'Mojamussa' Anxious Type to 'Wild Thing' Stable Type: Oh Jung-se... Why Do You Like Him? [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Oh Jung-se, in the JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama 'Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness and Struggling' (directed by Cha Young-hoon, written by Park Hae-young, hereinafter 'Mojamussa'), poured out inferiority complex like a rapid-fire machine in every waking moment. However, the real 'human Oh Jung-se' is said to be the opposite: free from envy and jealousy, and emotionally stable.

Having skillfully portrayed 'anxious type' characters in various filmographies such as 'When Camellias Bloom' and 'I Was Fooled', it turns out he is actually the 'stable type' that many people seek today. When recalling director Park Kyung-se from 'Mojamussa' in Oh Jung-se, who is naturally equipped with the shy and somewhat reserved traits of an INFP along with kindness, one realizes anew just how much of a method actor he is.

Coinciding with the conclusion of 'Mojamussa', Oh Jung-se transformed once again as Choi Seong-gon, a ballad singer, in the film 'Wild Thing' (directed by Son Jae-gon), released on the 3rd. His song 'I Like You', sung with a gentle sensibility, became a massive hit due to its strong addictiveness. Additionally, he continues to deliver joy as the timid and stingy gangster Geum-gang-sik in MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama '50 Percent'.

'Mojamussa' is a drama following a human's search for peace while being driven to madness by envy and jealousy, the only one who cannot get ahead among successful friends. Writer Park Hae-young, who penned 'My Mister' and 'My Liberation Notes', and director Cha Young-hoon, who directed 'When Camellias Bloom' and 'Welcome to Samdal-ri', joined forces.

Oh Jung-se took on the role of director Park Kyung-se, who suffers from severe inferiority complex. Although Park Kyung-se appears to be a successful director who has made five films, he is actually an anxious-type character with more meanness and inferiority than anyone else. He displayed a 'hate-chemistry' with Hwang Dong-man (played by Gu Gyeo-won) and conveyed humor by appearing extremely intimidated in front of his wife, Ko Hye-jin (played by Kang Mal-geum). Other cast members include Ko Yoon-jung (as Byun Eun-ah), Park Hae-jun (as Hwang Jin-man), Bae Jong-ok (as Oh Jung-hee), Han Sun-hwa (as Jang Mi-ran), and Choi Won-young (as Choi Dong-hyun).

When asked first whether Oh Jung-se had ever felt worthless himself, similar to the director Park Kyung-se role he played in 'Mojamussa', he stated, "I have never entered a cave thinking I was greatly worthless. I do not think I am similar to the character Kyung-se. I do not get very upset when I hate someone or when I fail."

Is the real 'human Oh Jung-se' high or low in self-esteem? Oh Jung-se said, "I try to avoid ups and downs, avoid envy and jealousy, and maintain emotional stability whether things go well or not. When I look at myself, I can see my shortcomings."

How does the 'stable type' Oh Jung-se try to overcome negative emotions? He said, "One of my assets is 'positive thinking.' I know that if I can resolve stress, I might not need to feel stressed, so I try to think positively."

When asked how he expressed the meanness of Park Kyung-se, who was full of inferiority, Oh Jung-se explained, "My first goal was to follow the script. I tried to implement every line carefully. When about 10 to 20 percent of filming was done, my thoughts changed slightly. Since Kyung-se has many lines, it was important to convey the script, but I also wanted him to appear free within it. Both Kyung-se and all characters were full of inferiority. The scene where Kyung-se felt bad when Dong-man said 'congratulations' to him looked the meannessiest."

Oh Jung-se showed particularly vicious and mean images when working with director Cha Young-hoon, following 'When Camellias Bloom' and this time in 'Mojamussa'. He said, "I received a lot of help while watching the director. Around the time 'Camellias' ended, I saw Noh Gyu-tae in director Cha Young-hoon. This time, I met a character with such resolve and found those qualities in the director. Having the real Kyung-se present on set made acting more secure. During the wrap party for 'Camellias', everyone was in a lively mood, but the director cried immensely with happiness and emotion. He cried like a baby, which was very lovely, pure, and like Noh Gyu-tae." He revealed that his role model was director Cha Young-hoon.

Although the character's personality differed from Park Kyung-se, Oh Jung-se must have empathized with the difficult environmental aspects of the film industry as a 'filmmaker'. Oh Jung-se said, "I thought it was a universal story about people making films. The line 'Who makes movies to make money? They make them to have fun' was very refreshing."

The buzz surrounding Choi Seong-gon's role in 'Wild Thing' was already unusual from the time of media disclosure. Regarding his involvement in 'Wild Thing', Oh Jung-se explained, "I had a connection with director Son Jae-gon and worked together this time. I also kicked my feet a lot under the water for 'Wild Thing'. I made many suggestions to the director. The long hair was also decided after wondering what would look best. When I transformed into a wild boar hunter, I wanted to contrast with that character."

He continued, "On set, there was talk that the choreography for 'I Like You' should include ad-libs. I hadn't expected such a reaction. It was a battle with myself on set. I am not a good singer, yet I had to sing 'I Like You' on set, and my expression had to be top-notch. After that scene ended, I felt ashamed." This elicited laughter.

When asked if there would be an opportunity to showcase his singing as Choi Seong-gon if 'Wild Thing' was successful, he replied, "I thought about it, but when I tried at home, it didn't go well. There were even discussions about appearing on music shows for promotional purposes, but I wondered if lip-syncing on music shows might be disrespectful to someone. 'I Like You' even had a one-hour continuous playback video."

Acting is something that, when done by Oh Jung-se, uniquely has the effect of becoming a 'scene stealer'. When asked about the reason, Oh Jung-se said, "Kicking my feet a lot under the water is the driving force; sometimes I become a scene stealer in certain works, and in others, I just appear that way." He added, "I tried to act sincerely with the thought that I want the audience to be happy. I received vocal training for the role of Choi Seong-gon and practiced the 'straw breathing method'."

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*This content was translated by AI.