ways to love him: director jeong
has everyone read chapter 1 of that book, ways to love yonsama?sweet sister's working really fast and furious to bring us the next chapters! i received chapter 2 from her already! thanks much much, sweet sis! also wanna take the chance to let you know that the chinese fans have translated chapter 1, and everyone loved it! hee, they're wondering when the next instalment would come...
and like i'd said earlier, this book had created some controversy amongst fellow fans, especially the japanese fans, so it's really up to you whether you wanna read it or not. but... while there's a possibility there could be some exaggeration or even half-truths in the book, i still think chapters 1 & 2 are worth reading.
except for the last part, where it did seem as though PD jeong was doing light promo for his future work which he's likely to introduce to the japanese market.
chapter 2 is an interview with director jeong ki song... actually i've found a few variations to his name, including jeong gi song, jeon gi sang and also jeon ki song. not quite sure what's the right way to romanize his name.
PD jeong was one of the two directors who were working on love's greetings (Salut d'Amour). yup, wuri yong joon's debut drama back in 1994. it aired on KBS from november 1994 and ended its run on TV in april 1995. and oh, the other director on that drama was director yun suk ho, the same director who had brought us the beautiful four seasons, including our beloved winter sonata! anyway, PD jeong was the one who had 'discovered' wuri yong joon and made a last-minute decision to cast him as the male lead of the drama.
incidentally, you can also read about wuri yong joon's debut story here.
original in japanese: Ways to Love Yonsama
translated into english: a sweet sister / bb's blog
pics added by: yours truly, me!!
Chapter 2 – Obsessive About Acting,
"Actor's Love"
Jeong Ki Song, Director
Love's Greetings (Salut D’Amour), Papa, Six Degrees of Separation
In That Moment,
Thought He Had Star Qualities
BYJ appeared in the debut drama, Salut D’Amour, which Yun Suk Ho, who was hired by KBS the same time as I was, planned and cast. Salut D’Amour was a drama about youth and from a production view, the goal of the drama was to discover new talent. The first drama before Salut D’Amour was Tomorrow Love (Yun Sok Ho, producer) with Lee Byung Hun and Koh So Yeon, (who co-starred with BYJ in Barefooted Youth).
The second program, Salut D’Amour was the sequel to the first and I was searching for a promising new star that would replace Lee Byung Hun.
Sung Hyun Ah was already cast as the lead actress. But it was taking time deciding on the male lead. The reason was that we were not finding the type of newcomer to fit the image we had in mind.We were looking for someone different from the tough macho male that Lee Byung Hun portrayed; someone you would find anywhere, a bit indecisive, a “regular” male. It was the type of character that anyone would feel close to.
We auditioned about 20-30 male newcomers through production offices and acting schools but we just couldn’t seem to find anyone we liked. As we were doing this and that, tomorrow was the day that script practice had to start, we had to stop fooling around and decide today on the male lead, as that day had finally arrived.
Up until then, we had met a Seoul University student for which we had lukewarm, half-hearted reactions and whom we were going to cast, as the decision had been nearly made.
But at that time, I received a phone call from a production representative operating an acting school next door to KBS. The caller said, “Can you meet one more person? He’s the last one.”
But I replied, “We’ve been holding auditions the whole time, so I’m worn out.” “If we can’t use him right away, then it’s no use meeting him.”
Despite my saying this, the representative said, “He’s a really good kid,” so because the representative strongly endorsed him, we decided to meet him and waited for him. That was where BYJ showed up. That was in 1994.
The moment BYJ opened the door and walked in, I thought that anyone who saw him could see that he had the makings of a star. He had a slim physique and was handsome. Plus he had the exact image of the kid I was looking for! This excited me. That moment when he appeared was like the precise moment a comet appears.
But taking a closer look at BYJ as he approached, I had to change my initial impression since it differed slightly from the first glimpse I caught of him. There was nothing to complain about his physical looks, but I felt that he was a little different from the image we were seeking.
Hmm, I wondered, as I thought while staring at YJ, when someone offered the suggestion, “What about changing glasses?” “What about changing to square green glasses?” someone said. Then YJ left the room and several hours later returned wearing square glasses. Having done that, he exactly fit the image we had in mind.
The end result was that we decided to use YJ in the lead role on the spot and directed him to begin script practice immediately. This was because filming was scheduled to begin several days later. To YJ’s manager, I remember telling him later, “You saved us.” *bb: you can click here to read about his audition.
