The following interview is a translated piece from the Japanese magazine Hot Chili Pepper. In this interview, he speaks frankly about his acting career. He talks about how his mom raised him – and paints a remarkable portrait of her character – and about two films that I love and am sorry he’s so disappointed with.
Q: Let us start with the drama The Reign of Women (여인천하
that you starred in during your childhood years? (Note: “The Reign of Women” is also known as “Ladies of the Palace”)
A: At that time I was 15 years old, but I was still a child actor at that time, I don’t think I can introduce myself with the particular work. I started becoming a model when I was around 6 years old and I debuted as a child actor when I appeared on television in the 1997 drama Happiness for Sale.
Q: Do you still remember the scenes during the filming?
A: In The Reign of Women, whether it was the day I wore hanbok during filming on a snowy day or the time I fell down in the village… I remember all of them, my memory is very good. I still remember, there was a scene where the young Nan Jung was carrying a jar, and I was supposed to throw a stone at the jar to break it, but because I missed, it hit the kid’s face instead.
Q: Were you afraid of the adults at the filming site?
A: Yes I was afraid of them (laughs). I cried a lot of times at the filming site. The filming site is also a part of the community, although the adults around me say that I’m cute, and treat me very kindly. On the other hand, I am a child actor – as an actor, there are certain things one cannot do. But when I was young I didn’t know that, I just played happily with the older boys because I was so excited about the props at the filming site. So when the adults scolded me, ‘How can you not read your sсript yet?’, I cried a lot of times. Since acting in Happiness for Sale, I always travel to the filming site by myself. Taking the bus and subway… my parents has never accompanied me to the filming sites, not even once.
Q: Only by yourself?
A: A child actor does not have a manager (laughs). Besides that, my mother is the type who won’t accompany me to filming sites, I’m grateful to her when she did that. Hating to ask the staff at the filming site, “Please take care of my son.”, my mother wanted me to become strong, so that no matter what problems I face, I would not just cry away only…. Of course, I did cry at the time, now I can withstand all sorts of challenges.
читать дальшеQ: What were the changes after acting in the 2002 The Great Ambition and The Reign of Women?
A: Since then, I started to have managers. That was because after I filmed a CF for a mobile communications company, people began to know me….. But, I myself did not change. Even though I have the passion of acting since young, I did not plan my future at all, when I grow older, I might have other dreams and ambitions.
Q: After that, your next drama was Orange, am I right?
A: Actually, Orange was filmed earlier than The Great Ambition. In my memory, I can only recall the heat (laughs). The filming was done during summer, there were a lot of swimming scenes, and in each episode we played happily while filming. The shooting took 3 months, besides that, I don’t have more memories of them. I was 16 years old then, the year after that I went to study abroad.
As a child actor, Jang Geun Suk was active; among his fans he was popular when he was young. The opportunity to become a child actor came when he was in kindergarten; he followed the suggestion of his teacher, and endorsed a children’s clothing line. After that he starred in several commercial films, and instantly embarked on the road of acting… even when the filming coincided with school, filming dramas and etc, the thought of becoming a real actor did not cross his mind.
But when his mother looked at him, “If he does not focus on studying now…..”, she felt worried.
Q: Was New Zealand the place where you studied abroad?
A: Yes, before I graduated from junior high school, my mother said to me, “If you don’t study now, your studies will be delayed until I don’t know when.” During that time, I was already famous, so I could not live a normal life in school. My mother said, “Go out to study what you want to study.” So I went to New Zealand with my mother.
Q: Is your mother fluent in English?
A: No, she does not speak English at all. (Laughs) My mother and I went to a language center to learn. Unable to speak English, her choice of living with me abroad for one year was not easy. My mother is a woman to be respected.
Q: What did you gain while living in New Zealand?
A: Yes, that is – even when I’m standing before a foreigner, I won’t get nervous. When a foreigner, especially Europeans and Americans walks towards you, “What should I say, what to do….”, the people who feel afraid and run away are many. Although I’m not fluent in English – how should I explain this, that is – I won’t feel nervous even when I’m standing before a foreigner. I would greet them in a friendly manner, for example, if someone asks for directions, I can point out the directions very well. I gained this confidence when I was in New Zealand.
Q: After studying abroad you starred in the youth sitcom Nonstop 4 when you were 17 years old as a ‘medical student who is conscious to the latest trends’. I heard that you have your own kind of creativity.
A: When I met the director for the first time, I said to him, “I would like to act, I wanted to be a doctor since young, and I like to play the role of a fun-loving medical student.” There was really a medical student role in the sсript, I was surprised. Because Nonstop 4 is a situation comedy (sitcom), although there are stories and touching moments, it must be able to make the audience laugh. If I think like this, I still have to accept a lot of challenges. Being able to make up the latest slangs, and do fitting actions when saying my lines. Because I felt that everything was new, I myself tried a lot of different actions during acting, so if the audience respond was good, I would come up with another scene of my own.
