“Empress Ki”, which aired its final episode on the 29th last month, continuously raked in viewership ratings of more than 20%, and its popularity is testament to its success. However, it was not able to break free from its label as a historically distorted story packaged as a “faction sageuk”. “Empress Ki” owes its mass popularity to Ha Ji Won, who plays the titular character, and Ji Chang Wook (27 years old) who plays the Yuan emperor Ta Hwan. From the vulnerability of a young prince and a man deeply in love to the insanity of a violent emperor, these dramatic character changes and the undulating emotions were excellently portrayed and he has earned praises for his widening range of acting. Having acted in dramas such as “Smile Donghae” and musicals, he has deeply etched his name in the minds of the public through “Empress Ki”.
Q: You had to act out a wide range of changes in your character. Was it difficult?
Ta Hwan was a child who had never been loved and experienced friendship during his exile, and from friendship, he got to know about love. He tried many ways to obtain that love, but did not know that that was a wrong kind of love. I was very troubled over how I should portray such a dramatic transformation.
Q: The changes in emotion were like polar opposites.
I had to shift between laughter, crying, fear and craziness in every episode. It was difficult to maintain a balance. It is not easy to gauge whether a sudden change in emotions should be impactful, or whether it should be introduced then built up slowly. If the script for the next episode isn’t out yet, I have to decide by myself what kind of emotions I should end the episode with, since I do not know how the plot is going to develop later. There were instances where I had to film two versions of the last scene of an episode.
Q: Are you satisfied with your acting?
I’m always filled with regrets. I always think I should’ve tried harder. For example, in the scene where I had to act crazy, I think I should have really given my all. As an actor, this was a show that allowed me to try out various kinds of acting.
Q: What was the most memorable scene?
That would be the first scene five years after the war. It was the scene where I had to use a sword to kill a defeated general while in a drunken state. That scene was filmed in a long take. Because I had to film all at once, my whole body was drenched with sweat. That scene alone took 6 hours to film.
Q: What were your thoughts about the debate regarding the show’s historical distortion while filming?
As an actor, I was very troubled by the kinds of responsibility I should bear regarding the problem of history. “Empress Ki” was a story about one woman surrounded by the love of two men, which would be interesting, so I had no other words to say besides asking people to pay attention to our show. During filming, the only thought I had each time was to take responsibility for my character Ta Hwan and complete the show successfully.
Q: After “Empress Ki”, you will probably be receiving many offers.
I’m thankful that more people are coming to look for me than before. With that, the number of offers that I have to reject has also increased, and I apologise for that. Jo Jin Woong hyung said that “when you reject a show, the pain you feel is akin to slicing a piece of your flesh”. I can really relate to those words these days.
“Empress Ki”, which aired its final episode on the 29th last month, continuously raked in viewership ratings of more than 20%, and its popularity is testament to its success. However, it was not able to break free from its label as a historically distorted story packaged as a “faction sageuk”. “Empress Ki” owes its mass popularity to Ha Ji Won, who plays the titular character, and Ji Chang Wook (27 years old) who plays the Yuan emperor Ta Hwan. From the vulnerability of a young prince and a man deeply in love to the insanity of a violent emperor, these dramatic character changes and the undulating emotions were excellently portrayed and he has earned praises for his widening range of acting. Having acted in dramas such as “Smile Donghae” and musicals, he has deeply etched his name in the minds of the public through “Empress Ki”.
Q: You had to act out a wide range of changes in your character. Was it difficult?
Ta Hwan was a child who had never been loved and experienced friendship during his exile, and from friendship, he got to know about love. He tried many ways to obtain that love, but did not know that that was a wrong kind of love. I was very troubled over how I should portray such a dramatic transformation.
Q: The changes in emotion were like polar opposites.
I had to shift between laughter, crying, fear and craziness in every episode. It was difficult to maintain a balance. It is not easy to gauge whether a sudden change in emotions should be impactful, or whether it should be introduced then built up slowly. If the script for the next episode isn’t out yet, I have to decide by myself what kind of emotions I should end the episode with, since I do not know how the plot is going to develop later. There were instances where I had to film two versions of the last scene of an episode.
Q: Are you satisfied with your acting?
I’m always filled with regrets. I always think I should’ve tried harder. For example, in the scene where I had to act crazy, I think I should have really given my all. As an actor, this was a show that allowed me to try out various kinds of acting.
Q: What was the most memorable scene?
That would be the first scene five years after the war. It was the scene where I had to use a sword to kill a defeated general while in a drunken state. That scene was filmed in a long take. Because I had to film all at once, my whole body was drenched with sweat. That scene alone took 6 hours to film.
Q: What were your thoughts about the debate regarding the show’s historical distortion while filming?
As an actor, I was very troubled by the kinds of responsibility I should bear regarding the problem of history. “Empress Ki” was a story about one woman surrounded by the love of two men, which would be interesting, so I had no other words to say besides asking people to pay attention to our show. During filming, the only thought I had each time was to take responsibility for my character Ta Hwan and complete the show successfully.
Q: After “Empress Ki”, you will probably be receiving many offers.
I’m thankful that more people are coming to look for me than before. With that, the number of offers that I have to reject has also increased, and I apologise for that. Jo Jin Woong hyung said that “when you reject a show, the pain you feel is akin to slicing a piece of your flesh”. I can really relate to those words these days.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..