Back then I could not predict that YJ would become a major star in the future as he is now. But I did feel that he would probably become a star to lead the next generation of Korean dramas. This is because YJ had more than enough for the makings of a star. It was not only his good looks, but this is something I discovered as filming progressed, as an actor, he was able to firmly control himself. He was an actor that made thorough efforts to complete the roles that an actor had to perform. For a newcomer actor to be so thorough in his role was unusual at that time.
“Unable to Understand”
Indecisive Yung Min
Salut D’Amour was a drama which reminded me of my college life and was planned to show the realistic struggles of college students during their youth. The students that appeared in the drama were good looking but not unrealistic heroes like pictures of our past selves, in nostalgic memories, they may have been ill-equipped and awkward, but they were doing their best at the time to live, that was the depiction of daily life I wanted to show of the college students without exaggeration.
Then during the filming, I tried to show the images of the students against the background of quiet images.
To achieve this, I directed YJ to act naturally and not overact. The character of Yung Min that YJ portrays is not a strong hero but is an indecisive type, a college student found anywhere, which is what I kept reminding YJ of several times. So that viewers could see themselves reflected in Yung Min, YJ could not emphasize the character’s manliness and I requested that he play him naturally and softly, a point which I put quite a bit of emphasis on.
YJ, at the time, said he could not understand a character like Yung Min, and expressed his discontent. He likes Robert DeNiro’s Once Upon a Time in America, hardboiled American movies. It is the exciting story of men who lived through violent times. That is why he probably thought that he wanted to perform in a meaty role himself.
But I felt that type of exaggerated manly characterization had been done so many times before that I was almost sick of them, so in Salut D’Amour, what I tried to portray was the image of a delicate male rooted in reality; this was the image I tried to stress and direct.
Immediately after YJ began filming, his acting was, not surprisingly, stiff. But in the end, YJ acted his role with love, and he was able to express the sensitive nature of his character. I also think I succeeded in creating the new actor, BYJ, into an actor with a sensitive image!
Absolutely No Need to Scold YJ
Filming began in the fall of 1994 and this happened one day shortly after. YJ was dissatisfied with his acting and the NGs continued. It was then that I stopped filming and called a 10-minute break. Then YJ came over to me looking indignant, “Director, do you know how hard I have been practicing?” he said, and showed me his script. The four corners of that script were all torn and tattered.
He seemed to think I was angry. But all I wanted to do was simply take a short break. Then I told him, “I know how hard you’ve been practicing. I’m not displeased with the efforts you putting in. It’s just that if you calm down a bit, you’ll do better,” I told him.
This is how ardent YJ was from the time he was a newcomer. So when things did not go well on the set, he seemed to feel a great deal of stress. He was a perfectionist actor.
It seems that Director Yun Suk Ho yelled at YJ because his acting was not up to par, but I did not have to scold him. I knew that because he was still a newcomer, it was to be accepted that things would not go well for him. Even if things did not go well, I was ready to accept such things when I cast him in the role. *bb: you can read about how wuri yong joon was scolded here and here.
Because I cast a totally green newcomer, his limitations were also my responsibility. When I thought of how much effort that a newcomer was exerting, I could not bring myself to pressurize or scold him. Even if the same scene repeatedly caused NGs, but as long as the actor came to the set fully prepared, then I would be willing to accept the situation for what it is. Even if a scene took 10, 20, or 50 takes, I would not get angry.
But if there is no reflection over an error by an actor, or if NGs are caused due to inadequate preparation before arriving on the set, I will deal with it rather strictly. I will strictly scold actors or pressure actors who do not sufficiently prepare before arriving on the set. I do this because it inconveniences the other staff members.
Advice Given on “Diverse Emotions”
As for advice, when YJ was acting, he would make the effort to express the emotion of that moment from his heart and he did not experience that much of a hardship over drawing out emotions. But deep emotions – expressing the differences in anguish and displaying diverse pent-up emotions seemed to be difficult for the newcomer BYJ. Such feelings such as happy yet sad, angry yet loving, he found difficult to express.
Then I advised him when he had to express diverse emotions, to decide what the most important emotion was first, then express that, and then follow that by expressing the other emotions. When you try to express various emotions all at once, things do not turn out well.
When it comes to advice that I gave YJ, this was about the only time I gave him any. YJ read his script and came prepared so that his work was generally acceptable. That is why everyone who has watched YJ’s performance in Salut D’Amour, will see that it was mainly newcomer YJ himself, who thought of and created his performance in Salut D’Amour.
YJ, during Salut D’Amour in every spare moment would be staring at the script. Even in the car while we moved from set to set, he would immediately read the script. On the set, he would not exchange casual talk with the other actors or staff or play around.
