"Drunk driving and theft." Yoon Ji-on's substitute.."Baby" Hong Jong-hyun "Pressure, I didn't have time to think about it" [Interview 1]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Channel A interview with actor Hong Jong-hyun as Cha Min-wook in the Saturday drama "I Have a Baby."

Actor Hong Jong-hyun expressed his feelings about filling the vacancy of actor Yoon Ji-on, who caused a social stir.

Hong Jong-hyun held a round interview at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 23rd to commemorate the end of the Channel A Saturday-Sunday drama "I Have a Baby" (scripted by So Hae-won/directed by Kim Jin-sung).

"I Have a Baby" is a back-running romantic comedy about two men and women who said they had no marriage in their lives, based on web novels and webtoons of the same name.

Hong Jong-hyun played Cha Min-wook, a unicorn male friend who has been standing by Jang Hee-won (played by Oh Yeon-seo) for 15 years in the play, and who ignited a triangular romance. In particular, the character's straight forward love and friendly and upright side were played by Hong Jong-hyun's own acting, which excited viewers.

On this day, Hong Jong-hyun said, "It was fun to shoot a bright genre drama for the first time in a long time, and I watched it with that feeling. In the case of "Dear X", if there was a long time to think about it on the spot, this drama was filmed and watched in a pleasant mood," he said.

He said, "There were quite a few people who knew it because it was a drama with an original work, and there were cases where people around me didn't know it well. Everyone makes an analogy based on the title. It was more attractive because it was a character that was very different from the previous work. I was asked if I felt pressured because I was different from the "Dear X" character, but I also had fun participating in it as if I was evoking it once," he said.

"I Have a Baby" was originally scheduled to feature actor Yoon Ji-on in the role of Cha Min-wook, but it became vacant after he got off on charges of drunk driving and theft.

Hong Jong-hyun, who was put in this position, confessed, "Some people may hate this story because I didn't actually have anything to do with it, but it's true that I didn't have long time to think about it." It's not that I'm ugly and I'm good, but if another actor acts, doesn't it look different. I worked with the idea of working hard with the character I interpreted. Sometimes actors are replaced in the middle, and I was glad that it wasn't such a situation," he said with a smile.

"The staff were bright, positive, and the atmosphere was good on the spot," he said. "I thought (the staff) would create a better atmosphere because I was in the middle and couldn't adjust, but later I found out that it was that tension originally. I was most worried about whether I could fit well in the structured structure, and I think that was the biggest concern for the director."

"What I thought was fortunate was that I had appeared as a cameo in the drama 'Player' before, and the director of Team B directed 'I Have a Baby'. At that time, I also worked with Yeonseo. At that time, we talked about, "I really hope we can try it together later," and he showed a positive attitude, saying, "It was really nice to do that."

He said, "I was glad that the chemistry with the actors was good. I think I was busy filming it for the first month or so. Personally, I felt more stable toward the second half of the play. Honestly, there are some things I'm disappointed about, but it was good to watch," he said.

Hong Jong-hyun, who was asked what advice he would give if his junior had been counseling on alternative input, said, "I've never experienced this before," adding, "I think I'll ask him to look at the script based on whether he wants to shoot or not, aside from the intermediate input and re-shooting." When I was also offered, I asked purely if I wanted to shoot this drama, and the answer came out."

Hong Jong-hyun, who reunited with Oh through the upcoming film, said, "I felt reassured because he told me, 'Don't worry. Come here quickly.' I was close to Dasom (Kim), and it was my first time seeing him (Choi) Jin-hyuk. I felt like I was in a corner to lean on (by working with Oh Yeon-seo)," he said, expressing his gratitude for Oh Yeon-seo.

About Choi Jin-hyuk, he said, "I thought he would be a little picky because he had an image of SBS 'My Ugly Baby', but he wasn't at all. It was as comfortable as a neighborhood brother. He thanked me for making the difficult decision. I was grateful that my brother took the lead in creating a lot of meals with actors and staff," he said.

Hong Jong-hyun also expressed his affection for the role of Cha Min-wook. He said, "It's my favorite friend, but I like him as a woman, and I have a child, but aside from those circumstances, I'm a character who wants to be with you, so at first I thought, 'Does it make sense?' but that was the most interesting point. I wondered how to allow it, but in the end, I thought he was a friend with a wide bowl. I don't express a lot, I don't show it well, but I felt cool because I was like a manly character with a warm appearance," he said, expressing his affection for the role.

He said, "There is a line to Hee-won, 'Looking back after time, I don't think there was a moment when I didn't like you,' and I thought he wouldn't have noticed it well either. I just don't have touch, but I think I did things like dating that my lover would do. I think Min-wook would have regretted what he realized afterwards, but I thought that he would have expressed his mind at that time so as not to regret it," he explained about his character.

"I Have a Baby" has attracted extraordinary popularity and attention from all over the world. In the second week of airing on Global OTT Rakuten Vicky, it ranked first in the weekly rankings based on the number of viewers in the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, maintained the top five in the Middle East and India, and also ranked first in the number of viewers for two consecutive weeks in major countries such as the United States, Brazil, France, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore.

On the popularity of overseas, Hong Jong-hyun said, "I can't believe the popularity of overseas," adding, "It doesn't seem that domestic viewers haven't watched it at all." The difference between our dramas is that I think it was a good point to solve the subject matter, which could be very heavy and sensitive, not heavy. I think I solved it more pleasantly and brightly than I imagined. "When the character's emotions get thicker once in a while, I think he/she gave a feeling of driving and showed heavy materials without being heavy," he/she said.

"When I look at the characters I've mainly done before, they are more intense than soft or everyday, and even in historical dramas, there were many characters of such determination, such as using a sword. So I was more glad to see the character in "I Have a Baby" and thought that he enjoys this genre on his own. I want to try again if I have a chance later," he said.

Hong Jong-hyun, who made a strong impression by playing villain Moon Do-hyuk in the previous TVing original "Dear X." When asked which acting was more convenient between the previous film and "I Have a Baby," he said, "I've got a Baby" was more convenient. Since it's a Rocco genre, there are a lot of ad-libs and acting together has a lot of influence on the results. In the case of the previous work, there were difficulties and pleasures that came from it because it was not a character I had experienced so far. "Dear X" was fully enjoyed when watching the show, and "I've Got a Baby" was more enjoyable on the spot," he confessed.

As the background of the drama was a liquor company, there were many scenes of drinking. In response, Hong Jong-hyun said, "Jin-hyuk and (Kim) Ki-doo dried soju and beer incredibly well. You two are very strong drinkers. Isn't there a scene where you drink. I used to replace it with a soda, but when I hit it at once, I had to say my lines, but I kept burping. It was an interesting episode. There were many people who liked alcohol at the scene, so there were many drinks. The actors met near the house and had a drink, so it was better. I think I would have been more nervous if I only met on the spot," he recalled.

Hong Jong-hyun also clarified the meaning of "I have a baby" in his filmography, saying, "I would appreciate it if you could know that he is an actor who can play various roles."

(To be continued in the interview ②)

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*This content was translated by AI.