Jo Hyun Jae

This is another article by our new Contributing Editor prissymom.

When I was growing up, there were very few Filipino-made TV series and movies, which was why I watched a lot of American-made ones.  And I have carried this viewing preference well into adulthood.  I am not saying that Americans are the best actors in the world; I just prefer their acting.  I find that, for the most part, American actors don’t show overt emotion in their acting, meaning they don’t overact.  And I realize that the one thing I like most about JHJ’s acting is that he doesn’t overact.  It is the one quality that he shares with my favorite American actors.
 
Whenever I read an article praising the acting of a particular Korean actor in a particular drama, I make it a point to watch that drama just to find out what it is about the acting that garnered praise.  More often than not I end up wondering what is so great about the acting because most of the time these Korean actors overact or are self-indulgent in their acting.  I find them very tiring and irritating to watch so I end up dropping the drama halfway through (I watch at least half the series to be fair). 
 
My favorite American actor, Robert de Niro, once said (on acting): “It’s important not to indicate. ["indicate" here means show or display.]  People don’t try to show their feelings; they try to hide them.”  Which, come to think of it, is a very realistic view of people’s actions — we don’t go around wearing our hearts on our sleeves.  So I don’t understand why people praise actors who display excessive emotions and call their acting “great”, while those who deliver a realistic performance (those who know how to control their emotions and know when to unleash them) like JHJ, are criticized for their “bland” and “expressless” acting. (critic’s words, not mine; is there such a word?) 
 
MY IDEA OF A GREAT ACTOR

A friend once described her idea of a great actor thus: “When he cries, I cry; when he laughs, I laugh.”  I disagree.

For me a great actor can even be having fun onscreen but still elicit tears from me.  Remember that scene in “Love Letter” when Dr. Yim fails to join Andrea in going to the countryside?  So instead Andrea goes to the countryside with Eun-Ha.  The two are shown playing with kids; Andrea is even playing a catchy tune on his harmonica.  And yet I become a mass of tears everytime I watch that scene.
 
A great actor can be doing the most mundane things and still make me feel emotional.  Remember that scene in “3 Dads/1 Mom” where JHJ’s character is shaving his father’s facial hair?  It is such a mundane task and no emotion is showing on JHJ’s face, and yet I can feel the different emotions – sadness, resignation, frustration, guilt – emanating from JHJ.  It is one of the most subtle and poignant scenes in that drama.
 
A great actor doesn’t have to be cutesy-lovey-dovey with his/her onscreen partner for me to feel the romance.  Remember arrogant Han Yi-Joon? He is such an arrogant jerk for most of “Only You” and yet one can’t help but fall in love with his character.  Remember stingy Han Soo-Hyun?  Especially during that scene in “3 Dads/1 Mom” when he first quarrels with Na-Young because NY complains that the pear mixture that the three dads prepare for her is too sweet.  HSH is such a childish, insensitive jerk in that scene and yet JHJ makes HSH very human and cute to boot.
 
A great actor doesn’t have to make goofy faces to make me laugh.  JHJ in “3 Dads/1 Mom” makes me laugh in many scenes even when he is acting with such a straight face.  And JHJ as Kwon In-Ho in “Untold Scandal” elicits laughter from me instead of pity for his ignorance and naivete.

Lastly, a great actor is one who doesn’t have to cry to make me cry.  In JHJ’s “Love Letter” there are so many scenes where Andrea isn’t crying at all, but still those scenes bring tears to my eyes.  Remember that scene where he is waiting at the foot of a bridge with Eun-Ha while waiting for Dr. Yim?  When Dr. Yim arrives and Eun-Ha leaves to join the doctor, Andrea has this longing look on his face.  It isn’t an overt mushy longing look, just a subtle feeling you will get from the angle of his head, to the droop of his shoulders, even to the pursing of his lips.  Also his first dinner with Dr. Yim, all the events leading up to it – wearing the blue sweater the doctor gave him, the tamped down excitement waiting for her while holding the flowers and constantly checking his wristwatch, his innocent questions about his mom during dinner.  These two series of scenes and many others are forever etched in my mind and never fail to make me cry, no matter how many times I have watched this drama.
 
Only two actors in the world are able to make me cry in scenes where they are not crying themselves – Robert de Niro in “Awakenings” (1990) and Jo Hyun Jae in “Love Letter”.  Robert de Niro was nominated for Best Actor in the Oscars for his superb performance as Leonard Lowe in “Awakenings” but he did not win (the Oscar went to Jeremy Irons for “Reversal of Fortune”).  Our JHJ didn’t even get a nomination for his performance in “Love Letter” (and for some of his other dramas/movies as well), which I consider such a crime – a crime of neglect.
 
JHJ has all the qualities that make a great actor, and yet he has not yet received the recognition that he truly deserves.  But I take heart in knowing that he has never failed yet in attaining the goals he has set out for himself.  His pace may seem slow to some people, but it is steady and sure.  With his determination, and our support, I know that sooner or later he will get the recognition that he so richly deserves.