His position was that as the lead role, he would fulfill his duties first and then when that was done, he would appear with everyone only when necessary. He put all his effort into confronting his role. He was humble and there was nothing conceited about him.
Certainly, it can be said that YJ needed to work hard at the time. This was because his acting was not skilful. But then I did not think it was bad either. I did not hear such talk about him either. Instead, when he was appearing in HWRL and Hotelier, there were more people saying that he was better than expected. When we worked together, YJ himself took hold of the character’s emotions and sufficiently acted them out so that I was happy with his performance.
I believe that YJ has the nature to be an actor. But that nature is different from the nature to be an entertainer. There are very talented actors who become popular by appearing on variety shows, but I do not find it difficult to say that he has an actor’s nature. But that is fine for him. As an actor, he will probably be able to fulfill all his duties adequately. I think that is fine the way it is.
First CM “Spicy Ramen”
During the drama filming, the basic rule on the set was that conversation was allowed only when necessary and if it related to the filming. But whenever YJ had good news, he would always come to tell me his good news. I think he was always concerned about me. Maybe it was because at that time, out of all the actors, I have to admit, I had the most affection for YJ.
This incident occurred.
YJ received his first CM offer. It was from Nong Shim also known in Japan as the instant ramen manufacturer of “spicy ramen”. YJ reported to me happily, “I received a CM offer.”
I urged him to appear together in the CM with Kwon Oh Joong, whom he co-starred with in HWRL. Because he got the CM job due to Salut D’Amour, if they appeared together, I thought it would be a chance to show their gratitude to the manufacturer and fans. Just as I had urged, YJ appeared in the CM with Kwon Oh Joong.
Kwon Oh Joong was about the same age as YJ (he was one year older) and the two of them became actors to earn money while being fellow newcomers. The two were very close friends at the time.*bb: here's a pic of wuri yong joon with kwon oh joong's son... probably from a few years back... please don't ask me if they're still close, i've absolutely no idea.
Lover-Less and Playing Billiards
He called me “Kamdok-nim (director-sama) and I called him YJ.
During filming, YJ and I would talk the very minimum as necessary, and when filming ended, we would sometimes meet, telephone each other, or talk about the next project and future activities. We rarely talked about the drama that just ended.
Even though we met, we are not the type to become animated over idle talk. While dining and exchanging a bit about everyday stories, we would each talk about our favorite movies.
I have been watching films from a young age and when I went through my Alfred Hitchcock phase, I went through every suspense movie ever made, and in college, when I majored in French literature, I watched many films at the French Cultural Institute. About that time, when I began thinking how worthless Hollywood movies were, I came into contact with French films, and received a culture shock. In particular, I like Leos Carax, Les Amants du Pont Neuf (Lovers on the Bridge).
If you are YJ’s fan, then you know very well that he likes movies. Even back then, he spoke of wanting to become a film director. *bb: you can read more about it here.
We also played a lot of billiard together. It’s not that YJ or I like billiards, but that there was nothing else to do (laughs). It was Christmas one year, and the two of us played billiards. The two of us didn’t even have lovers, so we met in the afternoon and then parted briefly, and then met again in the evening to play billiard, what a sad memory I have (laughs). Both of us were just silent, not saying a word playing billiards.
How good were we? I was a beginner but YJ was fairly good. In Korea, “four ball” style of game is played (2 balls each of red and green for a total of 4 balls is used to start the game. A beginner is allowed 100 points. An expert is ranked at 300 points and above.) I had 200 points and YJ got about 350-400 points. We didn’t bet much but we did bet on the cost of the games sometimes. Of course, because YJ is so good, I was the one that usually lost.
Deep Affectionate Image in
“Six Steps of Separation” Draws Raves
After Salut D’Amour, YJ appeared in the long-running drama, Sunny Place of the Young. Sunny Place of the Young was similar to Salut D’Amour in that YJ played a naïve, kind-hearted college student. Then his role fell in love with Jeon Do Yeon who played a rising author.
During the filming of Salut D’Amour, he appeared in another drama, Six Degrees of Separation with Jeon Do Yeon, who was also cast and co-starred in Sunny Place of the Young.
Sunny Place of the Young was not on the air for long, and the two of them did not have very important roles or any scenes in the drama together, so there were no worries about these factors affecting Sunny Place of the Young. *bb: click here for the wrap-up party of sunny. you can also click here for more interesting tidbits about sunny.
Six Degrees of Separation was the story of two people who each broke up with their lover and were left heartbroken, who then befriended each other and grow closer. YJ as Kyon Min received favorable reviews from viewers for his deeply loving portrayal.
