(Continued from interview ①) Actor Lee Heejun said he felt a heavy sense of responsibility since the work was inspired by a real case.
Recently, at the BH Entertainment building in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a closing interview was held with lead actor Lee Heejun of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama Scarecrow.
Scarecrow is a crime investigation thriller set in 1988 Kangseong about a detective investigating the true culprit of a series of murders who unexpectedly forms a cooperative relationship with someone he despised. It is also a work inspired by the Lee Chun-jae serial murder case that occurred around Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province from the 1980s to the 1990s.
Regarding Scarecrow surpassing a 7% viewership rating in just six episodes and ranking second in ENA history, Lee Heejun said, I honestly did not expect this drama to be so popular with the public. The subject matter is so heavy, and it is not a story like in typical dramas where two detectives or prosecutors who dislike each other join forces to stylishly catch the criminal. It is not a story that ends realistically and cheerfully, so I did not have much expectation that the general public would like it, he revealed.
He added, But as an actor, it was such an interesting subject, and my character in particular had so many aspects of upbringing and unconscious trauma and was such a complex person that it was fun to act, and because the co-star was my close friend actor Park Hae-soo, the time working together was fun and happy. I only remember shooting in the intense, hot summer in Haenam with the director and staff taking care of each other in fun ways, so I did not expect it to be so popular with the public. It is surprising and makes me even more happy and grateful, he said.
He said honestly about the drama's success, I think works mostly do well when you make them with consideration and enjoy making them. But if you do it with the mindset, Our show will definitely succeed, the energy seems to get scattered. So this time we really did not think much about whether we would succeed or not. We also had Extraordinary Attorney Woo ahead of us, and while we were filming the climax was going well. So we had even lower expectations.
Especially because the work is inspired by a real case, the weight of the piece is heavier. Lee Heejun said, I always take projects seriously, but this time the subject was so heavy that I think we were even more serious. Actor Park asked, How should we handle this, and I remember saying we shouldn't act like we're pretending here. It wasn't that we did it because of that remark; it seemed to happen naturally for everyone. The staff, actors and director all took it more seriously and did not prepare carelessly. In particular, everyone worked hard in art direction and other areas to avoid harming the work or coming up short, he said.
He, who played prosecutor Cha Si-young of the Mu-won district prosecutor's office Kangseong branch in the drama, also described his efforts to portray the character. Cha Si-young is a merciless figure who, driven by twisted competitiveness, commits evil acts for his goals. Lee Heejun said, I was very grateful and happy to take this role. It's rare to meet a character with so many layers. Although he may simply appear villainous, the character is heavily influenced by upbringing, unconscious trauma, a desire for recognition from his father and a lack of affection, so it was really fun to portray.
He said, There are villains who are inexplicable. Of course, functionally you could start from the premise that they are bad without explanation, but Cha Si-young is a character of the type, This could happen because of these reasons, so I felt the writer and director filled out the setting thoroughly. Thinking about whether one could meet such a character again, it doesn't seem easy. It's not common to invest this much in the villain opposite Park Hae-soo's Kang Tae-Ju character and prepare so many devices. So even though he is more of a villain, there are parts that make him look like a person.
In particular, Cha Si-young commits the crime of concealing the body of murder victim Yoon Hye-jin (played by Lee Ah-rin) to achieve results, but he shows no repentance or remorse for his罪 until the end. Lee Heejun said of the ending, It's bitter. No one accepts the truth that threatens their position and survival. Except for Park Hae-soo's character, no one does that. Even though the statute of limitations has passed, they cannot throw away everything about the life they have now. That aligns with the direction the director originally planned for this work. I respect that he pushed that stubbornly, he said.
He said, There was a time during filming when such a choice had to be made. Investors and others suggested, Wouldn't it be better to go this way? Wouldn't this be easier for the public? and the director asked us what we thought. But it seemed they did it in line with the planning intent to show the people who suffered and spent those 30 years together. I was moved, he expressed.
He added, I hope this drama remains that kind of drama. When you make a story about a criminal being caught 30 years later, it shouldn't be a story about catching that criminal but rather an opportunity to think about the villagers who suffered for 30 years because of that incident and those people. In fact, detectives and prosecutors are also victims. They also did their best and everyone devoted 30 years of their lives to one criminal. Some make wrong choices out of the wrong desire for recognition along the way. If the stories of the people who suffered through that time together are seen, wouldn't it become a great drama, a meaningful drama? I think that was also the director's intention. (Continued in interview ③.)<
[Photo] BH Entertainment
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