When you mention So Ji Sub, a lot of people will link up to his depressed expression with his scrunched up forehead. But in his new TV production "Oh My Venus", So Ji Sub changed from his usual image to give us a new impression of him smiling while he squints his eyes. At the same time, showcasing the sweet romance between himself and the female lead . Since "Master's Sun", he chose to be in another romantic comedy and his reason is "to refresh myself through a bright, sunny production". As he mentioned, he's much more open when he do interviews now. As an actor, he's been in the industry for close to twenty years and has lived half his life as an actor. Still today, he thinks "Sorry, I Love You" is his turning point in life, but maybe this new drama could be another one of his turning points.
What was your first impression after going through the proposal for "Oh My Venus"?
The content is very refreshing, because there aren't any turmoil or heart-wrenching elements to it. I was drawn by that. Because the whole story is written to describe the sweet love story of the two leads, so the story appears to be somewhat boring or ordinary. But I think this type of story has its own attributes and fun to it. Looking upon the story, you can say its settings and plot lines are ordinary, but if you use miso soup in the comparison... there are lots of ways in preparing miso soup. Every family has their own recipe and flavour. "Oh My Venus" gives me the feeling of "I've had it a couple times before, but everything in it is different" and this feeling is what draws me to it. For other TV dramas, there could be dramatic developments in the middle like the two mains separating, with incidents constantly introduced to the story, but this drama doesn't have any of these contents. Some people might think this is a shortcoming of the story, but I actually think it's an advantage.
I'm taken by surprise that you chose another romantic comedy after "Master's Sun".
I've been in a lot of dark and gloomy productions and it's turning my mood and mind towards that. I want a breathe of fresh air and also want to provide viewers with positive energy, so I went ahead to do another romantic comedy after "Master's Sun". Also to me, "Oh My Venus" is different from what I have done in the past. With the production being different, the character indeed will be different too. "Master's Sun" is a romantic comedy, but I think "Oh My Venus" is a healthy romantic comedy. Besides, when I get older, I don't think I can be in any more romantic comedies.
I don't think that's a problem.
I guess I can continue for a bit (laughs). But for now, I don't think I will see another script for a romantic comedy where it's sweetness from the beginning to the very end.
Ji Sub, what is the main factor that you look at when you choose a script?
I'm drawn by elements that I've never seen before. "Master's Sun" was the case and so is "On My Venus". It looks like it's pretty similar, but it has new elements to it. I'm drawn by features like these.
Would you call yourself a challenger?
I think that is one of the many reasons behind it.
What do you think is Young Ho's appeal?
Japan has the saying "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" too, right? On first impression, he looks serious and unfriendly, but deep inside he is a warm person. I think that's the biggest appeal of him. Also, he doesn't turn corners, he say what he wants to say. Another appeal of him. Young Ho also doesn't calculate, he will say what is in his mind to others without holding back.
Any part that is similar to Ji Sub?
There are similarities between me and Young Ho. But I don't say what is on my mind directly (laughs).
What part did you pay attention to acting as Young Ho?
Young Ho has a soft heart for those that has difficulties, but has an even softer heart for the ones that are vulnerable in that situation. I think it has to do with the scars he had when he was young, so when he sees these kind of people, he has no second thoughts but to help them out. Because of that, I didn't try to analyze as much and just followed my heart to play this role. Also, once the character's mood and attitude has been determined, his moves or his style of his walk will come naturally. On the contrary, if you ponder and analyze if it's okay to walk a certain way, you will over think. So I don't always use my brain to think about the whole thing.
I heard you bought a lot of your clothes and accessories to the set.
Yes, a lot of them. I took the clothes that I wear regularly to the set to add it to the mix of clothes already prepared for me. I want to build Young Ho's image to be different from the image you see of an athlete. Athletes often wear tight, fitted clothes, but Young Ho is not one that is trying to show off his body, so I want to present a side of him where his body is covered, yet professional at the same time. But when it's actually exercising time, it's better to have fitted clothes as you can see the pose and movements as you do them.
