(Editor: According to Jenny Park, the “5 Heavenly Kings in Japan” refers to the top 5 Korean male stars that the Japanese female fans like so much to the point that they are put on a pedestal or a throne and are treated like kings. Aside from Hyunjae, I don’t know who else belongs to this select group.)
Jo Hyun Jae said, “In my 20s I was a little sloppy like a child. I didn’t have room to spare for anything. I also didn’t have the wisdom to handle people either. I think I have always liked the name ‘Hyun Jae’. As an actor, ‘immaturity’ is the force of energy. I would like to maintain it somehow but I want to be emotionally flexible as well so that even if I act as a person befitting my age, life could still be fresh and exciting to me.”
(Editor: “Hyun Jae” in English means “now” or “present” or “current”. What JHJ meant in the above paragraph is that he would like to have the energy he had in his 20s (youth=immaturity) but have the emotional stability he possesses now in his 30s so he could make wise decisions but still find life fresh and exciting.
Jo Hyun Jae was able to pull off a villain character and through “Yongpal” he broke away from his typical roles of a well-mannered and nice young man.
There is some curiosity regarding his next challenge. Jo Hyun Jae revealed, “Through my previous role in KDSBH I discovered a different side to myself, I found out that I have a playful side also. KDSBH’s PD Lee Sang Yeob liked the Jo Hyun Jae even off camera too. He even encouraged me to try doing a romantic comedy.”
Jo Hyun Jae continued by saying, “I think that deep inside me there are a lot of things that are funny and corny which could make people laugh. As long as there is no explicit nudity, I am willing to do anything, even make a fool of myself.”
Jo Hyun Jae played the villain Han Do Jun in the weekly drama “Yongpal” which had the highest viewer rating. He received positive reviews for his performance despite this being the first time in his acting career that he played a villainous character.