Song Seung-heon plays the villain role in Netflix's 'Courier Driver'
New work with director Cho Eui-seok in 21 years, "It's strange before the first filming"
"I finally feel the fun of acting that I have never done before"
New work with director Cho Eui-seok in 21 years, "It's strange before the first filming"
"I finally feel the fun of acting that I have never done before"
"I was nervous because it was my first Netflix series, and I felt pressure because K-content is loved globally these days, but I'm glad that it made it to the top of the rankings. In the past, it was aired as a TV drama and the viewership ratings fluctuated, but these days OTT like Netflix is said to be an indicator of viewing time, so it's amazing. Haha."
Actor Song Seung-heon was delighted with the news that the Netflix series 'Courier Driver' ranked first in the global TOP 10 non-English TV category in the first week of release (May 8-14). 'Courier Driver' is about the future Korean Peninsula, where people cannot live without oxygen due to extreme air pollution, and the legendary courier driver 5-8 (Kim Woo-bin) and refugee April (Kang Yoo-seok) fight against the Chunmyeong Group that dominates the new world. the story of the picture. Song Seung-heon takes on the role of Ryu Seok, the son of the chairman of the Cheonmyeong Group who established the current order in a deserted world and the CEO of the Cheonmyeong Group with seething ambition. Song Seung-heon said, "I think it was three years ago that I heard that director Cho Eui-seok had such an original work and that he was trying to tell a story like this. "he said.
One of the reasons Song Seung-heon joined this work is his relationship with director Cho Eui-seok. Song Seung-heon worked with director Cho Eui-seok on the 2002 release 'First Jump'. He revealed the reason for appearing in this work, saying, "I am an old friend with director Cho Eui-seok before being both a director and an actor. He said that he wanted to do any work or any role together." Also, he said, "I was told to do the next work quickly, but time passed so fast that I couldn't believe it. Last week, on the 10th, we had a production presentation, and the release date of 'Run For Now' was May 10, 2002," feeling the emotion. He added, "The material was interesting, but it was also meaningful in that it was a project that I worked with a friend I trusted after a long time, and it was a project that I met again as a more mature actor and director than before. It was good throughout the filming. It was strange before the first filming. It's been a long time since we met at ," he said.
In the play, Ryu Seok is in charge of the construction of Area A, which mobilizes a large number of refugees, and orders completion as soon as possible to move to a new area. He opposes the relocation of refugees to the living quarters and indiscriminately slaughters them. In addition, in order to find a cure for his incurable disease, he catches innocent citizens and conducts biological experiments. Song Seung-heon said, "Ryu Seok is on the quiet side. But he is a person who needs to show his presence again. I discussed this with the director a lot." "Ryu Seok can be called a villain, but from his point of view, his actions have a reason. Resources are limited and the amount of oxygen produced is fixed. The choice to force sacrifice is not correct, but there is a legitimate reason. Then In the previous episode, Ryu Seok looked lonely and sad. I wanted to express all the complicated aspects of the character, but it was regrettable that I couldn't include them all because the time for the work was limited."
Song Seung-heon, who showed the 'standard of a good-looking male lead' in romance films in the past, continues to challenge genre films such as the recent dramas 'Voice 4' and 'Player', including this work. He said, "First of all, it's fun. It's because I've tried something I haven't done before. After acting for over 20 years, I think I've developed an image of an actor named Song Seung-heon. Now I want to try to break that image. It's fun when I do that kind of acting. I want to continue to try to make people think, 'Isn't it Song Seung-heon?', and I find it fun." He also confessed, "When I was in my 20s and 30s, going to the field didn't seem to be fun, but these days going to the field is fun and I look forward to it. I want to try that to my heart's content." Regarding acting as a villain, "In the past, seniors jokingly said that people would throw stones on the road when playing a villain. These days, viewers don't curse at me for being a villain. Times have changed. I want to try a lot of characters I haven't played before." He added, "It was nice when people said it was a new side of me, not a side I hadn't seen or expected. I feel proud when they say, 'Does it suit you?'
Song Seung-heon did not hesitate to praise Kim Woo-bin, who acted together in this work. Song Seung-heon said, "Didn't Woo-bin co-star with director Cho Eui-seok in the movie 'Master'? Not only director Cho Eui-seok, but people around him say that Woo-bin is a very good friend. It's not easy to hear good things from someone. There was no one who hated it. It was," he laughed. He continued, "He was good to his seniors, took care of the people around him, and was mature. I couldn't do that at my age, but I wanted to. I also learned a lot." "It's not pretense. I thought you were a good friend with a good personality. I suffered from illness for a while, but fortunately I recovered well. There were times when the hospital said it was dangerous, and they said they were so happy to be able to work like this now. A very good friend."
Song Seung-heon, who debuted in 1995 and has been active for 30 years. Song Seung-heon must have felt the trend of the era expanding from TV to OTT more vividly than anyone else. He said, “In the analog era, there were 4 major media outlets at the time. He continued, "Now it has become a world without secrets. In one minute, the whole world knows."
In the meantime, the 52-hour work week was introduced at the drama production site, and the treatment of staff and actors improved. Song Seung-heon said, "These days, the field has changed a lot. In the past, even though the staff stayed up all night, they said that's the power of Korean dramas, so they filmed, edited, and broadcasted. It was broadcast on Monday evening, but they filmed until morning. Why don't you cut it?' There were times when I looked back and the director was dozing off. These days, it's not like that. We shoot until the appointed time and finish. In the past, everyone did it while their bodies were breaking down, but these days they can't and don't do that. I think they've improved a lot and are going in a good direction." said.
In the changing content production environment, Song Seung-heon expressed his desire to make a different choice than before. He said, “When I was in my 20s and 30s, I think I just thought that being an actor was a job for a living. Somehow I got into acting and luckily I was loved by many people. But it just wasn’t fun. I think there were times," he said. He continued, "As I get older and do things I haven't done before, I'm starting to enjoy it. I wonder if I would have become a better actor if I had felt this feeling in my 20s. These days, going to the field is fun. In the past, seniors have to grow up to understand. I know, I want to be like this," he laughed.
Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr