"With a script in three languages and gun action... touching." 'Kill Show 2' Kusonagi Jung-yunha [Q&A]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Jung Yun-ha captivated viewers with his unique charisma and passionate performance in "Shoppings for Killers Season 2."

Jung Yoon-ha has newly joined the Disney+ original series 'Killers of the Shopping Mall Season 2' to play Kusunagi, who heads the Babylon East Asia branch. In this season, where all episodes were released on the 12th, Jung Yoon-ha appears as a key figure of a global force confronting Jian and Jin-man.

"Killer's Shopping Mall Season 2" is an action series in which Jian (played by Kim Hye-jun), who has taken over as the new CEO of the shopping mall after a grueling handover, launches a counterattack alongside Jin-man (played by Lee Dong-wook), who has returned from the dead, against "Babylon," a global force. Kusana is positioned at the center of the conflict in Season 2, serving as a character who drives the narrative of the story.

Jung Yun-ha portrayed the Kusonagi character with a calm tone and control over the game's flow, delivering multilingual performances in Korean, Japanese, and English. The composition depicts both the ruthlessness and control shown while moving toward a goal, as well as the anxiety and outbursts that emerge when those are lost, illustrating the character's psychological changes.

Jung Yun-ha delivered outstanding performances in the films "Pamyu," "Heartman," Disney+’s "Casino," Netflix’s "XO, Kitty" and "Trunk," as well as the theater production "Let's Go to Our Karaoke... Shall We Talk?"

All episodes of "Killer's Shopping Mall Season 2" have been released. What are your thoughts after completing the work?

Finally, with Kusonagi Jin's story fully revealed, I feel a sense of relief mixed with regret over the parting. In fact, once casting was confirmed, we began filming just two to three weeks later. I remember being in the midst of stage performances and preparing frantically. With scripts in three languages and gun-fighting action sequences involved, there was so much to prepare for; looking back now, it remains a particularly poignant work.

Kusanagi, who newly appears in Season 2, is the head and core villain overseeing the East Asia branch of the massive organization Babylon. I am curious about your first impression of Kusanagi when you first read the script.

Kusanagi is interpreted as a strategist who wishes to become the 'grand master of chess,' designing and controlling the board himself. He is a thorough result-oriented individual for whom the process does not matter if it leads to the desired outcome. At the core of this lies an inferiority complex stemming from being neither Korean nor Japanese, but an 'outsider' who belongs nowhere within the organization. This sense of lack fuels a competitive drive to overcome and prove himself, which I approached by equating with the primal psychology of compensating for appetites akin to raw hunger. Although he believes he can control his obsessive and distorted desires, my intention was to portray a character who is actually being dominated by those very desires.

Kusanagi also played a central role in the narrative of 'Killers' Shopping Mall Season 2'. What was the primary acting focus you concentrated on to express the character's ambition, lack, and cold inner nature?

I thought Kusunagi this season was a villain with a different resolve than Veil. If Veil is closer to a psychopath who can kill without emotion, Kusunagi is a sociopath — someone who can feel emotions but strictly suppresses and calculates them for the sake of their goal. I have always wondered how viewers would feel about this. Since Season 1’s Jeong Jin-man and Jeong Ji-an, along with their allies, created such a powerful narrative, as someone joining in Season 2, I seriously considered the weight of that responsibility. While it is good to face off beautifully with powerful action, I wanted to create Kusunagi’s own unique charm. Just like in “Fist of Legend,” martial arts masters always have something distinctive. I aimed to differentiate through an unpredictable sense of discomfort.

His multilingual acting, spanning Korean, Japanese, and English, was impressive. What efforts did you make while delivering lines in multiple languages to build the charisma of a global commander?

I wanted to capture different facets of the character in each language. When writing in English, I preserved the formal, somewhat pretentious tone; for Japanese, I adopted a masculine style akin to that used by a mercenary organization; and for Korean, I set it closer to the language of a businessman rather than a mercenary. It was not easy to give each of the three languages a distinct texture within such a short preparation period, but precisely because of that, it was an essential task to build up the character's multi-layered nature while simultaneously maintaining their consistency.

In the drama, Kusana displayed a chilling strategy and precise control of pace in pressuring opponents. When acting out scenes involving various characters, how did you conceive of subtle facial expressions or gesture settings?

I wanted to express my psychology through actions quite a bit. As a result, I naturally ended up using many psychological gestures involving my hands. From a rhetorical perspective, I intentionally spoke with a unique rhythm that abruptly cut off the flow of consciousness, aiming to disrupt standardized breathing patterns. I believed that this very mismatched tempo would create a sense of alienation and discomfort for viewers, serving as the most precise way to reveal Kusunagi's twisted inner self.

How was your chemistry with other characters, from the restrained relationships with Q, J, and K to the tense dynamics with Jin-man, Jian, and Veil? If there were any memorable on-set acting energies or behind-the-scenes moments you'd like to share, what were they?

First, actress Kim Hye-jun, who played the role of Jeong Ji-an, seemed to be an actor with charm and magnetism that draws many people both on and off the screen at the center of the filming set. As a new character in Season 2, I received much help to naturally integrate into the story. Senior actor Lee Dong-wook was a major figure in the work and a senior colleague who provided great support. Since he is experienced and a veteran, I sought his advice frequently, and even during scenes where I had to lie on cold concrete for realism, he acted alongside me in every shot. Thanks to the actors from Season 1, Kusunagi was born. Thank you.

The narrative of Kusunagi, who rushed through the latter half and ultimately met his end, left a powerful impression. How did you feel while acting out that final moment where various emotions of the character were intertwined?

It was the moment when a person who had rapidly swung between cold reason and hot desires finally collapsed. Since this individual had been dominated by what they had obsessively suppressed, I hoped that once their control completely broke, their most base, petty, and wretched self would emerge. And at the end of those desires, I wished for emptiness and desolation.

He is building a diverse spectrum by crossing over between movies, dramas, and theater stages. What kind of significance will this season 2 of "The Killer's Mall" and the character Kusunagi leave in actor Jung Yun-ha's filmography?

Perhaps some of you found my acting style unfamiliar. However, that process became an opportunity for me to deeply reflect on diversity as an actor. At the same time, as someone engaged in popular arts, I came to believe that considering and keeping in mind a close connection with the audience is also a quality of an actor. Therefore, Kusonagi Jin is a character that was both a challenge and a learning experience for me, one that will remain memorable for a long time.

▶ We would like to extend our final greetings to the viewers who have watched "Killer's Shopping Mall Season 2" and accompanied the journey of the character Kusonagi until the end.

Given the short preparation period, this character was created with great intensity, and I sincerely thank you for watching until the end. From now on, I will strive to become an actor who presents even more diverse sides and draws closer to you. Stay healthy and happy.

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*This content was translated by AI.