An Interview with Ko Soo after 4 years – Transformation from a handsome youth to a man

 

English translation by ELSIE

http://woman.chosun.com/magazine/viewArticle.do?atCode=666

An Interview with Ko Soo after 4 years – Transformation from a handsome youth to a man

After an absence of 4 years, Ko Soo has made a majestic return. That shy smile has long faded and in its place is now his growing masculinity. Now in his 30’s, he projects the image of a true actor with just the slightest make-up.

In the SBS drama “Will It Snow For Christmas”, Ko Soo plays the role of an overbearing Cha Kang Jin who lives an itinerant life with his mom who is a barmaid. He is never defeated and continues to do well inspite of the difficult environment he lives in. The drama recounts the love story of Kang Jin and his high school sweetheart Han Ji Wan. They parted due to an unfortunate incident and meet again by chance 8 years later. Thus, the start of a fate-like love story. This is Ko Soo’s comeback drama after “Marrying a Millionaire” which was released 4 years ago. His enlistment in the army is undoubtedly a long break, during which the entertainment industry and audience’s preference have undergone changes. So it is understandable that he may have a feeling of apprehension about his comeback. However, Ko Soo chose to return to the big screen as a newbie and to him, no words could describe his feeling of excitement.

Cares more for quality rather than ratings

“It feels good to be in front of the camera after so long. To tell the truth, even though the ratings are not high when it is aired at the same time slot as the mega production “IRIS”, I feel proud to be able to star in this excellent drama. Putting aside the concerns about the ratings, I am delighted to be part of this excellent work. During my long break, a lot of pretty boy actors were gaining popularity. But that did not have any special impact on me”.

WISFC is written by Lee Kyung Hee (“I’m Sorry I Love You”, “A Love To Kill”) and directed by Choe Mun Seok (“What Happened In Bali”). The decisive factor for Ko Soo’s decision to accept the drama was because of writer Lee’s strong recommendation.

“I am very grateful for writer Lee’s recommendation. I’m therefore putting my best into this role. When I received the script last September, I felt the part to be somewhat difficult but it is a really good script. An actor can learn a lot from this work. I am now concerned about how to better perform the part of Kang Jin in the remaining episodes”.

Ko Soo is reading the script like a newbie, not missing any problem areas. Whether it is an expression of love or grieve, his interpretation will not be straightforward but subtle.

“Because of his painful childhood, Kang Jin does not show his feelings easily. He is slow in showing his emotions but he does have a warm heart. He is different from me in character. It takes a little time for me to understand such a character who is a cold but rational person. Although I am an introvert but I’m a very bubbly person, really”.

Ko Soo has put in a lot of effort to perfect his role as Kang Jin, the architect. Before shooting started, he began taking construction-related courses. He spent an entire day at the bookshop browsing through many related books. So he is now quite familiar with architectural drawings as well as digital tags.

“So far, I’ve been playing characters that appear to be obstinate. Though I had a different image in “My Fair Lady”, but I believe when the name of “Ko Soo” is mentioned people will immediately think of an obstinate image. Although this character is still somewhat obstinate, I will try to portray his character with a different feeling for all”.

“Green Rose” (which was a drama before his enlistment) and “White Night” are both about tragic love. But WISFC is a love story between the mutual love of the male and female leads”.

Stage performance is a stimulating experience

“Despite of his love for Ji Wan (Han Ye Seul), they had to part and they meet again after a long passage of time and fall in love again. But Kang Jin is one who is incapable of showing his love”.

The Ko Soo in real life may use crude language on his loved ones to express a sense of humour. But of course, he wouldn’t do that to his girlfriend. So what’s Ko Soo’s outlook on love and what is his ideal type?

“When in love, I can be very romantic. But there are times when I can be bad. When I’m with her, I will do my best for her. But when I’m working, I might neglect my girlfriend and that may result in misunderstanding. That kind of situation can really cause anxiety. I do not have a definite “ideal” type. First impressions are important to me. I have a lot of “love at first sight” encounters. I hope the other party is the kind with inner courage”.

He has worked with top actresses like Kim Hee Sun, Kim Ha Neul, Kim Min Hee, Lee Da Hae, Park Jung Ah, Kim Hyun Joo. Likewise after his enlistment. In “White Night”, he starred with Son Ye Jin and in this drama, with Han Ye Seul. His luck with the ladies has drew the envy of many actors.

“Come to think of it, those actresses who co-starred with me are now great actresses! During those times, because I was focusing on my roles, I did not attempt to be close to them. So I do not have any close actress friends. I really regret it now! Even though we do have gatherings with the production team after shooting finishes, and casual meetings with my female co-stars off the set, but I failed to seize the opportunities to further our friendship. I don’t even have their phone numbers!”

Life is different after experiencing changes

After his discharge from the army, he has been thinking about doing a stage play. He often meets friends from the theatre world at the University Avenue during his service as a public servant. After his discharge, he entered the theatre world on the recommendation of Jo Jae Hyun, his co-star in “Piano”.

“In fact, the line-up was released even before I made up my mind to participate. So I went on stage with the attitude that I have no choice but to do my best. Honestly, it was very hard but it was rewarding because the response of the audience was instantaneous and obvious. I could feel the audience’s every breath, laughter and even the tiniest reaction. It was then I realize why many people have chosen stage acting as a career”.

He participated in the “Return of President Oem” and became a part of the theatrical team where he shared the daily work in the rehearsal room, including cleaning. To this end, everyone in the team was shocked with his free and easy character. Through the stage play, not only was his acting ability elevated, he also learned lots of ways to express without words.

“During the stage play days, I felt inadequate almost every day. Stage plays are different in terms of sound and expression. TV dramas can be manipulated by the camera, whereas in stage plays, the actors are responsible for themselves from beginning to end. This is an unforgettable experience for me. I will do another stage play if there is an opportunity in the future”.

It appears that he really experienced a change during that period. In particular, his outlook has changed during his 2 years of military service. Because he has to deal with things on his own, his thoughts are more comprehensive.

“I used to have a lot people taking care of me. All of sudden, I had to do things on my own. I felt confused at first. But I have done it and I can now face anything that comes my way. Now my outlook in life and my choice of work have changed”.

“The first change is that I have split with my manager of many years. The plant in the green house doesn’t seem to be able to bloom. I want to experience the world on my own”.

“No matter what, I had to live a life of being managed. I hate this feeling of being tied down. This was the reason why I split with my manager who was like my brother. Compared with being always taken care of, I’d rather strike out on my own as a test for myself”.

At that time, it was a tough choice. But he overcame all this. He made his own choice. After experiencing so much did he finally understand what it means. He believes that he has to experience conflict, make judgements and all these require adequate preparation. Ko Soo has a reputation of being the silent type. Once he is working, he will be terribly, fully focused on the job. To this, the humble Ko Soo says that he can’t even act well, so he has no mood to consider other things. However, he is filled with the desire to act and a passionate actor more than anyone else. After splitting with his long-time manager, he chose to do a stage play after his discharge. In the movie “White Night”, he played the role of a cruel killer. All these are designed to bring his acting career to greater heights. Today, he wants to be an outstanding actor by continually doing breakthrough roles.

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