The trend is, 191cm Moon Sangmin..How was "Generation Change" possible [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Moon Sang-min (26) expressed his emotional feelings about the generational change of the small screen with "Dear Bandit."

Earlier last month, KBS 2TV's Saturday-Sunday drama "My Dear Bandit" successfully concluded its 16-episode run with 7.6% (based on Nielsen Korea) ratings in the final episode.

At the center of the hot box office was actor Nam Ji-hyun, who has been experiencing for 23 years, and rookie Moon Sang-min showed a fresh presence and further stimulated his desire to watch the show.

In particular, Moon Sang-min has secured his first position as a male protagonist on the ground in six years since his debut in 2019. With his strong acting skills, he fully expressed the role of Prince Lee Yeol of Dowoldae and rose to the ranks of the mainstream of small screen in a short time. After impressing as Seongnam Grand Prince in the drama "Shroop" (2022), he was loved as a "Younger Man" in "Wedding Impossible" (2024) and "Cinderella at 2 a.m. (2024), and achieved another amazing growth.

In response, Moon Sang-min said in a recent interview with Star News, "I feel like I can't admit that it's over yet. I visited a historical drama after a long time since "Shroop", and I felt a lot that the viewers really liked "Moon Sang-min of historical drama", so I also enjoyed "Dear Bandit." So I think (Jong-young) is still a little disappointed," he said.

Moon Sang-min said, "I didn't even think it was my first terrestrial lead. I often watch Namuwiki, but when I watched it again a while ago, the explanation that "the first terrestrial lead" was written, so I felt new. I started with a pleasant excitement rather than a burden at the thought that more people would see my work," he said with joy.

Soon, Moon revealed his responsibility as a leading actor. He said, "What do you think of me? 'Do you think you did it for one person?'', I asked a lot of people around me about this while filming this work. As such, I was well aware that the role of Lee Yeol was a character made with great care, and each line was beautiful. I was very grateful for that part. When I first read the script, I thought it would be a success if it was delivered as I felt.

Despite the enthusiastic favorable reviews that he led the "generation change," he drew attention by showing a firm attitude without being excited. Moon Sang-min said, "Even if it's not 'generation change', I think I'm taking it step by step. At the same time, I think a lot about what really suits Moon Sang-min. I think about the genre I haven't tried before, and it hurts my head. So the best conclusion I made was, 'Let's do a good job of the work I can take responsibility for.' When I read the script, I feel confident and if there is something I feel in my heart, I think it is my ability and my job to choose without doubt. It's a repetition of my worries, I'm confused, and I don't know yet, and I'm not good at it, but I've become very responsible thinking, "Because the truth is the right thing." These days, I feel a lot of gratitude and I feel like I should do better," he said.

In the end, Nam Ji-hyun, who plays Hong Eun-jo (Gildong), and Moon Sang-min, who demonstrated a wide spectrum of acting skills from soul change to desperate melodrama breath. He said, "I still remember the first script reading. Ji-hyun (male) already used my speech, habit, and expression so perfectly. I could feel that my sister watched a lot of my videos. Watching Hong Eun-jo and Lee Yeol completely play, I gained confidence that 'I can do this, too.' I thought I could take my sister's energy and do it as it is. So I also looked up a lot of Jihyun's videos and tried to spend a lot of time together. Although my sister has a lot of experience, on the other hand, I wanted to lead her and become a strong presence as a second son. Whenever I went to the field to lead as a colleague, not as a younger brother or junior, I kept repeating and making resolutions," he recalled of the past when he was immersed in the role.

Moon Sang-min said, "I filmed 'My Dear Bandit' on a very hot summer day last year. I usually sweat a lot, but I sweated a lot. However, because I worked hard to shoot with a high degree of concentration, this sweat felt like a 'passionate sweat', not just a sweat. I acted with such a happy illusion," he said.

Moon also said, "I was so happy playing Eunjo. I think it's a great blessing to act with sympathy for both the main characters' narratives." "From the time I saw the script of 'My Dear Bandit', I thought Eunjo's narrative, which Ji-hyun played, was attractive. Because of that, I really wanted to do this work. My favorite part of our drama is the first and second episodes of Eunjo's narrative. At the beginning of the first part, I read it with a lot of emotion. I'm not usually like this, but I've become more emotional even though I've only seen it in writing," he added.

It also conveys the story of Nam Ji-hyun, a caring senior. Moon Sang-min said, "It wasn't a difficult line, but Eun-jo's 'What should I do' was so bad." So one evening, I texted my sister, "I've never asked you this before, but can you record it and send it to me?" My sister was so willing to record the line and send it to me. I kept listening to the recording and practiced, and it was very helpful."

He said, "I also wanted to record it, but I couldn't because my sister didn't request it separately. I was the only one who received it," he said, drawing laughter.

In addition, Moon Sang-min said, "The secret of 'My Dear Bandit' becoming a heart-wrenching drama is that I think, 'As expected, Nam Ji-hyun.' It was just Hong Eun-jo herself who took care of not only her fellow actors but also the staff. It's too hot and cold, and it can be exhausting if the shooting takes a long time, but there was a positive power of my sister who didn't show it once and said, "Let's cheer up." Also, there were many child actors in our drama, and my sister kept taking care of the babies like a real righteous woman. I'm trying to sympathize with them, but I had a lot to learn," he said.

In particular, Moon Sang-min said, "The biggest power of our drama is that Nam Ji-hyun is Hong Eun-jo," and showed off his affection, saying, "This is the big charm of 'My Dear Bandit,' and I also love and love Nam Ji-hyun because she is Hong Eun-jo." He said, "It's been rumored that my sister has a good eye for the script, but I also felt it. With such an older sister, he praised, "Moon Sang-min, I thought you were never wrong this time either."

When asked if he realized his popularity, Moon Sang-min said, "What's interesting is that a lot of my friends' mothers watch it. I've been contacted a lot by my friends, so I feel that I'm receiving a lot of love from my mothers these days. I even got a call saying, "I want to have a son-in-law." So I thought a little about what my mothers like so much about me. I think he liked the straightness of Prince Dowoldae and his bright eyes," he said with a pleasant smile.

He also revealed a modifier that he hopes will be added to his "treewiki." Moon Sang-min immediately looked at the wooden wiki on his mobile phone and replied, "It's Teto." He said, "I think I showed you that there is a 'lone wolf' in me through 'Dear Bandit.' There is a bright and soft side, but I don't think you knew 'The Lonely Wolf'. I wanted to bring out a little bit of this, but I think it came out well this time. Younger men are good, but I am now 27 years old (old age) and in my late 20s. When I worked with a female actor, I wanted to show her strong moments," he appealed.

Moon Sang-min said, "I have played a high-ranking role in historical dramas, but slaves are also possible, and I think Baekjeong and Dolsoe characters suit me. I rather think the plump one suits me. In modern products, I want to play a casual role, not necessarily a chaebol," he said, expressing a variety of charms.

Finally, Moon Sang-min said, "My Dear Bandit" was a light-like drama in my calm and dull daily life. This was possible because the viewers loved it. Also, what I felt while doing this drama was that I should be grateful for all of these things, the closest people, the familiar people, and the daily lives that can be missed, and do really well. I need to love and care for every point of view I thought a lot about it. So I want to say thank you so much to everyone who loved "Dear Bandit." Moon Sang-min greets you," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.