Because of the role as a personal trainer, did you hesitate on going on a diet and body training when you have decided on taking on the role?
Absolutely not.
Is that because you exercise on a regular basis?
It's not like that. I exercise regularly, but Young Ho is a world renowned personal trainer, so his type of exercise is different from what I do regularly. Because I have to show the viewers professional trainings, I had a lot of feedbacks from the professionals about body building. The type of exercises for maintaining a healthy body and the ones for body building is different, so the exercise that I went through it different from what I normally do.
Do you control your diet like Young Ho too?
If I'm in a role where dieting is required, then I will. I do go for healthy diets even when I'm not fihming. This time, I practically didn't have any carbohydrates, I had vegetables and meat as core to control my intake.
Do you cook at home?
I cook at home, five days out of the week.
Which dish are you most proficient in preparing?
There isn't a particular one, just enough to feed myself.
Most of them are Korean dishes?
Yes, basically Korean dishes. But I tend to prepare meat and vegetables most of the time. If possible, I don't consume must carbohydrates.
Is it hard to maintain your body during the intensive drama filming?
Yes, it's quite hard to do so. It's especially true when I don't have enough time to sleep and I still have to prepare for my own meals to bring to the set. When someone is on a diet, they couldn't really eat the food prepared by others. That's why I prepare my own and bring it to wherever I go.
Actors/actresses from "Oh My Venus" mentioned you bring your own food (chicken breast and yam) when all of you are out for gatherings. I'm surprised!
Yes. Or I tried not to eat other food, just meat.
Is it hard to fight the temptation of the food that you want?
(Laughs) I cannot not resist it. I really like to eat, but I can't for work.
Do you sneak a sweet treat sometimes?
I don't have to sneak any sweets. When I exercise and if I don't have enough sugar, I would eat chocolate. It is alright for chocolate with over 70% of cocoa content. So, when I exercise I would eat chocolate with over 90% cocoa content.
That is not sweet at all, right?
It's really bitter (laughs).
Have you ever had one of those "Kang Joo Eun Day" as seen from the show? (This day is where the chubby main actress gets to eat and do whatever she wants to do for that day before she goes on a diet.)
Of course. When I was building my body, I had one day out of the week to do all those events. As the rest of those six days, I have to fight the temptation. I have to reward myself somehow.
How do you reward yourself?
It's pretty similar to what I did in the show. Just lounging on the sofa, eat whatever I want toeat and not exercise.
To you what food is it that you know you will gain weight from it, but no matter what you just have to have it?
When I'm on a diet, I always crave for fried chicken, ramen, teokbokkii and jajangmyeon. So when I'm resting, I would eat these kind of food.
Even you, with a sculpted body, eat those foods?
Of course.
I heard you've lost 7kg for this show. So what is the range in which you try to maintain your weight?
I keep myself within the range of 75-78 kg. Before I start a new role, I will be in between 70-72kg. But this time I'm even lighter.
Would you say your body is near perfection now?
No... not now. I try really hard in maintaining a healthy body, but when I take on a new role, I will factor that in and try to "design" the body for it. For "Master's Sun", I didn't do any muscle training, I only lose some weight. This time, I didn't build a bulky body, I only tried to build a fit body. I can't let everybody look at my lower body, so I focused on my upper body and back.
On the other hand, Shin Min Ah had all those special effects make up in the first half on the show. How do you feel about it when you first saw her look?
Very cute. But, Min Ah looks like she's suffering. That make up requires 4-5 hours each time. At the beginning, it looks like she had trouble moving around and she looked uneasy and a bit shy from it. But half way through, she was in a stage of thinking of all possible ways to make it more interesting on screen, like showing off her belly. Also, the character Joo Eun is very different from what Min Ah was in previously, but she was very delighted to be in this role half way through filming. As we were filming, there are more things that we want to do that popped up in our heads and I've made comparisons to other work I've done. I started to discuss with other actors and actresses for different scenes. We really had a lot of discussions.
When Shin Min Ah reverted back to her normal self, wasn't it hard to get used to?
