笑門来福 (An Actor and Artiste) 5 (Part 6)

笑門来福 Chapter 5 (Part 6) …… Being an actor and an artiste

Translation source:  Yoon Sang Hyun International Fans Club
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Translated by: Julee
* Pics not from the original article

It does not matter whether it’s lapis lazuli or glass as long as it shines brilliantly.
Being an actor and an artiste, and discovering the meaning of failure turning into success in the entertainment industry.

About the various dramas

Among the many actors in the drama, the one with whom I had the most scenes together was Kim Nam Joo.  I had felt rather apprehensive when we first met as she already had 10 years acting experience while I had less than 5 years.  But another reason was that she had an almost feline look about her which somehow gave me the impression that she might not be so easy to work with.  In fact I had such fears not just with Kim Nam Joo but also when I had to work with the other actresses.  It wasn’t so much that I was afraid that they would use physical violence but they just make me nervous and I might forget my lines.  Fortunately it was usually only at the beginning that I would feel this uneasiness.  After the drama shooting had started and I got to know Kim Nam Joo better, I no longer felt nervous. 

Among the various dramas I had acted in, the shooting of My Fair Lady was the most arduous.  As I was playing a leading role in this drama, it involved a very tough shooting schedule which often left me physically and mentally exhausted.  As the main shooting site was not in Seoul but at Damyang-gun in Jeollanam-do, a lot of time was spent travelling back and forth between these 2 places.  I was lacking in sleep everyday and sometimes would even try to sleep while leaning against a telephone pole.  But once I hear the ‘cue’ calls, I would immediately wake up and transform into Butler Seo Dong Chan with my lines.

                                                       

I could sleep anywhere as long as I could find a place to stretch my legs, whether in the car, on the sofa or even by the roadside.  But even under such tough circumstances, I would not forget the spirit behind my motto being ‘blessings enter through a merry gate’.  As long as one is not asleep, one should not forget to smile.  

Most of the staff and other actors were also facing the same problem on lack of sleep.  Usually in such cases, one could easily become irritable and lose ones temper but I think it wouldn’t help to solve anything by getting angry or to keep complaining.  Such unconstructive behavior would not be beneficial to oneself.  I may be the most senior among the cast members but it would be selfish to behave in an arrogant and condescending manner.  I believe that even in difficult times, it is important to be able to laugh.

Acting realistically and with sincerity

When it comes to acting, I personally feel that experience is not entirely dependent on age.  What is most important is good acting.  If the performance is useless, it wouldn’t be able to convey any meaning. So the performance must be good. An important point is that acting is not simply a technique.  If you have thought about how to build up your performance and act out the emotions realistically, it will get across to the audience and create empathy.  To gain empathy …… that is what one should try to focus on.  In order to play the role well, you need to be able to interpret those feelings and make them a part of yourself.  Therefore it is important to be able to act with ones feelings.

During the time when I was acting in ‘Singles World’, ‘Marrying a Millionaire’ and ‘Exhibition of Fireworks’, I did not know much about acting and was not very keen on it.  Therefore I was unable to project my feelings well.  But with ‘Winter Bird’, I was able to put in 200% effort.  Prior to that, though I did not perform well even with the most basic emotions, I had foolishly hoped that one day when people watch my performance they would be astonished by my extraordinary acting.  It was only much later that I realized the importance of acting in accord with the role and being able to stand out so that I could win the attention of the viewers.

It was during the time when my father was hospitalized and I was hit by a case of fraud that I reached a turning point.  A thought that struck me then was “If I do not put in my utmost effort, what else can I do?”  As I made up my mind to devote myself to acting, I finally understood what it meant. 
“So this is acting!”  I then began to enjoy it and my approach on how to play the roles had also changed.

              

Since then, this is how I would prepare myself for each role.  First I would spend time to think about the role I would be playing.  How has this character grown up since childhood?  The answer would be revealed as I studied the script.  Before the filming, I would analyze the character’s personality quirks, his hobbies, etc and the background in which he was brought up.  After I have a firm grasp of the character, I would then use my own interpretation during the shooting to transform it into the kind of performance which would be able to capture the hearts of the audience.  

For example, the father is a violent person and the mother often gets beaten up.  If a person had grown up in such an environment, his personality might have become warped and it’s likely that he might end up a criminal.  Under such circumstances, I think that even this person’s eyes would have undergone subtle changes.  This would not be written into the script so one would need to use one’s imagination.  When this is brought into the filming, the acting will be more natural.

If a person is always fidgeting, perhaps as a child he was emotionally unstable and unable to concentrate or perhaps he’s just restless.  That could explain why he is always looking around and acting suspicious.  This might not be in the instructions but if one pays attention to the details, one should be able to find the answers as one reads through the script.  These characteristics can then be acted out during the filming.  In this way, the action and dialogue will emerge naturally.   Studying of the script to the extent where I can visualize the 3D concept of the characters is most likely unique to me.

One can usually learn something new in a drama.  There were times when I was able to learn two things at the same time.

Joo Kyung Woo in Winter Bird is someone who has an extreme Oedipus complex and peculiar emotions.  It is not possible to use ordinary feelings for this role.  It would be unacceptable to play such a character without having experienced these emotions.  Therefore I had to learn how to put my feelings totally into this role.  What I had obtained and learned from this drama had been very useful for my other work and was truly significant to me.  Placing my true feelings wholeheartedly into my performance has since then become the basis for my acting.

Because “The Secret of Keu Keu Island’ was a comedy, it had to be a pleasant performance.  We were allowed to act according to our own interpretation and from this I learned to act freely.   The director did not give any orders that ‘you should act this or that way’ but gave us the freedom to perform.

                              

In ‘Queen of Housewives’ the romantic feelings for the character played by Kim Nam Joo, were expressed through the eyes.  What was important here was on how the lighting would affect the eyes.  Since the director and I had both agreed on the importance of the lighting on the eyes, filming was carried out with careful control of the lights.

It is possible to encounter a new me in each role and which will also change according to the characteristics of each new drama.  But even as various experiences had been obtained in this manner, the style of an actor’s performance might not be established.  It is important for an actor to be devoted to his performance but there is no answer as to whether his way of acting is correct or wrong.  Even with the exact same scene, the emotions played out by each actor will vary and turn out differently.

Therefore it is very important for the actor to perform with his true feelings.  Viewers will not be able to understand if the performance is faked.  However, a performance which flows with true feelings will create a sense of empathy among the viewers.  If the character which I am playing shows happiness, viewers will be laughing at the same time and they will cry when there are sad scenes.    

An actor who is able to give a heartfelt performance with his true feelings is considered excellent.  
And yet there is no answer as to whether this is an established way of acting.  So from now on for as long as I remain an actor, I shall not talk about ‘having an established performance’.   What is a necessary element though is being able to work in accord with others.

If an actor is only concerned about making himself conspicuous, the other characters will not survive.  All the various characters should act in harmony for a good performance and gain the viewers’ interest after which it will come to a point when they might decide to watch him most of the time.  How an actor builds up a character and utilizes it in the drama will determine whether it will stir up the viewers’ curiosity and make them want to keep watching or to only watch it once.  In future I would like to play roles which will be exclusive to me and to continue acting for a long time.

When I talk about acting, I become serious in spite of myself.  But when it comes to acting, I have to be serious about my performance or else it will not be possible.  Since I am able to talk so much about acting, I could open up a school for acting.

To be continued …….