[Interview] Kim Jae Won Influences the Deaf Community. ~ COCA-COLA-ZING

[Interview] Kim Jae Won Influences the Deaf Community.
Cr. - allkpop

There’s a Korean saying that says as people get older, they need to start taking better care of their external appearance. Kim Jae Won looks as though he lives by this saying; his skin still looks amazing and his face always looks bright, but for him there’s more to the equation than just inheriting good genes.

He rests his mind on positive, pure thoughts and works to put his thoughts into practice in his own life, and inevitably his face reflects that. He and fellow colleague Noh Hong Chul have turned thinking positive into a lifestyle, and during his short interview, Kim Jae Won even influenced his interviewer to see the world in a different light.

Because he’s just a likeable guy, he’s more likely to receive support from viewers for his work. He truly hopes that through his work he can inspire people to open up their hearts just a little more.

-”Your Kdrama, “Can You Hear My Heart” Just ended a week ago; what have you been doing with your free time?”

“I still feel like I need to go on set. I’ve become so accustomed to my schedule; I still wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning, and I didn’t even go overseas but I feel jet lagged (laughs).”

-”You went back to work as soon as you were released from military service. Did you miss being able to work?”

“I’m so glad I’ve started work again. The only two leisurely things I did in the military was watch TV and read books. I would watch TV and want to be on a new program, or I would read and want to create a new storyline… that’s what took up a lot my thoughts. I was a DJ for a radio program for Korean military soldiers and when I read the stories and letters that came in, I realized over and over how much I love what I do. I was blessed to be able to work so quickly after I was discharged.”

-”It must be difficult playing the role of an partially hearing impaired character. You have to understand what people say by reading lips… That kind of acting is on a completely different level.”

“At first I was excited to play the role, but as the shoot went along, it became so difficult. I needed to come into my role as a hearing-impaired individual but there were other things I needed to understand for the story, like how a major enterprise is taken over. Not to mention I needed to learn how to read lips perfectly. In the story, most characters don’t know that my character, DongJoo, is deaf. There should have been scenes where DongJoo misinterprets what people say to him and consequentially things go awry because of it, but there was nothing like that. He can read lips so perfectly that the story seems a little less real. I wanted to discuss these details over with the production crew but we were shooting through it so fast there was no time for that. It’s too bad.”

-”Viewers must have given you praise for doing a Kdrama with such a heartfelt story. When you hear things like that, does it make you proud of your work?”

“‘People have mentioned it a lot. In the drama, Jung Bo Suk (played by Bong Young Kyu) is a character that reconciles the character Woori (played by Hwang Jung Eum)’s household, and my character DongJoo reconciles Choi Hwe Jang (Song Seung Hwan)’s household. Jang Bo Suk and DongJoo become friends and everyone in the drama becomes united in the end. We worked really hard to shoot this drama, but our hard work pays off when people tell us they were moved by the story. Especially when the deaf community extended their thanks and told us they were able to relate to the character DongJoo and they gained a new confidence after watching our drama, we were touched. These are possibly the best moments that come with being an actor and make acting worthwhile.

-”You have such a good natured image; does that limit your options as an actor?”

“I thought about that a lot. I wanted to play the part of the macho, bad guy too and I have a respect for the actors that can pull that off, but I’ve let that go now. I want to “specialize” in the kind of acting I am capable of. Some people are good at Math while other are good at Vocab. People who excel at Vocab shouldn’t be overly selfish and try to excel at Math… it’ll only hinder them from excelling at Vocab! (laughs).”

-”Your face might actually be suiting for a psychopath character.”

“If possible, I would like to stick to dramas that have a pleasant story line. All the violence on TV has a huge impact on the younger generation. They learn how to commit crime from the violence they see in the media, and their desire to for things of that nature increases. When you watch things like that, you can’t help but be influenced by it. I want to act in films and dramas which have stories that warms the heart.”

-”It’s been ten years already since your debut. You haven’t aged a day, but what kind of changes or growth have you experienced in that time?”

“My thoughts have changed in ten years, and through hardships and hurt I’ve experienced, I’ve become that much stronger. I strive to live a young, positive life. People age a little more each time they say, “At this age…?” I try not to make other people around me uncomfortable, and I remind myself each day that I am still young and capable, and I challenge myself to try new things. I think that’s the secret to living joyfully. Living this way also helps me relate to the younger people around me.”

-”You mentioned that while reading books during your military service you wanted to create a story line… any thoughts on producing your own film?”

“YES! (laughs) I even wrote up a scenario, but it’s going to be hard to find people to invest in it. I also think it’s going to be costly to cast people to play the role of the characters. I love kids, so I want to create a movie for children. If I get the opportunity sometime in the future, I may just do it.”

-”Isn’t it frustrating sometimes that people lock you in the “nice guy” category?”

“Since I was young, I’ve created boundaries for myself. I’ve lived within those boundaries for so long, that I’ve become accustomed to it (laughs). I remind myself that living this way is the right way for me, and I constantly watch the words that come out of my mouth. It’s been this way for so long it’s not frustrating; it’s the only lifestyle I know.”

-”What kind of actor do you wish to become? Someone like veteran Lee Soon Jae who grow old with the viewers?”

“Actually, when the time is right, I would like to become a husband and a father to a family. I want to become a man who devotes his life to his family, first and foremost… of course, way later on in life (laughs).”