Definitely. It was her chubby look all along filming, so the sudden change was hard to get used to. I do think about her chubby look. The two different looks each have their own appeal to it.
What about you having special effects make up?
If it's me, I won't do the special effects make up. I want to gain weight to be in that role, because it's difficult to move around with something attached to your body. But if that was the case, the production time will be very long for me to gain the weight and lose it.
The first half the story is where Joo Eun goes on a diet and the second half focuses on her love life. Was it hard with the change of pace?
That's no problem at all. The two leads following in love is not something spontaneous that happened. Perhaps it all started the moment where they first met.
Is it the moment where Joo Eun's corset was removed?
Hahaha. Yes. I was uneasy when we were filming that scene.
Anything interesting about that scene?
Because Min Ah is not actually that fat, we had a stunt person for Joo Eun's belly. But as a man, I fell sorry for that stunt person. The scene where I cut off her corset was done in one shot, because moments like this is where there should be no failure (laughs).
Then what about the scene where Joo Eun was lifted up by the blankets?
In that shot, she wasn't lifted in one go. We barely lifted her up with two tries, but that was all from our improvisation. Originally the script is for lifting her up with one try, but to show how heavy Joo Eun was, we made it more interesting by lifting her up two times. But the person that was lying on the blanket was actually overweight, so it was really heavy (laughs).
Any scenes where you couldn't help laughing?
There was a lot. There were plenty of scenes where I was really close to Joo Eun, whether it's talking face to face, any body contact or kissing... Those scenes made me blush, so I end up laughing. I'm more serious with body contact scenes, because touching a woman's belly is not an easy thing to do. But fortunately, Min Ah had her special effects belly, so I can touch it with ease. Min Ah even said "this is not my belly, it doesn't matter and don't worry, feel free to touch it."
How does it feel?
It's much like a real one.
One of the scenes that viewers enjoyed the most is the scene where you two were kissing as you guys exercise.
The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu scene made an impression on me too. The movements involved in that scene was quite different, so more or less it's somewhat embarrassing. But I remember it was pleasant while we film. But the training scenes that we shot could easily be adapted by viewers, so we had to pass along the correct message through our lines. But the explanation is much harder to say than our lines, so we did a lot of retakes on it.
What's the scene that you like?
I like the scene where Joo Eun was holding Young Ho. You always see scenes of a man holding a woman, but this is the scene where Joo Eun found out the scars that Young Ho has. It's a scene where she didn't say any words and just held him, the feeling is great.
What about the lines that made the most impression?
It's a line that doesn't come out easily... it's "your body is mine, you can't say no". There is a lot of meaning behind this line, so I stand strong about it. I chose this line because it gives a big impression for viewers too and I've added my creativity in it too. Initially, this line is for Joo Eun on her diet, but I think it also contains the feelings that Young Ho has for her as well. So there's two meanings with it. One meaning is "I will make you exercise, so be prepared" and the other meaning behind it is "I like you, you are mine".
Although it's not actually a line, but Joo Eun's dimple pop is really cute.
That was Min Ah's suggestion. Because the viewers took it really well, so we ensure we added it to other scenes as well. That's why I received a lot of dimple pops (laughs).
You had a scene where you were sending off dimple pops too.
I had to retake it. Hahaha. It was really embarrassing.
Young Ho was living with two younger men with the same interests. How do you feel when you have experienced it?
When I was a swimming athlete I pretty much lived at the dorm, so I have experienced life living with a lot of men. It's just men squeezing together in a small room all sleeping on the floor... so I don't want to experience it anymore (laughs).
Henry, being the youngest one out of the men group, said you always arrive at the set an hour prior to the filming time.
Yes, I am the type that arrives early on the set, but it's because I'm always on set, so from Henry's point of view, I'm always there early. I am the main actor, so I need to be there from the first scene to the very last scene of the day. That's why he would say I always arrive at the set early! To me, I think punctuality is very important, even if it's not filming, I still try to keep the appointment time.
Sung Hoon also mentioned that even though the drama was only 16 episodes long, everybody had a great time time together. How does time pass by at the set?
