‘Scandal’ star Ji Chang-wook on tense chemistry with Son Ye-jin and bed scene with Nana: “Meaning matters more than intensity” [★FULL INTERVIEW]

*This content was translated by AI.

For actor Ji Chang-wook, ‘Scandal’ was a new challenge. From the breathless tension shared with Son Ye-jin to the bold romance with Nana, he once again revealed a fresh facet of himself as an actor.

‘Scandal’ is a work depicting the reckless and dangerous love bet between “Madam Jo” (played by Son Ye-jin), a woman whose exceptional talents confine her within the limits of being female in the Joseon era, and “Jo Won” (played by Ji Chang-wook), the greatest lover in Joseon, as well as the story of “Hee-yeon” (played by Nana), a woman entangled in that bet.

Ji Chang-wook portrayed Jo Won, the greatest lover in Joseon who plunges into a dangerous bet to obtain what he lacks.

Regarding why he chose the project, he revealed, “The original work is the French classic novel ‘A Dangerous Liaison,’ and given that it has been remade so many times, it was impossible not to feel some burden in taking on a project based on an existing source material.”

He continued, “However, the fact that it is a classic actually gave me great courage. I had always wanted to play the character of Jo Won at least once, and I felt it was a role worth challenging,” adding, “I also believed that working with Director Jung Ji-woo could create another new work.”

The first impression Ji Chang-wook had of Jo Won was that of a “man who loves two women.” He said, “The character itself was very complex, and the relationships between the characters were intriguing. As an actor, I felt I could try expressing difficult and complex emotions.”

However, he did not define Jo Won’s emotions with a single answer. Ji Chang-wook stated, “There was no clear answer to Jo Won’s psychology itself. Neither the director nor I approached filming by deciding on a definitive answer like ‘this is definitely this emotion,’” explaining, “As we went through multiple takes, there were times when new expressions emerged that we had not anticipated.”

In that process, there were moments when even he, as an actor, found it difficult to predict himself. Ji Chang-wook said, “There were takes so confusing that I did not know what I was expressing,” adding, “Looking back, I think the director may have intended those unpredictable moments to some extent.”

He expressed deep trust regarding his chemistry with Son Ye-jin. Ji Chang-wook said, “There was not a single scene without tension in the scenes where Madam Jo and Jo Won were together. Even when we were laughing at each other, it was essentially a relationship of conflict,” adding, “We felt a lot of tension during filming as well, and we shot with that level of concentration.”

The filming process was also not easy. He recalled, “After finishing shooting, I was so exhausted and tired because the scenes with my senior required a lot of energy,” stating, “Director Jung Ji-woo likes long takes, and there were cases where a single take exceeded 10 minutes. Going through such filming made me think, ‘I need to prepare more.’”

He continued, “Having grown up watching my senior’s works since I was young, working together itself felt like a dream,” revealing, “I had a strong desire to be a partner worthy of her. My senior has an intense concentration that is almost suffocating, and she firmly held the center of the work.”

Ji Chang-wook also spoke candidly about the intensity of the work and the bed scenes. He said, “Because there was nudity and bed scenes, it was impossible not to feel tension. I remember that the bed scene filming was mostly concentrated in the latter half of production,” adding, “We discussed a lot with the director about how these scenes were not simply meant to show intensity, but what meaning they held within the relationship.”

He continued, “I intentionally excluded any deliberate effort to build muscles or emphasize visuals,” explaining, “After building chemistry through previous filming with Nana, we shot the scenes so that we could rely on each other. The director also gave much consideration to these aspects.”

Regarding the mixed reviews surrounding the work, Ji Chang-wook said, “I think it is a work where such opinions are inevitable. There are parts of the comparisons with the original work and discussions about chemistry that I can accept as ‘that is one way to look at it.’”

He continued, “Personally, when I hear the evaluation that it is ‘Korea’s Bridgerton,’ I think, ‘It is not really that kind of work,’ but I believe people may have different ways of viewing a work,” adding, “However, I was grateful to the director because through ‘Scandal,’ I experienced a new working method and discovered a new side of myself as an actor.”

In particular, Ji Chang-wook, who has continued an unbroken pace this year with the film ‘COLONY’ followed by ‘Scandal,’ revealed that he needs his own “justification” when choosing projects.

He said, “It seems I need my own justification when selecting a work. If the reason why I want to do this work is clear, I choose it.”

The driving force behind him continuing to take on works remains the joy of acting. Ji Chang-wook said, “I do not know how much longer I will love acting in the future, but so far it is enjoyable and fun. I still feel excited and have ambitions, so it seems like I am doing a lot of work for a long time.”

He then added, “As this continues, there will be times when I want to rest. At that point, I think I will take a break and then do another work when I meet one that excites me again,” revealing candidly, “In my experience, there are not many days off, and I get tired sometimes. I do not know what will happen from next year, but I do not want to force myself.”

Currently, he is also in the midst of filming his next project, ‘Human X Kumiho.’ Ji Chang-wook is pairing up with Jun Ji-hyun for a fantasy romance.

He hinted, “‘Human X Kumiho’ seems like it will be a work filled with Senior Jun Ji-hyun’s attractive appearance,” adding, “There is chemistry between me and Senior Jun Ji-hyun, and since it is a fantasy romance, I think you can also look forward to the story contained within it.”

He continued, “We are currently in the middle of filming, matching our chemistry well and working hard. It seems like it will be released around next year, and this work will have its own distinct charm,” urging anticipation.

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*This content was translated by AI.