Q: After Nonstop 4, you acted in Lovers in Prague without your father’s permission – kinda like a high school kid that loves to rebel huh?
A: I wanted to present a side of me that was different from Nonstop 4. Back then, the drama shooting happened to clash with the university entrance exam, so I was quite worried about the results. Luckily, the exam was successful and Lovers in Prague became the last project I took up before I hit 20 years old.
After that, we told him “Now we’re going to ask you questions regarding ‘Doremifasolasido’…”, and he said “Ah…this too???” (gives an uneasy expression). He even said that out of all his works to date, this is the only one that he never wishes to see or to be blunt, will never watch.
Q : Did something happen while you were shooting “Doremifasolasido”?
A: Frankly speaking, “Doremi” and “Baby and Me” – they weren’t the movies that I acted in because I wanted to. I’m sorry for being so direct (laughs) but it’s the truth.
Q: You mean you can’t reject them?
A: Back then, I already signed a contract with the company to shoot the movie, so I couldn’t go back on my word. If I don’t like something, I wouldn’t want to do it – that’s the kind of character I have! And I don’t like to dictate… Even if I put in my best to portray that character, I also can’t predict whether that movie will be successful or not. Right after I finished the shooting, they (his company) approached a tired me, saying: “This is your next movie…” and passed me the movie sсript – that made me even more stressed.
Hence, I really couldn’t concentrate fully on the set, so I lamented to my manager “Why am I here???” – That’s how I felt when I did that movie…
Q: Did the shooting go on smoothly then?
A: Something else happened (laughs). Halfway through the shooting, the investors stopped investing, so the shooting couldn’t continue. So I went on to act in Hwang Jini, Hong Gil Dong and The Happy Life…2 years later, I actually got a phone call saying that I have to shoot “Doremi” again, that I must finish it no matter what. I was like “Why???” – Even though I couldn’t totally understand, I still had to accept and shoot the movie; such situations are very common in Korea.
Q: Didn’t you find the storyline interesting? Was “Doremifasolasido” really not to your liking?
A: By just looking at the sсript, it wasn’t that bad. However, just like building a house, even if the foundation is good, it doesn’t mean that the house will be built to perfection. The same logic goes for movies and dramas. Besides the sсript, the actors, director, camera crew and all – to produce a good show, everything must be a perfect combination. Through this, I felt that I must always protect myself properly and make myself stronger. Although I really didn’t want to do the movie, if only I tried putting in a little bit more passion into it, maybe things would have been different. Because at the end of the day, my name would still appear with the movie. Whenever I thought of that, I felt it was a pity.
Q: Was “One Missed Call” a movie that you took up after you sorted things out?
A: Haha, yes it is (laughs). I was 19 or 20 then – that’s when I heard they were searching for an actor around this age – soon after, I received notice to go for the audition. During that period, I actually had no job offers. Those actors whom I acted previously with in Nonstop 4 were all very active… “One Missed Call” was what I got while searching for audition opportunities…
Q: Do you still keep in contact with your co-stars Maki Horikita and Meisa Kuroki?
A: No. I was not very close with them while I was shooting the movie. I’m the type who doesn’t exchange numbers with my co-stars. Even without exchanging numbers, we can still communicate to a certain extent while being respectful of one another. If we become close and meet up for drinks etc, then it will be hard to maintain the professionalism…
That’s why I am not close friends with any female stars – ah, that is, besides Kim Hee Chul. (laughs)
Q: Maki and Meisa are very popular now…
A: From their point of view, to me, “One Missed Call” and “Doremi” are the same…
Q: Is there a possibility for shooting a Japanese movie again?
A: Of course, I would consider it. The sсript is most important when it comes to choosing my next project, but it’s also as important for me to have the “I really want to act this role” type of feeling. If I really like the project, I will shoot it without hesitation even if it is a comedy. Ah… yes! I’ve long heard that I’m the type of guy that the Japanese like – ah, then why am I still not Bae Yong Jun? (laughs)
Q: Emm.. Your goal is to become him??? But your styles are very different…
A: No, no…I don’t want to become him – hmmn, is it weird for me to say that? I am definitely not trying to put him down… (laughs) What I meant is I wish to be as well-known and popular….
Q: Compared to other Korean actors, Jang Keun Suk belongs to the slimmer body built. Do you plan on becoming “muscle man” in the future?
A: If that’s the case, I would be able to wear the fashionable clothes which I like (laugh).
Every actor has different thoughts about body built. For me, I don’t want to swell with muscles as I don’t like to exercise! Recently, it’s because I had to prepare for the filming of the movie “You’re My Pet” that I took up exercise to fit into the role but ballet is the main focus. I took up jogging and cycling as well. In this sense, I don’t think I will become “muscle man”
To Be Continued…