors for such a long time, so I had always yearned for it. That thirst was largely quenched this time, and I felt as if I had been made to wait so long for this. I learned so much and my perspective widened," he said, sharing a meaningful time. (Continued in interview ③)
[Photo] OSEN reporter Park Joonhyung
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