( TRANS ) 2020.08 issue — interview with elle korea
translated by fy!wdh + originally from elle korea please do not repost translations on tumblr and always credit page 712, or fywdh when posting elsewhere. please obtain permission before translating into other languages. click here for an alternate version with accompanying images.
This was never a planned farewell. The news of his enlistment a week before the photoshoot. This is what the star wrote in his handwritten letter uploaded to his SNS account. “Thank you for watching over and loving my twenties”. <Elle>’s preparation became even more frantic in the lead up to meeting him. And finally, 3 days before his enlistment, Woo Dohwan’s final photoshoot in his twenties began, taking place among the staff that he has worked alongside with for a long time. Possessing a masculine look and fierce gaze, he is an actor that very much belongs on screen. As a matter of fact, we were just recently starting to become a bit more curious about him. That is because he looked like a totally different person while playing the role of a funny and sly character - a side of him he had never shown prior to playing two characters in <The King: Eternal Monarch>. There are still so many things we want to know about this man who, played each role earnestly as if to make up for his slightly late rise to fame, shed tears at the last shoot of each of his productions, discusses his serious inner thoughts with honest words, and who ended up holding back his tears towards the end of this interview. Before putting on his last outfit, he reappeared in front of the camera after leaving the studio for a short period of time with a freshly cut short hairstyle. This is the last scene.
We abruptly heard about the news of your enlistment. Our meeting today has become a little more special. Yes Yes. This is my last schedule. I actually wanted to go out, meet up with people and eat lots of good food, but I held back for today. Because I wanted to be in my best condition for the possibly everlasting photoshoot that encapsulates the last days of my twenties.
D-3, how do you feel right now? I’m really feeling a lot of emotions. I’m the type who is always writing in my diary as well as using my mind, in hopes that I won’t forget each day. I think the army will be a place that makes me reflect on a lot of things. I’m thinking about a lot of things; like how I have lived, the people who are truly the most precious to me…
<The King: Eternal Monarch> turned out to be your last production before enlisting. Now that I think about it, I think it was a relief that I played 2 characters. Because by showing off two sides of myself through the one production, it would have felt like I was in two productions to my fans. Since it was a production where I was able to work together with such great actors and staff members, I feel like I’m enlisting having gained a sturdy support system.
Jo Young and Jo Eunseob, it seems like it would have been hard playing two characters who are so different from each other. It was difficult. There were days where I had to play them on the same day, and there were others where I played Young, then Eunseob, then had to get back into the character of Young again. It wasn’t just me, but my staff members suffered as well, having to wash and style me over and over again. In order to become Eunseob, I needed to raise my energy levels right from the start. And when transforming into Young, I tried my best to be as calm and cool headed as possible. It was personally quite interesting and fun for me - trying to make out the differences between the two of them. It wasn’t easy of course. Above everything else though, the scenes where both characters I played were on screen at the same time were the most difficult, but at the same time the most fun as well. Because we had to calculate everything carefully, from our reactions down to the height differences of our eyes.
In particular, the character of Jo Eunseob showed off a completely new side to actor Woo Dohwan. How was it, playing a cheerful and high spirited character who also spoke in dialect? Those who are close to me all know. That I’m Eunseob (laughs). Since I’ve played a lot of serious characters, in the eyes of the public it might seem like I’m closer to Young. So I’m glad that I was able to show off a different side of myself. It felt new to me as well as I was acting. It was a role that I’ve always wanted to try, and now have finally been able to show everyone. I think Kim Eunsook scriptwriter brought to life parts of myself that she discovered.
It’s inevitable for everyone to have a different side of themselves hidden inside them. What do you think are the most conflicting aspects that the real Woo Dohwan possesses? When I meet up with people off-work in my own private time, I’m often told that I’m different to how I look. For example, people always say that I look like I would like to drink (alcohol). But I really don’t! And some people might have noticed through this production, but I really like joking around.
And another thing, we heard that you actually cry easily. Actor Yang Sejong, who you met during <My Country> gave us the heads up. That you bawled your eyes out during the last shoot. I’m the type of person who experiences emotions pretty intensely. Even when I’m acting, since I’m still lacking in the skills department, I try my best to focus on the character and my emotions. Speaking of which, Sejong contacted me, giving me a heads up on a lot of things since he enlisted before I did. We’re thankful for each other. He was the best partner.
