"I will never forget it": Jang Se-hyuk, the delicate 'Dive to You' [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

• Interview with actor Jang Se-hyuk, who played Yoon Ha-ru in the Disney+ and Channel A drama "Dive to You"

Actor Jang Se-hyuk, who overcame a 120-to-1 competition rate, shared what he gained from taking on his first leading role in "Dive to You."

Jang recently spoke about various aspects of the work during an interview commemorating the finale of the Disney+ and Channel A drama "Dive to You," held at the StarNews headquarters in Seorin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

"Dive to You," which concluded on the 1st, is a drama depicting top actress Yoon Ha-na (played by Kim Ji-yeon), whose soul was swapped with her twin brother Yoon Ha-ru (played by Jang Se-hyuk) due to an accident, as she travels back in time and struggles to prevent the death of her first love.

Jang took on the role of Yoon Ha-ru, Yoon Ha-na's twin sibling and a world No. 1 ranked judo gold medalist, delivering a wide range of emotional performances from the desperation in crisis to the confusion of a swapped soul.

Regarding his thoughts on the finale, Jang stated, "As it was my first leading role, I felt a lot of tension and a strong sense of responsibility, and since I poured affection into this work, I am also disappointed that it has ended. Thanks to those around me, I was able to create the character of Yoon Ha-ru. I will not forget that sentiment and want to grow into an even better actor."

How was the chemistry with fellow actors, including Kim Ji-yeon, who played Yoon Ha-na, his twin sibling in the drama, as well as Park Seo-ham and Moon Seung-yu?

Jang said, "Actually, I had only seen them on TV before, so it was very strange," smiling before adding, "They gave me a lot of help and encouragement to help me adapt well to the set. Since I am a complete rookie taking on a big role, I felt burdened and worried that things might not go well, but (Park) Seo-ham hyung gave me so much support that my mind became at ease. I am somewhat introverted, but I opened up quickly." He expressed gratitude to the actors he worked with.

Jang joined as the last lead actor after overcoming a 120-to-1 competition rate in the "Dive to You" audition. He explained, "I prepared for the audition not with the mindset of 'I will definitely get cast,' but with the thought of becoming a good actor. Getting a chance at the second-round audition is quite rare, so when I received that call, I was surprised and felt like I had to grit my teeth even harder, preparing as if grinding my bones. Since I originally practiced judo, I brought my judogi with me. I can confidently say that for one month, I did nothing but prepare for the audition except for sleeping."

"Dive to You" is a fantasy genre drama featuring time slip and body change elements. Was it difficult to act while keeping both of these in mind?

Jang said, "In the beginning, I was naturally conscious of (the genre characteristics), but as time went on, I stopped being conscious of them. I worried a lot on my own and looked up (Kim) Ji-yeon's previous works to study, but it only gave me a headache. I decided to just ask Ji-yeon noona everything, so we had many conversations during script reading, and through that process, we became close."

He continued, "Since the drama is a fantasy romance, I thought it might look like bromance (between the characters in the drama), but at the same time, I wanted it to be seen as romance." He added, "In the ending of Episode 1, I acted hoping that my appearance would be seen as Ha-na rather than Ha-ru. There were people who viewed it as delicate acting, and I am simply grateful for that."

Director So Jae-hyun, who directed the series, had previously expressed special gratitude to Jang, stating that thanks to him, filming was completed within the scheduled time. Regarding this, Jang began by saying, "Actually, I was so discouraged on set that I pushed myself a lot. I thought I had to convince the staff of why I was the protagonist."

He shared, "There were many emotional scenes in the early filming rounds, and since it was my first time doing emotional acting, I worried about whether I was doing well. But the director said, 'Hyuk, thanks to you, we finished filming smoothly.' At that moment, I felt immense relief. In the case of action scenes, I think they shone because the actors went to an action school together and diligently rehearsed our choreography. I could feel that the director loved all the actors, so I am truly grateful."

What does "Dive to You," which established rookie Jang Se-hyuk as a lead actor, mean to him? Jang expressed his affection for the work by saying, "Thanks to those who helped me, the character of Yoon Ha-ru was completed. I sincerely thank the viewers and want to promise to show an even better appearance in the future. 'Dive to You' is a work I will never forget in my life."

Jang debuted in 2023 with the drama "Cheongdam International High School 1" and has since appeared in works such as "Secret Gratitude," "Pro Bono," "For First Love," "Cheongdam International High School 2," and "Unknown Seoul."

Regarding his life as an actor, he stated, "I am still looking for what kind of charm I have acting-wise," adding, "I have gone through many auditions. Of course, there were regrets, but I view it as a process toward becoming a good actor and think positively about it."

He continued, smiling shyly, "I had a desire to play characters that radiate bright energy, and I am happy to have found a role that radiates bright and positive energy through 'Dive to You.' In reality, I am very calm and gentle, so I had to match the synchronization rate with the character in the drama, but as I naturally immersed myself, it seems the synchronization rate matched up. People around me also say, 'Oh, you can joke around too?'"

Jang, who decided to pursue acting on his father's advice, recently looks at himself and thinks, "If not acting, what else would I have done?" He shared, "I think I made the right choice in choosing this profession. In that regard, I feel my satisfaction with my current state has become very high."

He then revealed his aspirations, saying, "I want to show various sides of myself in the future. I would like to keep trying both dark characters and bright characters like Yoon Ha-ru. When I did action acting while filming 'Dive to You,' I found there is also joy that comes from it. I developed a strong desire to definitely do action."

Finally, Jang conveyed what he sincerely dreams of by saying, "As a personal wish, I think Navy Headquarters that if I become a good actor and someone sees me and can have a dream, that would be great. I want to be a person who has a positive influence on many people."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original