"Learning is always a job that needs evaluation, but this time, I really felt like I was put to the test. It's the result of my choice, and it's something I have to deal with, so I jumped in boldly."Actor Kim Sung-chul of
expressed his feelings about being put into 'Hell 2' replacing Yoo Ah-in. He said he was not free from pressure, but he worked hard on his preparation with a sense of responsibility because it was his choice.
Kim Sung-chul met with YTN on the afternoon of the 30th of last month at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the release of the Netflix series 'Hell 2'. When Yoo Ah-in, who played "Jung Jin-soo" in "Hell 1," dropped out of the production stage of "Hell 2" on charges of drug administration, he met viewers around the world with a new "Jung Jin-soo" on his behalf.
Yoo Ah-in was praised for her mad performance in "Hell 1," which was released in 2021. In the last season, Jung Jin-soo actually received a notice to go to hell 20 years ago, and Kim Sung-chul was even in charge of playing the same scene after the secret that he was waiting for a demonstration was revealed.
Regarding Yoo Ah-in's performance in his previous work, Kim Seong-cheol said, "In the beginning, I loved the 'Jeong Jin-soo' character so much. It was also shocking beyond the expression that Yoo Ah-in is good at acting. I thought there was a person who acted like that in Korea, and I thought I wanted to try that. He said, "The Jeong Jin-soo he drew was attractive."
As much as he took over the role, there was no burden. He said, "If you don't have pressure, you're not a person. The actor is a job that requires evaluation, but this time, I really felt like I was tested," he said, adding, "It was the result of my choice. I think I jumped in boldly because it's something I have to deal with," he explained about his mindset in the preparation process.
When building the character, he said he referred to the original work a lot. Kim Sung-chul said, "I've looked into the original webtoon a lot because I can do it with confidence only when I build the character well. I tried a lot to follow the words, expressions, and actions that Jung Jin-soo uttered, and I tried to interpret them as much as I could and act," he said.
Visually, he lost weight to express the devastated appearance of Jung Jin-soo, who has been revived for the first time in eight years. He said, "I had to look dry and impoverished, so I controlled a lot of moisture. I did both diet and aerobic exercise. When I woke up in the morning, I went up the mountain behind my house every day. I wanted to give a feeling that Jung Jin-soo must have been in pain," he explained.
Efforts to fully express Jung Jin-soo continued during the filming period. Kim Sung-chul said, "The set was Paju, and I cycled back and forth from my home in Seoul. There was a time when I almost gave up in Yeouido. He recalled the time when he was integrated with the character, saying, "The pain experienced by Jung Jin-soo would not be compared to me, so he pushed me further to the corner."
After the efforts of both the cast and crew, "Hell 2", which was released three years after the release of its previous work, received a good response. He was invited to the on-screen section of the 29th Busan International Film Festival and received critical acclaim, and after the official release, he achieved a good record by ranking No. 1 in Netflix's "Today's Top 10 Series" and No. 5 in the global market.
In response, Kim Sung-chul said, "If you've already delivered a good ending and message in season 1, it's not easy to show better things. But I feel good because you evaluated season 2 as interesting. I wasn't going to look at the evaluation anyway, but director Yeon Sang-ho kept sending it to the group room, so I'm forced to look at it. I think I'm on my way."
Finally, he delivered his plans for the future. "My new year's goal is always to do a musical and a movie. The schedule is not something I can do as I please, but I tend to do it when I have the condition. I want to do more dark, message-filled works, and on the other hand, I think I should do something bouncy," he said.
The series 'Hell 2', starring Kim Sung-chul, is available to stream on Netflix. Kim Sung-chul will return to the stage with the musical "Jekyll and Hyde," which will open on the 29th.
[Photo provided = Netflix]
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