[Interview] Joo Won in GQ 2014 June Issue
Ninety percent I know about Joo Won is compliments. He is an actor who never fails and has no troubles. When sitting opposite to him, he showed various faces which I have never seen before.
How is it possible? I read through all his interviews as many as three hundred A4 pages. No matter what articles they are, the headlines like “Joo Won, he will only be having luck from now on”, “polite, sincere, humble, pure and beautiful youth” are all written. ~ Haha. They are all like that. Ah, by the way, am I the only one like that? Really? So ……
If you are mostly complimented like this much by others, It can be seen in a way that they are true. ~ I don’t want to forget my attitude and also myself. Perhaps, people see me like a child, I don’t even want to give up my pure thinking. I want to keep it till the end.
On the standpoint of showing yourself to the pubic, what is it you want to purposely show in your interview? ~ When doing an interview, I don’t expect to show anything in particular to the public. I never have the thinking of “If I say this, I wonder if the public like it?” The person who is listening to me is the reporter sitting right in front of me. Other than this, I don’t see others. I guess I can make up a little bit if I want to. Doing that is smart but I can’t do it.
Based on above, are you the type who will be heading for carving an image of yourself? ~ Instead of making up anything, I prefer to keep my real image. Living as an artist, sometimes there are inevitable exposures. On the other hand, I don’t want to work on decorating myself. I think I am happy to show people how I am and people are happy seeing how I am. I don’t have such confidence bearing the stress to start decorating myself.
Honestly, since steadily starting from “Baker King” in 2010, there aren’t any bad results at all till the recent “Good Doctor”. Being named as “Invincible Joo Won”, are you already feeling stable? With such stability like a role model, don't you ever have any desire to destroy it? ~ If it helps with my acting. I also thought of trying to go clubbing and drinking at night as a way to break it. I have lots of friends like this. They are my friends who went to the art school specialized in acting. I also understand “if I play more often, my acting will become better”. Doing something like “Oi, you have to drink and meet girls,” I don’t understand why I have to do it but if I have to do it, I will destroy myself, anyway if I have to do. If I live my life like that, obviously it is for the sake of helping with my acting. I want to know things I don’t know. I will do things I have never done. By the way, after seeing my friends, I sort of understand why they do this. I will just stick to play ……. Haha, When I have time off, I meet people I feel comfortable with and we do things we like. I feel stressed out if I do it unwillingly during my time off thinking if it helps. At the end, I will come back again. It seems that is not my area. Once a while, drink two glasses of alcohol a day…….
Don’t you feel sleepy after drinking one glass? Perhaps getting drunk? I heard you get up 7am every morning. ~ Considering I get up at 8am, doing exercise and watching TV, alcohol is not good for an energetic and powerful voice. If I get drunk, I will collapse to sleep. Hangover causes headache and dries my throat next day. I don’t do it. It is hard enough.
You are an actor without many changes. Not only invincible, you are even not boisterous like what a so-called “star” normally is. You look quiet and kind but you are not like that in front of the camera. Is it your personality and your role model encompassed image? ~ If someone asks me about my dream, I always say I want to become a person like those veteran actors. Even it is very hard to act when getting old, they are still managing to act successfully. When I become their age, I want to enjoy doing it first. For sure, I am enjoying it too however I am still young without much experience, there are things which I have to be careful with. The way how veteran actors say their lines of the characters are all like their daily conversations. I envy them very much. I can’t do that as yet. Even if I am going to do that like them, my acting becomes exaggerated and I wonder whether it is acting. I think if the atmosphere around me is serene, perhaps my dream stays that way. Star and actor? Certainly when evaluating something like the life span of an actor, it is best having both at the same time. But if you ask me to choose one from both, I will definitely choose actor. It is the best to hear people saying that I am different when I act.
Is it good seeing yourself like that? ~ It is good when hearing something like that. When I was in university, I never tried out an ordinary character. I thought “If not now, when do I do it?”
What was the most difficult character? ~ A pervert ahjussi in “Lysistrata” written by Aristophanes. The story setting is in Greece during Roman time. The story line is about men objected the war because it was declared that men were not allowed to have sexual relationship with women if they participated in the war.
……..It is a difficult situation ~ No one can repeatedly confront with ahjumma,. “Cheap personality is no different from insane behavior, it is refreshing”, this sort of line. I feel very good when hearing people say “when Joo Won acts, he is indeed different.”
I heard theatre stage is the hometown of an actor. Now you are doing musical “Ghost”. To you, is musical like a hometown? ~ Because I debuted as a musical actor. I still clearly remember how I faced my first time standing on stage practicing. The stage once again arouses my feelings of those days. If it is original intention (initial enthusiasm), it is original intention (initial enthusiasm),, if it is passion, it is passion, that sort of heart(feelings). In those days, I really made lots of effort. I had my first professional stage performance when I was 20. I read the script like crazy, nothing else but imminent. I had so much fun. This time again in “Ghost”, I really do it passionately. I want to do it better and I really put in so much effort. My appearance of those days came out once again. A desire of match too.
