'Wild Thing' Eom Tae-gu: "I did everything cute on stage, including an improvised wink... for the rest of my life" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Eom Tae-gu shared the behind-the-scenes story of spending five months shuttling between JYP to focus on rap and dance training for the film 'Wild Thing'.

On the 28th, we met with Eom Tae-gu, an actor in the film 'Wild Thing' (directed by Son Jae-gon), at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss various topics.

'Wild Thing' is a comedy film about 'Triangle', a three-member mixed dance group that once dominated the music industry but disbanded overnight due to an unexpected incident, as they seize a chance for redemption after 20 years through a reckless challenge.

Eom Tae-gu takes on the role of 'Sang-gu', an overly passionate storm rapper, undergoing a dramatic transformation. Eom, who had many doubts about accepting the role, stated, "Actually, I hesitated a lot. I approached it with the mindset that I had to sprint. I knew intellectually that the comedy genre and making someone laugh is a tremendous feat, but this time I felt it again."

He continued, "Although I didn't feel confident I could pull off this role well, I thought that by playing this character, I could approach the comedy genre, dance, and rap in a new way. After much deliberation, I wanted to take on the challenge, so I decided to appear in the film."

Eom Tae-gu visited the JYP Entertainment building for five months, preparing from the basics of rap, breathing, rap making, to every single gesture under the dedicated guidance of producer KASS.

He recalled, "When I first started rapping, I couldn't hold my head up. Later, as I tried to imitate what the teacher did, I naturally ended up copying the teacher's gestures, which made me laugh. At that time, I thought to myself, 'I guess I've become a bit more natural.' What always fascinated me was that while I was having fun rapping with the teacher in the booth, everything felt awkward the moment I stepped out of that door. So the teacher recorded videos, but he didn't even show them to the company," sharing a laugh.

Regarding the choreography, he said, "The choreography teacher directed very intentionally. What was amazing was that it seems he taught each member slightly differently. I thought, 'Why isn't he telling me this?' but he said, 'Sang-gu only needs to do this.'"

He added, "Actually, I didn't intend to be that cute on stage from the beginning. However, when I tried on the costume and rehearsed on set, the choreography teacher said, 'I wish Sang-gu could be a bit cuter.'"

He then laughed, saying, "I tried various things, but since there wasn't much I could do, I winked a lot. It was decided on the day, so I couldn't practice my expressions separately. I think I did every possible act of being cute that day."

Additionally, regarding Park Ji-hyun's remark that she felt like she was being "stolen the center position," Eom teased, "No matter how much chaos there is, in the end, Ji-hyun is the center."

Eom stated, "Looking back, I think I worried the most on set about whether this felt awkward or suited the character. However, if it appeared natural, that's a relief, and it's also fascinating to see such reactions."

He added, "I think I did it with the mindset, 'If I'm not cute, I'll die.' After deciding with the choreography teacher to go for cute, I had to go on stage, but there was a burden of having to show a side no one had ever seen before. I think I winked with that mindset."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.