Q: When I first saw the actors list, I wondered if your name was there by mistake. Because you acting is news to me. How did you get casted?
A: Thinking back, I think most of the idols that know how to speak Korean dialects auditioned. I wasn’t the only one in my group that auditioned, actually. Since I didn’t have the intention to act, I obviously didn’t have any expectations about it. Instead, I did think before debut that it’d be fun if I acted but after starting our group’s promotions, the company and even myself didn’t think about it. I really went to the auditions only because I knew how to speak in Korean dialect. But something unbelievable happened, as you know. I directly got the role. I don’t really know either why the production chose me. But a week after telling me we were going to work together, before they called me, I didn’t know what role I had. I only heard about it later. Since I originally didn’t have any bias nor prejudices about it, I wasn’t really burdened. However our representatives must’ve been a bit worried about it. They were worried about whether my image was going to be alright in the future. I said I wanted to do it and asked to absolutely do it. I asked so many times, saying I wanted to do it. This role.
Q: Even if the perceptions changed a lot, we can only say that the sexual identity problems are still an uneasy point. But oddly enough, Junhee wasn’t uncomfortable. What was the reason to it?
A: Yes, I’ve heard this a lot. Firstly, it’s thanks to the production team who made Kang Junhee into an innocent character you want to hug and who is easily likeable. And our representatives told me that I had to protect Junhee. During the drama’s filming we talked about it a lot. So I think that the character was made with the help of many people. Originally, I’m in charge of the manliness (?) in the team right? Or the charismatic member. Since Junhee’s character is delicate and thoughtful, wouldn’t the combination of them work well? So I think that the middle point that the director wanted appeared.
Q: By chance, Mnet’s and were broadcasted at similar time slots. Hoya went from a bad boy concept at the start of to a slowly softer image. You even unexpectedly made a love line with Woohyun. If you were the old Hoya, wouldn’t it be something unimaginable?
A: Ah, you felt that. I was also surprised when the director replied to me jokingly when I said ‘Director, I found my sexual identity’ with something like ‘What, wasn’t it that?’. Even if it was a joke, since he kept on saying it I slowly started to worry a bit. But since it was my first time acting, I could only practice a lot. I kept on practicing, reading the script again and again, and since I was always living as Junhee on the filming set, it must’ve become a second nature before I knew it. Even my manager hyung said that he thought my personality changed these days. Should I say that I got more crafty? I heard that I talked more.
Q: It feels like Infinite’s Hoya and the drama’s Junhee are total opposites, right? It could even surprise the people who knew Junhee first, and then saw Hoya on stage.
A: It was also worrying at the company for me. Since the people who don’t know Infinite would just think about me as the kind hearted and delicate Junhee. They could be confused when seeing me on stage with a dark image. But I can’t be laughing like Junhee. The other members are in charge of the loveliness so it’s a bit worrying. (laughs)
Q: Since it was your first time acting, you might have had a role model?
A: I didn’t think that I especially wanted to act like someone. I just did my best to express Junhee as it was written on the script. Now that I think about it, showing charisma on stage was also acting. Dancing is also acting.
Q: The unexpected hype, the fans like it right? But at first, I think they watched it uneasily.
A: It is no exaggeration to say that Infinite came until here with the fans’ strength. It might be like that for all the idol groups but if we compare our fans, our group’s fans are exceptionally close. Even at the start, the fans promoted even more than our company, may it be on influential internet cafes or boards; they really worked hard to launch the videos privately and publicly. Before our debut, we got known with the reality program . Since we gave off the feeling that we were the neighbourhood’s little brothers who aren’t like idols, I think they liked this easygoing side. That’s why at our first debut stage’s prerecording, a lot of fans came. Even when I think about it again, I’m touched. My fans said they were waiting eagerly for the day I’ll release a solo album. I think they were also confused that a kid who had no interest in acting suddenly started acting. It’s normal to be worried when a kid who has no experience in acting says that he’s going to act. I’d like to tell them to relax since I’m always working hard.