If a parallel universe really existed like in the drama, and you were able to see what happens if the you of the past made a different choice, what would you be the most curious about? I think about what would have happened if I didn’t become an actor. You know how the people on both sides of the timeline in <The King: Eternal Monarch> had big changes to their careers? I think I’m the most curious as to what I would be otherwise doing. Because depending on what I was doing, I could be married, and my life could look very different.
9 years has passed since you made the choice to become an actor. Has it been a time that is free of regrets? When I was in my early to mid twenties and didn’t have much work, time felt really slow. Everyday was a continuous cycle of waiting, where I spent each day worrying about how to spend the day. And I think the time that eventually was given to me passed by so quickly that I didn’t even have time to process it. I think happy times are meant to go by the fastest. Like how people say that the first vacation you get from the army is over in 3 seconds (laughs). Of course, compared to other actors, I can’t say the period I spent in anonymity as an actor was long by any means, but I, too, had a period of time where I was waiting in desperation, and that’s how I came to get this opportunity. It’s because things didn’t go smoothly for me right from the start that I’m a lot more thankful. That I’m enlisting with the support of so many people.
Action, thriller, historical, romance etc Is there a production out of your wide spectrum of works that you would like to reminisce about? They really were all very different characters, and each production was a challenge. I think I was lucky. That I was able to take on so many challenges in my twenties. In the case of the drama <The Great Temptation>, I felt a huge burden since it was my first production after having received the best new actor award. And the fact that it was my first time taking on a lead role was also a huge sense of pressure. Being on set was really hard for me since I was lacking in experience back then compared to now. I worked really hard to try to find a way to break through it. Based on everything I felt and learned then, I shot two films, then when I was filming the drama <My Country>, I could feel that something had changed within myself. That maybe the job of being an actor is something I could enjoy doing. The sides of myself that I can show onscreen are limited, but I feel like the me behind the camera has changed a lot.
During did you have any period of hardships or concerns that you kept to yourself, that we might not have known of? It’s one of the serious concerns of every young actor and male celebrity - myself included. The thought of my enlistment has always been on my mind. That was my biggest concern and one of the largest sources of stress for me. When things weren’t working out, I thought ‘Should I enlist next year?’ which then turned into ‘I have to go when I turn 25’, but then in January the year I turned 25, I was cast in <Master>. And that’s how I got here. While my friends enlisted and were discharged around the ages of 20-21, I’ve learnt about what kind of place the army is by listening to their stories for almost 10 years - like I’ve learned it in theory. Now it’s finally time for me to go and experience and learn for myself.
Twenty nine. How was Woo Dohwan’s twenties? Do you think you spent it well? (Pauses) I think I spent it well. I’m not sure why but this question feels quite heavy. I met a lot of people, among them, there were some who hurt me, as well those who may have been hurt by me. I loved and was loved… I don’t want to answer the question of whether I spent my twenties well by saying ‘no’. Even if I didn’t, I don’t want there to be an ounce of regret in my heart.
It was just a quick, light-hearted question, but you seem to be holding back your tears. To be honest, age is nothing but a number, I’m not sure if it’s because my enlistment is right before me, but everything feels more emotional. Ever since last year, I kept asking my manager “What does it feel like when you hit your thirties?”. I kept asking him, but he said that it wasn’t a really big deal and that there was nothing that special. I asked other hyung’s, who all gave similar answers, but to me, I think that I’ll be a bit disappointed if that’s true. I hope that I’ll be a little different when I come back.
What kind of experience do you hope to have during your time in the military? To be honest, I really don’t remember what it’s like to meet and be treated as just me and not ‘actor’ Woo Dohwan. But just like how I naturally become the person who I used to be before when I’m with my friends, it should just be like adding more friends to that circle. I’m looking forward to it more than I am worried. Ever since I was young, I’ve had dreams about being a soldier. I think it’s such an amazing thing to be protecting something. I want nothing more than to do my best during this time that only comes once. And I hope that when I come back, even if it’s just a little bit, I want to come back more mature and cooler. I’m curious to see how my face will look in the mirror when that time comes.
If actor Woo Dohwan’s twenties were to be compiled into a film, what should you like the ending cut to be? I’d like it to be a scene where I’m smiling happily. But there aren’t a lot of scenes where I’m smiling in the productions I’ve been in. There’s a scene in <The King: Eternal Monarch> where Eunseob flips a coin - that scene should be enough? But instead of a coin, I would be like ‘goodbye my twenties’ (laughs).
translated by fy!wdh + originally from elle korea please do not repost translations on tumblr and always credit ‘fywdh.tumblr.com’ when posting elsewhere. please obtain permission before translating into other languages.