The traits of these three men is very different. We had discussions before filming so that we can coordinate with each other. If two people were to do the same thing, that the fun won't be there anymore, so we define and split our duties accordingly.
I heard there was a lot of improvising acting?
There was so much... (laughs). Often we can't differentiate what was from the script or was from our improvising.
What needs to happen before an improvisation comes up?
Thinking ahead, but sometimes it comes to me when I feel the tone on the set. It's also from me watching others act. Of course, the improvisation is only done when it doesn't deviate from the main idea of the script.
There was a reference to a line from "Sorry, I Love You" as well.
Good thing it didn't come out of my mouth hahahaha. The show was from more than ten years ago, so I couldn't even remember what the original line was. It's been a really long time. Kids of this era doesn't even know about "Sorry, I Love You".
You've been an actor for close to twenty years now, think back to when you first started...
At that time, I wasn't acting because I like it. I was acting to make money, to make a living, so I didn't like my job as an actor. Now, I'm doing this job because I like to act.
To you, would you consider this twenty years to be long or short?
I don't think it's not short, nor can you call it long either. Looking back, I would think "I've been an actor for twenty years already?" On the other hand, because I've lived half my life as an actor, it also make me think "I've already been an actor for twenty years." I think your feelings is different when you think of it differently.
Within this time frame, what changed and what didn't?
The thing that didn't change is my attitude towards acting. It's because I will continue on doing this job in the future. And the thing that change would be my feelings towards acting. Loving acting, hating acting, changing back to loving acting... it's ever changing. It's especially true when I'm in a difficult role, the pressure I get is tremendous.
Before, you were always in darker productions. Was it hard at those times?
Yes, but bringing hardship to myself also brings out good acting.
What incident would you consider to be your turning point?
The turning point in my life is still definitely "Sorry, I Love You". In terms of acting, it would be "What Happened in Bali". It was from that point where I realized acting is supposed to be like so.
Who has been the most influential on you?
Myself. Because acting requires your own personal thinking, so you can only be influenced by yourself. And when you enact a role, you have to keep on exploring to find the "myself that is not myself".
How about your personal life? Anyone that has influenced you?
(He thought for a while) I can't think of anyone at the moment, I don't think there's anyone special.
You don't always reminisce about the past?
Yes. I want to live in the moment. People say you are what you are right now because of your past, but if you kept on reminiscing about the past, you would only end up dwelling on what had happened already.
So you don't watch some of your work from the past?
Occasionally I do. It would be "Sorry, I Love You" and "What Happened in Bali". When I watch it, it would remind me of what happened back then and make me realize that was how I acted back then. Of course, I would pay attention to parts where I was still raw, but even if I can go back in time, I think there's no way for me to act it out better. At that time I've already given the whole of what I had, so even though I might be able to patch up the raw parts that I had, I might overlook other parts too.
If you can say something to the So Ji Sub at that time, what would you say?
Rather than saying "you did a good job acting", I would like to say "try your very best".
What do you wish for in ten years?
I hope I would still be acting with the mindset that I have today with no changes at all.
Is there any type of roles that you would like to be in?
I won't limit myself to the type of roles. As long as it's a good production, a good script or a new challenge, I would like to try. I don't want to be choosing any work based on some decision I've made ahead of time.
Do you look forward to having a love relationship like that we've seen in the show?
A love relationship... I haven't been in one for a long time (laughs). But when you're in a relationship, everything will be bright and cheery. It's because being in love is a great thing.
In real life, you have to have a relationship of what Young Ho had!
Yes. Exactly like it.
So, now please close off with a message to the viewers of the show.
"Oh My Venus" is an easy, relaxing TV drama. It's a very healthy, happy and content drama. It can wake up the hibernating love bugs in your body and warm up your heart. I understand the need for a nerve wrecking drama, but this drama is not of that nature, I just hope everyone can relax while they watch it. Picking a line from the drama, being healthy is the sexiest, so I hope all the viewers of this show is healthy too.
31.01.2009, 06:59
Со Чжи Соп / So Ji Sub
Линейный вид
