INT: Was there a feeling of burden for your first villain role?
JHJ: If you are talking about convenience I would have to say that the characters that I have always played are more comfortable for me. However, as an actor I could show more aspects of my acting skills in a villain role. I did a lot of research for this villain role because there are certain aspects of my character which I don’t have within me. I considered all kinds of things in a detailed manner regarding my facial expressions, my tone of voice and even with the way my eyes looked. There were even days when I yelled and screamed my lungs out.
INT: If this was in your 20s, I wonder how your villain acting would have been like.
JHJ: If you have more experience as an actor then opportunities to pull off a character like this would be more plentiful. If I acted as Han Do Jun in my 20s, it would be pretty different compared to now. This is why I would love to play a villain again at a different age.
INT: Do Jun died in such an empty way.
JHJ: This made the public become amused since the setup was that he was the very person that made Yeo Jin lay comatose in bed.
INT: Your melodramatic scene with Chae Jung An was memorable as well.
JHJ: You would have probably felt that episode 16 and the 2-episode extension made the melodramatic scenes somewhat rushed. Since it was the part where we had to express everything in such a short amount of time so I’m sure (Chae) Jung An nuna (older sister Jung An) had to be immersed in it as well. I had a hard time since I was in a position where I wasn’t loved by someone whom I adored a lot. Jung An did a good job by being all into it more than anything.
INT: You finally reunited with Kim Tae Hee whom you haven’t seen in 11 years.
JHJ: In the drama called ‘The Nine Tailed Fox’ back in 2004, we played characters that weren’t able to love because of our circumstances and this kind thing was new to me at the time. There were reactions saying that we looked less awkward as siblings since we acted with each other in the past once.
INT: Regarding the side script, was there any inconvenience to filming because of this?
JHJ: It’s such a regret since I could have been able to analyze my character in more detail if I had plenty of time to do that. The scene that comes to mind right now is the one where I throw a glass cup towards my secretary and after I threw the cup at him with intensity the first time around, I even added some other ideas like: turning the cup around or even just making an attempt to throw it. Even in the scene where I died, in the script I am supposed to be dead by the time Chae Young reaches me. But the version that was aired was where I looked at Chae Young and shed tears while she holds me in her arms before I die.
INT: I am looking forward to what you’ll be doing next. Have you thought about being in a variety show at all?
JHJ: I get a kick out of characters that are playful and bright. I even want to play characters that are good-for-nothing or a gangster. I don’t think I would be doing anything melodramatic for a while since I’ve been having so much fun with different kinds of characters these days. I like being an actor who can express myself fully even if the situation is where the director has already set things up for me. As for variety and entertainment shows, I think I will leave that to people like Yoo Jae Suk and HaHa.
INT: It’s time for you to get married, do you have plans for it?
JHJ: I really don’t have anyone that I’m seeing right now but I certainly do have to get married sometime in the future. I am planning to get married before I turn 40. My ideal type… I focus more on a person’s personality these days rather than on their looks. I just want a girl with a nice personality.
INT: When you go on portal sites or search engines, ‘Jo Hyun Jae Marriage’ pops up.
JHJ: It’s because there is a senior actor whose name is somewhat similar to mine. I am referring to Mr. Jo Jae Hyun. The same goes for Mr. Jo Jae Hyun. When you search for his name on portal sites, my name would pop up as well.