YJ’s fans also seemed to favorably rate his first attempt at a shower scene. YJ was not known for having a very muscular image, up to then, but he displayed a surprisingly, inverted triangle-shaped, fine upper torso. I wanted to show that YJ was not just an actor locked into one image until that time. This was done as a type of service to the fans.
YJ Captures Lee Young Ae in “Papa”
YJ and I talked about doing the next long-running drama together after Salut D’Amour. Then just as we were discussing it, I got to know Lee Young Ae’s manager. I received word that Lee Young Ae wanted to appear in my drama. At the time, Lee Young Ae was also a newcomer and just a bit senior to YJ. With my past experience involving these two, it is hard to believe that the current big stars, YJ of WLS and Lee Young Ae of Dae Jang Geum co-starred without any difficulty in Papa (1996).
Papa was the story of a divorced novelist played by BYJ and Lee Young Ae was his ex-wife, who was an employee of a film company. At KBS, majority opinion believed that the drama would be interesting but fears were also voiced because it was a story about a divorced man and a woman, the subject matter itself was considered too serious and the story would go nowhere or end up too solemn.
Then we used a filter on the screen to soften the images. The story did not end with the couple falling in love, marrying, and then deciding to divorce because the emphasis was placed on the start of confirming their love again.
YJ played the man called Hyun Jun whose novel will be made into a movie by his ex-wife, and while he still loves his ex-wife, he reconfirms his love and agonizes over this because of his indecisive nature. To this, YJ was heard complaining, “This character is entirely different from my own personality.”
Yes, that is true. YJ is masculine and strong and the indecisive personality of Hyun Jun and YJ did not match very well. But I think that even indecisive people fall in love and that this type of people may experience things more deeply. Such personalities can appear weak but in reality, I thought they had the strength to close in on the truth.
Both YJ and Lee Young Ae did their very best on the filming set of Papa. Filming for a drama requires more than 30 scenes be filmed in a day. 24 hours a day is not enough time to film. Once filming starts, there are times when filming continues for 36 hours non-stop without sleeping or resting. There are times when two hours are spent on travelling, and then we go straight into filming again. Many times we regretted that we were unable to get the shots that we wanted because of time constraint.
Despite this, YJ and Lee Young Ae concentrated on their acting in order to perform their roles. Both of them had personalities where they were sensitive and attentive to each other and it seemed that they were helping each other as they acted. Since there was hardly any private time, I do not think they even dined together.
But several years later, Lee Young Ae in an interview was asked who she would like to co-star with again, and she replied, “It would be BYJ.”
I wonder what YJ thinks. I do not know, but because “Will respond when asked”, is YJ’s way of loving, perhaps one day we will see the two of them co-star again. *bb: click here for more of what wuri yong joon's female co-stars have said about our sweet cupcake!
Director Yun Sok Ho is a Neighbor
For the first month of filming during Salut D’Amour, director Yun Suk Ho and I filmed together. Yes, we were together from episode one. He was also intimate with YJ. So when director Yun also cast YJ in WLS, it was not like I was the go-between. About that time, I was busy preparing for another drama.
Even now director Yun and I live in the same condo building. We often run into each other at the supermarket. Also, we run into each other at the neighborhood park, and I don’t know why but oddly, I seem to run into him unexpectedly at the strangest places.
Is it because we hit it off? Though we meet, we don’t particularly talk about our projects. It’s not that we don’t get along (laughs).
Certainly director Yun and I have very different filming and acting styles. I have been cautioned by my seniors that I place too much emphasis on visual images, but not as much as director Yun Sok Ho. He possesses the unique ability to tell a drama’s story using beautiful visual images. Currently, his abilities are being acknowledged even in Japan.
On the other hand, I am of the opinion that, “Dramas need to have good scenes” and this is the reason behind my filming. These could be scenes with visual images and dialogue, tension-filled scenes, or action scenes. I think dramas combine these various elements and should draw viewers into them. The mission of a drama should be to offer more good scenes and not just visual images. As for me, it is more enjoyable to make a drama that has plenty of good scenes.
Even in my private time, I do not watch dramas and films that do not have interesting scenes. I feel I have to watch these as part of my film studies, but I end up switching the channel within a minute. I can’t stand watching boring dramas. That is why when I film a drama, even if it is a love comedy; I make it a point to include a lot of plot development that keeps you in suspense and your heart pounding.
Important Things When Producing a Drama
I have produced many dramas up to now and the important thing when filming dramas is to listen to everyone’s opinion. Then I have to be flexible. If I am inflexible, I would not be able to listen to the opinions of many people.
