[INTERVIEW] Actor Song Seung-heon

Actor Song Seung-heon [StormS Company]

source: http://www.tenasia.com/archives/60455

“Love is so difficult,” remarked actor Song Seung-heon although he has played so many romantic roles. MBC’s Wednesday and Thursday series “When a Man Falls in Love,” revolving around one man’s fierce love for a woman, may have come to an end yet the mood it left off at seemed to continue to encompass Song. Below is TenAsia’s interview with the man who said he still has “a long way to go” with his acting although he has close to 20 years of experience under his belt.

Q. The show ended with the scene of your character Han Tae-sang reencountering Mido but viewers seemed to be split on this. 

Song : I had personally hoped that he wouldn’t work out with anybody. I even tried imagining what it would be like if Han Tae-sang were to die or take off for some reason or another. So I thought about several different scenarios but I don’t think the way it actually ended was bad either. I’m not a huge fan of happy endings so I like leaving lingering feelings. Some people did ask to be shown the two of us living happily ever after but I think dramas with those types of endings get forgotten more quickly. I think our show had an ending that was adequately hopeful and left a good amount up to viewers’ imagination.

Actor Song Seung-heon [StormS Company]

Q. I think a lot of people also predicted that the show would end with Tae-sang taking revenge on Mi-do. 

Song : When we passed the 10th episode, both the production crew and cast thought about whether Tae-sang has to kill her for the suffering she has brought on him. We came to a point where we weren’t sure if he should take revenge on her or not. And it could’ve ended with death if it was a movie but I think we all agreed with the fact that he should stay within the boundaries of what he is actually allowed to do.

Q. You got good response regarding your acting in both of your shows “Dr. Jin” and “When a Man Falls in Love.”

Song : Of all the roles I’ve played during my career, I think only a handful of them have received support and sympathy by viewers. But I think they liked my character this time in particular and I myself had fun and was driven to do well. I also tried hard to base my much of my movements on lines or situations that weren’t in the script but I imagined. I think by producing a lot of ideas and with a bit of effort, my acting came off differently.

Q. I think female viewers in particular sympathized with your character because he loved one woman till the very end.

Song : The reason that Mi-do debates between the man who is sacrificial towards her and the man who supports her dreams was supposed to be convincing but I think many viewers criticized her because they sympathized with Han Tae-sang too much in the beginning of the show. The show’s director and writer told me they had a bit of a hard time with that because it wasn’t the response they had anticipated. I was driven more than ever to play my character well but I think Se-gyeong may have had a hard time because of all the criticism her character Mi-do got. I don’t know how she felt inside but she always talked to me with a smile so I was grateful and proud of her despite the fact that she’s less experienced than me.

Q. Did you help her out or console her in any way?

Song : It was my first time working with her but it didn’t seem like she’s very young although she is. There’s a very mature side to her. Anyway, I felt that her character Mi-do was very realistic so it was a shame that people saw her as the type that just ‘manages her men.’ Yet I felt that doing my best with my role would help her more than any word of advice.

Actor Song Seung-heon [StormS Company]

Q. Well, while Seo Mi-do got called a woman that ‘manages her men,’ some said that Han Tae-sang was excessively sacrificial.

Song : The biggest realization I got from working on this drama was that love is so difficult (laughs). If the woman I loved rejected me despite several confessions, I wouldn’t have tried as hard as Han Tae-sang. Because even I thought, ‘She just has no idea…’

Q. You showed some cute sides to your character for the romantic scenes where he tries to make decisions about the woman he likes.

Song : It was actually quite embarrassing acting out those parts. I myself had looked into what women want when I liked someone. And I still don’t know what women think (laughs). I think I was told often that I’m bad at figuring out what women want when I was in relationships. Women usually hope the men know how they feel without them having to say anything directly. And they say, ‘Why don’t you even know that?’ but I just really didn’t (laughs). People think I’d be very good with women but I’m not like that at all.

Q. Did the drama make you rethink love and marriage?

Song : Han Tae-sang is a guy that believes marrying is a happy conclusion but I think I’m very realistic compared to that. I consider marriage a new start and I’m neither ready nor confident of being a good dad.

Q. Is there anything you wish you could’ve done differently with your character?

Song : Han Tae-sang had more determination than any other character I’ve played in the past. I used to hate acting out situations where I couldn’t help but debate about the situations I’m in but none of that happened for this show. I liked how he gave his everything to Mi-do and tried so hard. People may tell me Mi-do seems mean and that I would be better off with Baek Sung-joo but I myself aren’t that type. I’ve always dated someone that I like, never someone that says she likes me first. I think I was always the aggressive type, expressing my emotions, getting hurt.

Q. Critics said there was more depth to your acting this time around.

Song : Up till now, I was often told that they see more of ‘actor Song Seung-heon’ than the character I’m playing. So I tried to rid myself of the gaze, movement, and tone of speech I had acted with in the past. The director suggested it as well so I think I experienced a change in terms of style of acting.

Actor Song Seung-heon [StormS Company]

Q. You’d had the image of being the ‘king of melodramas’ but the choices you make these days seem to show that you are interested in playing rough men.

Song : After my discharge from the military, I played so-called rough and dark male characters because I was often telling myself, ‘I’m not the gentle and considerate guy that people think I am.’ I wanted to change as an actor. I actually have hostility toward the soft pretty boy image.

Q. Do you think your good looks have gotten in the way of your acting?

Song : The director of this show jokingly said, ‘I should’ve cast someone that looks like a gangster.’ (laughs) And of course, I’m thankful for my looks. It’s true that I received love when I first debuted because of my looks. And I had to prove myself through my acting but people kept seeing my looks first. But I think it’s up to me to make that effort and take up new challenges. I myself tell myself that I should just completely let go and try going for the role of a criminal but I haven’t been able to.

Q. Is there a goal you think of the most these days as an actor?

Song : I heard that when Steven Spielberg was asked, ‘What do you do to become a great director like you?’ he answered, ‘Eat well and maintain your health.’ And like such, I don’t have a fancy answer for you, except that I think it’s important to live a healthy life. Because that’s the way I’ll get to show viewers various sides to me.

Reporter. Jang Seo Yoon ciel@tenasia.co.kr

Translator. Jessica Kim

Editor. Hong Ji You jiyou@tenasia.co.kr