Q: Without comparing you to PSY who suddenly got involved overseas, when you think about the time when you came from Busan 2 years ago, it’s an amazing result right?
A: I was born in Busan but I moved to Changwon and lived there until I was 17. I started to like dancing so much but I couldn’t dance while following the lessons for the high school certificate. I’m the type of person who can’t do many things well at the same time. So I thought about dropping out of school. My father really opposed to it a lot but I was stubborn. He could only be angry at a kid who said he wanted drop out of school after going to the reading room and receiving private lessons at dawn until middle school and said that he was going to go to police academy. I also got hit by my father a lot, my mother was protecting me so she cried a lot. When I think about it now I’m really sorry. I call my mom once every two days but you know Busan men right? I’m the one calling first but I coldly say a few words and hang up quickly. Oddly, my voice gets lower? Why is it so. From now on I have to do well. Actually, I first came to Seoul to learn dancing but I went back to Busan again as it didn’t go as I wanted. At Seoul it feels like getting lessons at an institute while at Busan it’s more of an underground feeling, it doesn’t feel like learning from a teacher but more like we were enjoying together so I liked it.
Q: While this is your first time acting, it’s also your first solo activity, it seems like it was difficult.
A: I’m the type to be shy with strangers and it’s the first time I’m doing something without the members so I was cautious, of course. Luckily there was Ingook hyung whom I already knew so he introduced me and had the role of the middleman. Moreover, the other people weren’t shy with strangers so they approached me first. Since we were all playing the roles of friends, we had to get close quickly so it could help the drama. So I overcame my personality and made a lot of effort to approach them. In Jiwon hyung’s situation, he’s a big senior right? We were a bit unfamiliar only during the first day and after 2 days, we immediately got close. That’s why I ended up opening my heart to hyungnim. Like Jiwon hyung’s nickname, meaning that he is elementary-schooler like, he’s also very innocent in real life.
Q: It also feels like you’ve changed your goal a bit?
A: Since I’m the type who has a lot of ambition, I also want to do a lot of things. Mithra hyungnim wrote the raps for our 1st [mini] album but after that I wrote it all personally. After rapping I have ambitions in singing too so I worked hard receiving vocal lessons, since I’m not someone who is naturally talented. I think that I’ve only practiced in my life. Actually, my dancing was clumsy too. I worked hard so I could get here. I kept on dancing like I was exercising. I didn’t think about acting but after doing it, I got ambitious about it. I want to try studying acting for real. But it’s still not in the script yet. (laughs)
Q: Did you think about the time you were going to school while appearing on ? Didn’t you regret the friendship with your friends and such?
A: I dropped out of school but while spending all my time in the practice room after that, the teammates who were practicing with me became my friends as if they were my school friends. So I don’t regret dropping out of school. Because this period is a precious memory other people couldn’t experience. But the thing that I was thankful of while filming is that even if it was all acting, I got to find back the school days’ feeling that I lost as I wore a school uniform again and was living with friends. Even if I say I don’t regret it, I must have a bit of sadness left. This kind of indirect experience was nice. It kind of felt like receiving a compensation.
Q: Lastly, let’s make an imitation of ‘Radio Star’. What’s to Hoya?
A: In a word, a gift? It’s difficult to describe but it was something like a miracle. Because I gained really, really a lot of things. I met a lot of good people. Even if I didn’t sleep for few days, it was so much fun everyday, I wasn’t even tired. I never had any hobbies. Because the members call our work our hobby. When we had some free time, we just went to the practice room and only practiced, we lived like this. But after getting to know acting, I have to experience various things to act right? And I think it will be good thing since I can experience indirectly many things with acting. Moreover I gained popularity. (laughs)
[T/N: Spoiler of the last episode under the read more cut]
Epilogue
trans. cr; emilie @ infinite updates | source cr; naver ; take out with full credits
No comments:
Post a Comment