On June 15th, Jung Yong Hwa had an interview to celebrate the end of KBS’s Sell Your Haunted House. In the show, he played a fake medium, Oh In Beom, and expressed many changes in emotions in a stable and detailed way. He received favorable reviews for his performance because it was different from his usual ones in romance shows.
First of all, he expressed his love for his character Oh In Beom. “I felt like Oh In Beom was a perfect fit for me when I first read the script. I felt like I could bring life to the scenes. That’s why I was attracted to the character,” he said.
He went on to say how he tried to put his own personality into the character when he played Oh In Beom. He said, “I can be playfully sly sometimes. I can also be serious. Studying my character, I wanted to put those different sides of me into him. I tried to be very serious when he dealt with the supernatural cases but be more lively and comedic when he’s not working. Oh In Beom has a lot of trauma. He’s a layered character, which allowed me to express many different emotions.”
Sell Your Haunted House deals with various social issues such as property fraud, landlords’ mistreatment of their tenants, and discrimination against rental homeowners. He said, “The show brought up the issues, which I saw a lot of on the news and could happen to anyone. So it was easy to relate when I was acting.”
When asked about how well he worked together with Jang Na Ra, he said, “I’ve always wanted to work with her. During the shooting, I realized I have a lot to learn from her. She’s such a good actress. She took restorative approaches by giving compliments rather than giving commands. Eventually, she helped me to bring myself out of mannerisms as an actor. I was able to shake off a lot of bad habits. I learned so much from her.”
He shared that he also got along with Kang Hong Suk. “We talked to each other a lot to prepare for our scenes. We just clicked. He’s a really good guy. Whenever I go through hardships, he is always there for me. I feel glad in many ways to have met someone who will be in the rest of my life.”
He talked about hanging out with the other actors after the end of the show. “I hung out with Jang Na Ra and Kang Hong Suk after the show had ended. Hong Suk and I kept asking Na Ra how she could stay looking so young. I was surprised whenever I saw her for the six months we shot the show.”
He carefully discussed the possibility of season 2. “If many people want it, I think it might happen. I don’t know for sure. I’d say yes if the others are up for it. But I’d feel sad for In Beom if we decide to make the season 2.”
Translator Na Young Gil: ZAPZEE is the best Korean pop culture community, and I’m happy to be part of it.
