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- SHOOT ME IN THE HEART’s YEO Jin-gu
- by NA Won-jung / Feb 09, 2015
- From a Boy to a Mature Actor
It seems like just yesterday that the young boy in Sad Movie (2005) shed tears in search of his mother, but YEO Jin-gu has grown to become a mature actor. Based on the novel of the same name, YEO Jin-gu in Shoot Me in the Heart plays a youth troubled in thought, delivering a stable performance as one of the main characters. It’s about time we look at the growth of this young professional.You’ve been acting since you were very young. Looking at your past roles, it seems like you’d be a sentimental person.
I don't think I would be able to say the lines from my films in real life. In reality, I’m not very good at expressing myself.The character Su-myung in Shoot Me in the Heart goes through trauma due to his parents and ends up at the mental institute. Was it hard to play another dark character following Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013)?
Su-myung is a very dark character. He feels as if he is left alone in the world. I felt bad for him, but as myself, I’ve never felt sad. If the character had similar personality as I did, it might have influenced my real life, but as in the case of Hwayi and Su-myung, they are completely different from me and I was able to differentiate the character from myself.With the mental institute as the setting, there might have been new experiences through the shoots. Was there anything memorable?
I think the scene were I received the electricity treatment was intense. I really wanted to express and act realistically but it was hard to find references. I discussed with director MOON and had a chance to meet a nurse from a psychiatric ward. I tried hard to be as realistic as possible, but it was very foreign to me.Was it harder to act due to the popularity of the original novel?
I was cautious at first. In the original novel, Su-myung is not someone you can relate to. I tried emptying out everything and tried my hardest to be truthful to the character’s feelings. I wanted to express the feelings I felt on set just as I felt it. The lines in the film gave me hints to the performance.Which line was it?
It’s the scene where all the patients dance together and Seung-min (LEE Min-ki) says, “do you know what’s good about being crazy?” This line gave me freedom. What’s good about being insane? I thought I should just run with it. That was when I was able to rid of my anxiousness and was able to express more freely.
Your fellow actor LEE Min-ki is eight years older than you but the two characters were both 25 years old in the story. Did the age gap bring any difficulties?
LEE came up to me first and told me to act freely. Then we naturally became friends and our performance became more realistic. After two to three weeks on the set, we became too close. (smiles)It’s been ten years since your debut film, Sad Movie was released. You’ve also had some experience in TV sitcoms and also played an elderly man in a music video. Is there a role you’d like to try?
When I see actors on stage of a theater play or a musical, I’m jealous. The fact that you can see eye to eye with your audiences attracts me. I want to act on a theatre stage one day if I’m able to prepare myself for it. I also want to learn how to sing so that I can be in a musical.Shoot Me in the Heart is now in theatres and you’ve also wrapped the shooting of Seo-bu-jeon-sun (working title). What do you do on your days off?
When I’m not acting, I’m really bored. I usually just stay on my bed then fall asleep. So I miss being on the set a lot. I also miss the staff and the other actors. I miss the set when I’m not there.
photo by LEE Kyung-jin
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