[INTERVIEW] Actor Yeo Jin-goo Pt. 2

“I want to play in movies like ‘Introduction to Architecture’.”

Actor Yeo Jin-goo [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

<#10LOGO#> Perhaps you had a strong determination before going into the shooting?
Yeo Jin-goo (Yeo): I thought playing Hwon would be similar to my previous acting roles. But I realized at some point that I had my own habit in acting; all the characters were being expressed quite similarly. I’ve been playing characters with strong impact before “The Moon.” And when I watched myself playing Hwon, my voice came out like a soldier, and not like a prince. Princes have to be more calm and serious but my voice sounded totally the opposite of it. The director gave me advice on it too. I told myself that I should be humble like a rookie actor and I think I tried hard.

<#10LOGO#> How was it to play in the drama with Yoo-jung? The drama was centered on Hwon’s love story with her character.
Yeo: It was difficult for me to focus on the love story. I don’t know what first crush feels like yet so I was confused. And of course, Director Kim and others helped me on it.

<#10LOGO#> Like what?
Yeo: Like.. their first love? They even expressed it with their faces and that helped.

<#10LOGO#> Do you fantasize about your first love?
Yeo: I think it’s a bit more than what other people imagine. I imagine myself renting a park and proposing to the girl I like. This is mainly because director Kim and my acting trainers. Haha. I hear their stories about first love and now I’m fantasizing about it too much.

<#10LOGO#> If you get to play in a romance movie after having some experiences in relationships, what kind of movies do you want to appear in?
Yeo: After having some experiences in relationships, I want to play in really sweet romance movies. If I had to choose among the recently released ones, it’d be “Introduction to Architecture.”

<#10LOGO#> But “Introduction to Architecture” is about meeting their first crush from 15 years ago. Would you understand the characters’ feeling in the movie?
Yeo: Well not perfectly. It seemed like a movie for my aunt or uncle’s generation. But Lee Je-hoon and Bae Suzy looked like they understood it perfectly. I watched it wondering how being in a relationship like that would feel like.

<#10LOGO#> After SBS’ “Giant” ended its run, you said you’re worried about “the curse of 16,” which refers to people who start to look ugly at the age of 16. How do you evaluate yourself in terms of your looks?
Yeo: I’m still growing so I can’t guarantee that I avoided the curse.

<#10LOGO#> Are you satisfied with your height?
Yeo: I grew 12 centimeters taller than when I played in “Giant.” It’d be great if I can grow just 12 centimeters more.

<#10LOGO#> A new semester began at school. Have you made friends?
Yeo: We all knew each other. Well, everyone at school is my friend (laugh).

<#10LOGO#> Is that why you were chosen as the vice president of the student council?
Yeo: I wasn’t thinking about running for the school election in the beginning. But my friend, who is now the president of the student council, offered me the position. I told him that I’ll think about it because I often missed classes due to my shooting schedules. But then I thought it could be a good experience too, in terms of gaining more leadership. A chance like that doesn’t come that often.

“I want to be more confident.”

Actor Yeo Jin-goo [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

<#10LOGO#> So do you host school events?
Yeo: The teachers plan out school events, while my friend and I, the president of the student council, do the emceeing. The school festivals are in October.

<#10LOGO#> Is there a program you want to open at school festival?
Yeo: I want to try the competition where girls dress as guys and guys dress up as girls. Haha.

<#10LOGO#> And you’ll be one of the participants? (laugh)
Yeo: Oh not me. I have guy friends who are very skinny and it’d be funny to watch them wearing wigs and make-ups. They all need to wear skirts, strong make-ups and wigs, being as feminine as they can!

<#10LOGO#> Are there events you want to take part in?
Yeo: I haven’t thought about it yet. It’s fun to make fun of my friends.

<#10LOGO#> What’s the latest issue between you and your friends?
Yeo: My friends are crazy about female idol groups but I don’t have a special interest in girl groups. I like playing guitar these days. Recently, I started to play drums by joining a school band named ‘Virus.’ I thought that could help me get rid of my stress and make me look more manly and powerful.

<#10LOGO#> You started working earlier than your friends. When you look back, did you have puberty in your life?
Yeo: I think I lived a pretty smooth life. Some of my friends say that they didn’t even talk to their parents or ate food when they were going through puberty. I didn’t have that though. I need to mooch off my parents to get meals in the house. And because my parents give me rides to sets, I need to keep a smooth relationship with my parents. Whenever my friends tell me that they want to run away from their homes, I tell them that being in the house is the best because you have everything you need there.

<#10LOGO#> So do you feel more mature than your friends?
Yeo: When my friends act immature, I feel embarrassed. Sometimes, my friends who sing or dance on the street and I’d just point at them and tell people to look what they are doing. I just run away after that. Haha.

<#10LOGO#> What kind of a grown-up do you want to be?
Yeo: I’d want people to think that I’m a real man; no more or less than just a manly guy.

<#10LOGO#> What do you think you need to make people see you like that?
Yeo: Well, I need to grow taller and grow more muscles. And become more mature.

<#10LOGO#> What do you mean by a “cool guy”?
Yeo: You need to care about subtle feelings but avoid looking timid. You have to be kind and spend money to people if needed. But you need to hold on to your integrity.

<#10LOGO#> Speaking of that, is the 16-year-old Yeo Jin-goo a “cool guy”?
Yeo: I’m giving out too much these days. Haha. My friends make jokes by saying, “Jin-goo, isn’t it time for you to ‘give out’ to people?” This one time, I got an allowance from my parents and with that money, I paid for the snacks that I ate with friends. And now they take it for granted. I shouldn’t have paid it there… (laugh) I should start saving some money now. I can’t cut back my spending right now so I should see it in a longer term.

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10 아시아 Reporter : Lee Ga-on
10 아시아 Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@
10 아시아 Editor : Monica Suk monicasuk@
10 아시아 Editor : Lee Ji-Hye seven@