'Scarecrow' Jung Moon-sung: "Serial Killer! A woman walking by shouted... I ran away" [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Jung Moon-sung (45) shared his thoughts on the intense popularity of 'Scarecrow'.

Jung Moon-sung conducted an interview with StarNews at a cafe in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd. Earlier, on the 26th of last month, he wrapped up the 12th-episode run of ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Scarecrow' and discussed the work and related stories.

'Scarecrow' is a work based on the 1986 serial killings that occurred in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, one of South Korea's three major unsolved cases. While Bong Joon-ho's 2003 film 'Memories of Murder' shed light on this case that remained unsolved at the time of its release, 'Scarecrow' covered the period up to the arrest of the true culprit in September 2019, leaving a meaningful message. The drama follows detective Kang Tae-ju (played by Park Hae-soo), who investigates the serial killings, as he unexpectedly forms an alliance with prosecutor Cha Si-young (played by Lee Hee-joon), a man he despised.

Notably, 'Scarecrow' sparked viewers' interest with the 'rediscovery of Jung Moon-sung'. In the drama, Jung Moon-sung played the role of Lee Ki-hwan (played by Song Geon-hee), the brother of the villain Lee Ki-beom (played by Cha Young-beom), before revealing himself as the true culprit Lee Yong-woo (playing Lee Ki-hwan), driving the drama's gripping tension with a plot twist. Without relying on dramatic effects, he delivered a surprising performance that created a chilling twist solely through his acting skills.

As a result, 'Scarecrow' started with a 2.9% viewership rating in its first episode and concluded with an impressive 8.1%, marking the highest viewership rating for any ENA Monday-Tuesday drama in history. In terms of overall ENA drama viewership, it ranked second, following 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' (17.5%).

On this day, when asked about a moment when he felt the popularity of 'Scarecrow', Jung Moon-sung said, "It was before the final episode even aired. I was walking my dog late at night when a woman recognized me and shouted, 'Serial killer!' People around her stepped back. I was startled and ran away," eliciting laughter.

He continued, "Even though I was wearing a mask, so many people recognized me. Unlike before when people approached me familiarly, they were whispering now," conveying the aftereffects (?) of his intense portrayal of a serial killer.

Jung Moon-sung also revealed that he suffered from spoilers. He said, "First, I didn't tell anyone. However, since I live with my mother and my pet dog, my mother had to know. I was constantly talking to the director at home about the 'culprit,' so there was no way around it. Instead, I made sure she didn't talk freely anywhere and kept her mouth shut. I received many messages from people around me saying things like, 'You look like the brother,' 'Your hands look like the brother's,' or 'Your buzz cut makes you look like the culprit.' At that time, I casually dropped hints like, 'Actually, the culprit is Lee Hee-joon,' and they believed me," sharing a cheerful anecdote.

He added, "I had a feeling 'Scarecrow' would turn out well. The book was so fun, and the atmosphere on set was great. With such talented actors and an excellent director, I just thought, 'I hope I don't hold anyone back.' Because I worked hard with such a great set and script, I believe they saw my performance as good," expressing his gratitude.

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*This content was translated by AI.