Jo Hyun Jae

This is from the June 2007 issue of V Magazine:

Eyes full of sadness, suddenly filled with tears

A serene soul flies freely in the wind………..

From the very beginning, actor Jo Hyun-Jae has projected an image of gentleness, sweetness, and goodness.

This issue’s cover story will shatter the legendary story of Prince Charming.  To achieve this concept, the Editor suggests: How about trying to create a macho image?

A JHJ who wears a pink jacket, with his hands in his trousers’ pockets, or a JHJ with a bouquet of flowers in his hands and a dazzling smile on his face — can he possibly break this established image?  Can he transform himself into something entirely new and refreshing?

On the day of the photo shoot, JHJ appeared sporting a new crew cut and wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, and greeted the Editor very politely and shook his hand.

This young man is really a puzzle!   From his looks, he is exactly like a high school kid who is about to take the university entrance exam.

After he has changed and is made up, JHJ becomes a young man who is toughened and roughened by life.  The sweet, carefree youth of a moment ago has vanished in the air.

After that preamble, here comes the record of our conversation.

First of all, he is the kind of young man who knows exactly what he wants and how to achieve his goals to be an actor.

At 18 he was discovered on the street by talent scouts and signed up to be a member of “Guardian” (guess not many people know this), and in 2000 he first appeared in a drinks commercial.

Three years later he was awarded the 2003 SBS “Best New Actor Award”.  And in 2006 he won the coveted Baeksang Arts Award (Most Popular Actor – for “Seo Dong Yo”.)

In  2003 he appeared in his first movie “Untold Scandal”, and his first foray into the big screen was greeted with praise and appreciation.

After that he acted in the TV drama “Forbidden Love”, for the first time appearing as a macho guy, and that too received positive reviews.  But it seems like there is something to be desired in his performance in the love scenes.

As an actor, which work of yours is the most memorable?

“To be recognized for my acting and at the same time to have high ratings — that’s “Seo Dong Yo”.

“Even now, every little detail during the shooting of “Seo Dong Yo” is still right before my eyes, as it were.  Perhaps it’s because of all the hardships during the shooting, I still can’t forget any of that now.  Or perhaps I should say it’s the most memorable work of my life; “Seo Dong Yo” is definitely #1.”

It is said that during the shooting of “Seo Dong Yo”, there were many days that out of 24 hours a day, 20 of those JHJ was wearing his costume and working non-stop and without sleep to meet the schedule.

Because of the pressure of work and the constant stress, JHJ experienced hair loss.  You can imagine how difficult it was.   Since he was the lead actor and his part was the heaviest, there were lots of dialogue.  In addition, “Seo Dong Yo” is a historial drama, so the dialogue is written in the ancient language which makes it so much more difficult to memorize.  You can well imagine how difficult the task is.

JHJ spent nearly a year on “Seo Dong Yo”; it’s like life and death, advance and retreat.

Because he put all his strength and sincerity into being a good actor, so he had no regrets and no nostalgia when the project ended.

“Even though we know death comes sooner or later, we still have to struggle to survive.  Shouldn’t we try to enjoy life as much as we can while we can?

“It is the same in the performance arena.  Even ordinary work can make you very tired, unless you enjoy your work, enjoy your performance.  Only then can you rise above the difficulties and hardships of work.”

I agree with JHJ’s view here.

Some people join the entertainment industry because they want to indulge in fans’ support and cheers; others enter the field because they want to be well-known.  Maybe this is a fundamental trait of human nature.  This is also the attraction of being an actor.

Of course, not because of the above reasons, but like JHJ who loves and respects the profession of acting, such people are few and far between in the entertainment world.

“I deliberately shy away from any activities outside of performance.  Do you think I’m trying to avoid over-exposure?  Wearing pretty clothes, going to a studio for a photo shoot with a magazine, doing interviews, letting people see another side of you, chatting happily, attending fan meetings.

“But, these kinds of things really have nothing to do with performance.

“This is not where I want to spend my energy.

“Of course, senior actors can handle these very well, enjoying all these energetically.

“But it seems I have not reached that level yet.  (Laughs.)

“To tell the truth, apart from performance, I don’t have much energy left.  As an actor, if you concentrate wholeheartedly on your performance, you know you don’t have enough energy for anything else.  Actually, do you know I went through a lot of struggle before deciding to come for today’s photo shoot?”  (Laughs.)

So there you have it.

JHJ is an actor who is very, very difficult to secure an interview and photo shoot.  Within the industry there are even rumours that he loathes photo shoots for magazines.  After it has been decided to interview him, our Editor worried that JHJ might give us the silent treatment or that he could be impossible to handle.

Fortunately during the three hours we spent together, his gentle character did not impede the pace of the photo shoot or the interview.  Nor did he exhibit any arrogant or frivolous behaviour or attitude.

This has nothing to do with age.  JHJ is more mature and steady than people his age.

Our Editor is full of praise for his serious and sincere character.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(Translated from the Chinese version on johyunjae.hk by Bigcat.  Thanks!)