What exactly do you have in making you breeze through performing “Ghost” without a break? ~ What do I have? Seriously and honestly, I would say it is recognition. Haha. Possibly, some exposures are limited in broadcast (dramas). However, I personally think as an actor, I look very amazing standing on the stage. Comparing with doing dramas and movies, the self-confidence of people standing on stage is relatively bigger. People choosing the stage is like there is something they want to protect. The confidence I have received makes me become a much better actor.
When comparing the strength of energy for doing musical on stage and standing in front of the camera, what is the difference? Are Choi Jeong Won and Ivy veryenergetic actresses? ~ Owing to the space of stage, it seems it becomes much bigger. Actors keep growing on stage. Audiences absorb that. Number of audience increases proportionally. The most important thing is to express yourself through your voice and movements. You tend to need more energy and stamina. Sometimes you feel like being trapped on stage and in the beginning you don’t feel the other side of the theatre (audience’s side). It seems you can only feel the actual spaceof the stage.
Are you an actor who can correctly portray a stereotyped character? I heard you previously read as many as thirty books related to a character of profiler. ~ I have to know its limits in order for me to understand the character, then I will be able to tell you exactly what my thoughts are and I will be able to explain confidently as much as I know what sort of person the character is. If I don’t understand what sort of person the character I am playing is, portraying the character won’t be convincing.
When things are going smoothly, some people feel like they are sitting comfortably on a well-fitted sofa or some people are still self-cautious. Which type are you? ~ I am none of the types. For the time being, I am not cautious. I want to understand the different meaning of acceptance. Things are going well now but I have to accept when things don’t go well one day. Whether it is acting or anything else, it has its hard time. Even when things are going very well, people also have worries and adversity. I don’t know about other people. These things certainly happen in future. Now I play the lead, I will be playing a father role. It is reasonable and I can also be flexible . If you can accept it, it is just fine. I think it is reasonable.
In “Witch Hunt”, Shin Dong Yop said you are a “tremendous strategist”. It didn’t sound like a joke at all when you talked about the importance of female tummy fat. You look like a strictly self-disciplined person though. ~ It is hard to express but my wish to express differently is strong. There is one thing I am certain. I hope my cuteness is being accepted. Whoever it is, a person wants to be liked by others. Everyone is the same. I will ask why if people don’t like me for some reasons or because of misunderstanding . “Why don’t you like me…..…and why do you do this?”
Who are they? ~ People who are mostly indifferent to me.
Even if you fight, is there a winner? At the end, you are the type who accomplish your wish. ~ I don’t argue at all. Even so, will I win if I fight? Anyway, I will do well with what I have to do. No matter what, I will do that.
When is your most comfortable time? ~ No difference to whether I work or not. Because I am happy while I am working. Once, I worried something like “Is there something in particular”. At the end, my friend and I sat down drinking coffee in a café during the daytime. Then I understood that was good. Filming started in winter and it is already spring. Because it is spring, I feel good.
I heard you never went for holiday, are there any places you want to visit in future? Some places like desert, midnight sun? ~ I never went to travel. By the way, l will go but I have to think properly what wewill be doing together. Family, friends, the person I love. I work hard and I can’t bear much stress. I have more confidence from things I have learned and gained.
How about your personal achievements? ~ I am really thankful to teachers and classmates when they say “there are reasons why you are worthy that much.” They all know how I lived my school life, that’s why the can say I went to school 365 days helping sunbaes and practiced acting, they won’t say “I wonder how he is up to?” but say “He is no one but Joo Won.” There is nothing I am not satisfied with my life at the moment. Actually, there is one thing. That is when after I get married, I want to travel with her. I guess at that time, I won’t be doing that many projects like now. What I am presently doing is a foundation, then I can live a more comfortable life which is what I have been dreaming of and go travelling with my loved one and family.
Don't you have any materialistic desire? Or any worldly desire? ~ When I was young, absolutely a home (house). A garden and my parents and my brother are living next to me, that sort of residential estate. When we have family gathering, we eat together and we do things like barbecue party. This was the dream I had when I was young.
I wonder why this young man is so upright? ~ haha. That’s right. Is it because I am a tremendous strategist?
English translation by manyearsago @ soompi, Joo Won Cutie International Fans
Please note the English translation posted here might have some differences from the original Korean article. Translator cannot guarantee 100% of its accuracy. Last edited by manganini on 28-6-2014 01:03 AM
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