For example, YJ was an actor who desired to film his appearances modestly, but when he had an opinion to express, he would insist on it also. When I was able to accept his opinion, I would, and when I was unable to accept his opinion, I would carefully explain my reasons to him. By doing that, YJ would laugh, tilt his head to one side, and then he would continue acting according to my directions. *bb: hee, are you imagining the way he tilted his head, just like me when i was reading this part? so cute hor?
Then if he understood, he would say, “I agree” and if he didn’t understand, he would say, “I can’t agree” and we would discuss the matter again. If it is something of a serious matter, I will usually accept an actor’s opinion.
My personal opinion is that when filming dramas, it is important to always pursue something new. In Salut D’Amour, YJ was not your typical hero and as I tried to portray him in the image of a sensitive and modern college student, which was not done up to then, since I originally dislike sticking to common-place types.
I try to make the camera move along with the actor’s movements. There are many directors who will place the camera in one spot and make the actor move toward the camera, but I will have the actors move as they wish, and I will have the cameras follow them, which is my method of filming.
YJ as the Lead in My Movie!?
On July 3, 2005, I terminated my employment with KBS after agonizing a long time whether I should quit or not. My family now lives in Texas but as an employee of a Korean TV station, I am unable to spend any time with my family. If I am no longer working then I can always go to the US to see my family.
Even after I finished filming, My Girl (December 2005), I visited my family for one month.
After quitting KBS, I signed a contract with the production company Calista to direct only. My many years as a salaried employee were long and there are times when I feel like I have been thrown out of a warm environment into the cold, but it is nice to have the freedom.
Right now I am planning a new project and I am thinking of using Japan for the location shooting. Nothing has been decided yet, but I would like to go to Japan as soon as possible and start filming.
After that drama is completed, I would like to try my hand at making a movie. Attempting a new movie at this age is a little late for me, but I think my previous experience will be useful. Like the Korean-Chinese joint project big action movie Musa The Warrior, I would like to film a movie based upon a myth. I would like to cast YJ in my movie, but this would depend on each of our schedules.
It is my hope that Korean dramas and movies will continue to be viewed favorably worldwide. The Korean wave began in Japan with the existence of BYJ, but the real Korean wave is only beginning to take place, as we producers tackle this problem.
All I Can Do is Watch Over YJ Now
It is my nature to seek out new things and now the only talk I hear about YJ from other people is, “He seems to be tired” or such talk. I do not feel that YJ should be indebted to me for discovering him. It was my job to discover new talent and it was not due to my efforts alone, as there were many directors such as Yun Sok Ho, Lee Eung Jin (FL), and Jun San (Sunny Place of the Young) who guided YJ to where he is now.
If I had the chance to meet him somewhere, I would like to tell him, “If you are tired, a good way to relax is to go fishing”, but all I can do now is watch over YJ.
It has been years since we have worked together and YJ has his own life now and that is the way it is. If someone you once worked together with was stuck in the same place, I would not be happy about it either.
If I were able to send him a message, I would like to tell him to relax a bit. Even in the past, he had a strong compulsion toward “perfectionism” which I think he still has not escaped from even now. When he is free from that compulsion, his acting should become “lighter.”
Then I would like to tell him not to try and do everything himself. YJ will try and attempt to do all the scenes himself in a drama, even if the scenes are dangerous. He probably does this out of love and responsibility for the drama and role. Of course, it is a good thing to be diligent about your work, but I have heard numerous stories of injuries during important periods, causing disruptions to the drama production schedule. For example, during Barefooted Youth, YJ was performing a special martial arts practice and failed to land correctly and broke a bone.
From the standpoint of the performers, these types of injuries cause major problems. Humans are not expected to know everything or to do everything, and actors are not expected to do things which do not come naturally. The dangerous scenes are best left to the stuntsmen. Actors should stick to what they do best. There is no need for anyone to do everything himself.
In looking back, I am glad that I was able to meet YJ. In the midst of a jam-packed schedule, I unexpectedly encountered him, and though it was a short time we spent together, the memories still live on even now. I think of how lucky I was. The Japanese fans may like WLS but please also consider Salut D’Amour.
Because of Salut D’Amour, there is WLS and because of Salut D’Amour, there is BYJ.
p.s. don't miss out on those bold green links that i've added for you throughout the passage. some of them link to great stories and postings about my cupcake, stuff that you might not have read previously... enjoy!
posted by bb @ 8/27/2007 11:05:00 PM
1 Comments:
sorry for not saying THANK YOU SWEET SISTER for this translation.
As always, another wonderful read!!
thanks much bb for the pictures and extra "green" links - they help to provide more insight to YJ and his work.
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