Jo Hyun Jae Post-Yongpal Interview (23) – NewsAde Photo Caption Interview

Jenny Park comes to our rescue once again! Below is Jo Hyun Jae’s photo caption interview by NewsAde. The English translation of the Q & A printed on each photo can be found after each photo.

Caption for the photo above: “You think that I look like Ms. Kim Tae Hee? It is such an honor to hear that.” Written by Yang Cha Won/ Graphics by Lee Cho Rong

Question (Q): Was this the first time to transform yourself into a villain? How did you prepare for the role?

Answer (A): I always had passion about wanting to play a villain for awhile now. However, I feel very grateful to meet a character like Han Do Jun at a time like this.

Q: The senior actor Jeong Woong In, a professional when it comes to acting as a villain, praised you in a big way about your performance as a villain.

A: I am truly thankful for the compliments I received for my villain acting. I feel so pleased that I was praised so highly by a senior actor who is so good at his craft. As I’ve been acting as Han Do Jun it made me feel so happy whenever I heard people say that I am so ‘bad’ and ‘cruel’.

Q: Villain versus a nice guy, which one is more comfortable for you to do?

A: If we are talking about convenience and feeling comfortable I would say that playing a nice character is more comfortable for me because all I have to do is show my bright side and the warm part of myself. I think playing a villain was hard because I have to pour out so much of my energy doing it.

Q: Did you understand the reckless methods of Han Do Jun’s love towards Lee Chae Young (Chae Jung An)?

A: I honestly had a hard time trying to express feelings of romance and love in an 18-episode program. That is the reason why I was so immersed in my character. Han Do Jun is a character who is not loved by the person he adores. I tried my best to understand where he was coming from. I put all my effort into this character as I was thinking that there would be a lot of time for this character to receive forgiveness.

Comment: It seems even JHJ expected that the Writer will allow Do Jun to seek forgiveness in the end. But, that didn’t happen. Instead, Writer decided that Do Jun will remain unrepentant until his death. I guess with the Do Jun character the writer wanted to show what could happen to a person if he/she grows up and continues to live in an environment lacking in love from family and everyone else around him.

​Q: You have reunited with Kim Tae Hee since “The Nine Tailed Fox” days. You guys have gotten the opinion from others saying that you guys are siblings with good looks.

A: In “Nine-Tailed Fox” we came out as a guy and a girl who couldn’t fall in love because of our circumstances. “Nine Tailed Fox” is very different from “Yongpal” . Viewers told us that we really resemble each other a lot. This is quite an honor since she represents Korea as one of the most prettiest ladies around.

Q: Have you looked up the viewers’ reactions on the internet regarding your role?

A: While I was shooting the drama I did not look it up but once the drama was over I went into a website called DC GALLERY and pretty much read all of the comments there. There were so many comments saying stuff like: ‘such a scary guy’, and ‘what a bad guy’, there were a lot of those kinds of comments. Ha Ha.

Q: The production environment now is still the same since you debuted, right?

A: That is correct. Honestly, it’s easier for actors to perform when everything is pre-produced. In a more generic type of drama (in South Korea) the actors would get a little information regarding their character and that’s it. The rest is totally up to the actors themselves. They have to study and research the roles they are playing by themselves.

Q: There were a lot of reviews about “Yongpal” getting dramatically worse and worse by episode 7.

A: Somehow, this is the kind of drama where the more you dig deeper the more regrets you will feel about it. However, I still feel so grateful for this drama being able to accomplish this much. The actors don’t usually make the contents of the drama, you know.

Q: You are already in your mid-30s, I think you have made the acting transformation at the right time.

A: I really do feel that it’s a blessing for me to be able to meet this special and unique character in my mid-30s. If I were to come out as a nice young man again, I don’t think the viewers would have enjoyed it as much. I did so much melodramas back in my 20s so I wanted to make a change regarding my acting.

Q: You don’t have any desire to go on variety shows?

A: I think I lack in being entertaining and having a sense of humor. I think the typical variety show laughter timing points don’t suit well with me. For instance, when I am laughing, others aren’t laughing along with me. That is why I end up not going on entertainment type variety shows. I just like myself as an actor and that is that. :D

Q: There’s a feeling that you have shed off a lot of your previous image that you showed in your 20s. What do you think about this?

A: I have always been thirsty about breaking my normal image as an actor. I feel pleased because I am able to quench my thirst a little bit as I enter into my mid-30s. I only think about the future to be able to show you all the different sides of me as an actor.

Q: Do you have plans to get married at all? Do you currently have a girlfriend?

A: I do not have a girlfriend at the moment. (Smiles) However, I will certainly would have to get married at some point. I would ask and bug the people I know to introduce me to a nice lady but they don’t do that for me really.

My ideal type? To be honest, I did go for looks when it came to girls when I was in my 20s, but now I really do only look at their personality and character. All she has to be is

nice, that is all.

Credit: Photos from NewsAde. English translation by Jenny Park. Thanks! Editing by Prissymom. English translation is not verbatim

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