Interview - Im Joo Hwan, “Nice guy?” With 'Ugly Alert' He Has Turned Over A New Leaf”

Source: tvreport.co.kr

Tranlated by: Cookingdramas

Cookingdramas: note (*) means I’m unsure of translation

—13-12-09—

“<Ugly Alert>’s Gong Joon Soo was a really selfish character.”

SBS’s daily drama <Ugly Alert> ended happily with 133 episodes and the curtain has finally come down. Im Joo Hwan sat down face to face with the reporter whilst carrying a genial smile. Even though the drama ran on a tiring schedule, he appeared with a bright image.

For around 7 months, Im Joo Hwan lived as Gong Joon Soo, the ‘nice guy’. As his nice character was the lead of the drama, it held an unusual meaning for him. To the ending of the drama, he shared his thoughts. “As it ended well, I feel satisfied and happy but there’s also this bitter feeling. I still have things to say and feelings to express such as  “did I miss anything?’ ‘did I lack at anything?” and other feelings.”

◈“Gong Joon Soo and I are different”

Through ‘Ugly Alert’s’ Gong Joon Soo, he had a chance to play a ‘one-of a kind’ nice guy. The fact is, for this one and only character, he devoted a lot of concentration and hard work. To bring out the character’s detail, he also came up with a lot of ideas, in the end did it pay off? The viewers named Im Joo Hwan as a ‘healing icon’, sending along their praise.

 “To a certain extent, there are some parts (of his character) I also shared similar feelings with. I had a lot of realizations. But the writer told me think of Gong Joon Soo as a very selfish character. Because he wanted things to go his way, the people around him had a hard time. Furthermore, he was the one that started the ‘problems’ and he was also the one to ‘resolve’ them. If I were to simply describe him, I would say his character is very selfish and  also a character who pretends to be nice (a hypocrite).”

Viewers were drawn into the ‘genuine’ and ‘innocent’ elements of the drama such as Gong Joon Soo’s woman phobia and his car sickness. Furthermore, the devotion and love he showed towards his siblings was exceptionally moving. However, he emphasizes that his own personality is very different from Gong Joon Soo’s.

“Gong Joon Soo and I are different. I definitely don’t have woman phobia (laughs). That’s why when my high school friends were watching they’d send me text messages asking how can there possibly be a person like that? I also agreed with that. But acting as Gong Joon Soo, I learnt a lot. In terms of my personal life, before it was rare for me to phone my parents first, but now my parents and sister’s numbers appear most in my phone log. Also, if I see shoes or clothing that look warm I will buy them for my parents. This is the part that I’ve changed most and my parents are also happy about that. I’ve also become closer with my sister. Being Gong Joon Soo, I can say I have ‘turned over a new leaf’.”

To Im Joo Hwan, it can be said that ‘Ugly Alert’ is his representative work.

“A lot of people gave me their love and I’m thankful for that. It seems that many of them are fans of Gong Joon Soo’s and so through him, many people got to know the person ‘Im Joo Hwan’ and might’ve even been surprised by him. But I really am that person who acted him, so please continue being curious about me.”

◈ “I asked for Gong Joon Soo to die”

‘Ugly Alert’ is a family drama where four siblings embrace each other’s pains and grow throughout that process. After 3 years pass by, Gong Joon Soo and his siblings enjoy a happy moment together and receive a happy ending. Im Joo Hwan also shared his thoughts towards the ending of <Ugly Alert>.

“I didn’t request much for the ending, my understanding is that the cinematographer suggested the ending. We all agreed it was a good idea. Actually, in the scene where we create the shower of ‘flower rain’ in the backyard, me, (Choi) Tae Joon, (Kang) Byul felt quite sad, and we thought a lot about it. I really liked the ending.”

However, Im Joo Hwan also had a different idea for the ending and that was Gong Joon Soo’s death.

“I think Gong Joon Soo should’ve died. In a way, it would’ve made it melodramatic, but Gong Joon Soo is a character who had a hard life and was a person that easily got satisfied. (For example) he’s that type of character who gets happy just by simply watching his siblings from afar. If he died, he would have willingly given up his organs to another person in need for a chance that they could happily live and have a family. This is what I thought would’ve truly been an ‘Ugly Alert’. In the latter half of the drama, I continued to talk to the director about this, but he rejected it. As I was the main character, I had to have a hopeful ending. I too agree with that part but I thought that if Gong Joon Soo died, more happiness and warmth could’ve been created for everyone.” 

◈“When I looked at Kang Byul, Choi Tae Joon and Seol Hyun, I cried.”

Im Joo Hwan, Kang Byul, Choi Tae Joon, Seol Hyun, Kang Sora and others met through ‘Ugly Alert’. In the drama, Im Joo Hwan receives emotional support through Kang Byul, Choi Tae Joon, Seol Hyun and others, while he is also the man Kang Sora loves. A friendship formed between them through the long time spent filming.

“Kang Byul, Choi Tae Joon and Seol Hyun and me interacted like real siblings. There were many scenes of us together so we grew friendly with each other. (*) There were scenes that were so sad,  I cried just by looking at them and that was quite exhausting. The scenes where we didn’t have to cry were the ‘everyday life’ scenes. As they were young, I felt we got along pretty well. With (Kang) Sora, we saw each other everyday and there was a lot of skinship and natural movements. She’s a really smart friend. She grasps emotions really quickly and her ability to understand is really good. I find it hard to memorize the script but Sora could memorize the script in just two days and even finish a novel in that amount of time. It was amazing. To be acting with such great actors is truly a blessing.”

In ‘Ugly Alert’ there were strong supporting characters such as Lee Soon Jae, Chun Ho Jin, Song Ok Sook. Im Joo Hwan thinks back to how much he learnt from them.

“The script reading was like a time for learning. The ‘teachers’ (songsengnim) explained the script, as well as the sentences and grammar and talked about many other things. Above all, I think I studied acting through watching them act. Even though I had little interaction with some of them, I received a lot of help just by exchanging lines with each other. Teacher Song Ok Sook (Jung Ja sshi) also gave a lot of advice to my ‘siblings’. I also received a lot of help on acting from Kim Ha Goon (Ahjussi) sunbaenim.”

To Im Joo Hwan who dreamt of being an actor since high school, he has learnt many things through this drama. To become a better actor he keeps thinking about his possibilities and has seriously given some thought to his future.

“I want to become an actor who is open to many possibilities. I don’t want to hear stuff like ‘Im Joo Hwan does not suit this character’. I want to hear ‘no matter what ‘clothing’ Im Joo Hwan wears he will be able to pull it off (IOW: no matter what role he plays, he will play it well). I am working hard to become that kind of actor. When I choose my projects I also try to choose different types of storylines. I’ve never played a villain before so I want to give a try at that.” 

Throughout the interview, he was always filled with laughter. He had deep thoughts, a unique heart and I couldn’t help but find myself agreeing with his words. As Im Joo Hwan aspires to be an actor for life, more challenges for him will be expected.

“If the day comes when I do become a more well-known actor, I imagine my past will be shown as well. When that time comes, I want to be a respectable actor. To my fans, I will become an honourable and strong person and for myself, I want to have a dignified career.”

 

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Cookingdramas:

"Surprising revelation by Im Joo Hwan! He thought about making Joon Soo DIE!?!?! 

@____@. Yeah, sure maybe he could’ve ‘helped’ other people, but what about the Gong Family? and especially Do Hee!?!?!? 

I guess it’s Joo Hwan sshi’s ‘special’ way of thinking about his character.

But man, luckily that didn’t happen O_O…."