On the 14th, an interview with Geum Sae-rok of JTBC's 'Love Understanding' was held at a cafe located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. 'Understanding Love' is a melodrama that tells the story of people with different interests meeting each other and understanding the true meaning of 'love'. Keum Sae-rok appears as Park Mi-kyung, a woman who has everything but lacks love, and was sympathized with Ha Sang-soo (Yoo Yeon-seok), Ahn Soo-young (Moon Ga-young), and Jeong Jong-hyeon (Jung Ga-ram) as they formed a square relationship.
Keum Sae-rok started out as a minor character without a single line of dialogue, but quickly established himself as the leading actor leading the play. As it was my first attempt at acting in a melodrama through ‘Love and Understanding,’ my preparation for the character was also exceptional. I personally prepared the shooting props and composed the emotional lines in detail. He was said to have portrayed the character 130%, and instead gave credit to director Cho Young-min and actor Yoo Yeon-seok.
Keum Sae-rok said, "Director Cho is a very delicate person. He took care of the actors so that they could focus only on their acting. When they were acting with deep emotions, he also made 'Ready, Action' very soft. It felt like those emotions were transferring to me. He also expressed his gratitude, saying, “Before filming, he asked about the model of cell phone. He also prepared filming props according to the original model of cell phone that each actor had. Thanks to this, I was able to focus more on important scenes and film.”
About Yoo Yeon-seok, who played the role of the boyfriend, "It was a scene where there was a conflict with the senior. As she got out of the car and continued speaking, I was anxious that her emotions would be broken. So Mi-kyung kept talking to herself about her inner feelings. Even though senior Yeon-seok was next to her. "I just said that. Then I looked into my senior's eyes and he was already in tears. Seeing that consideration helped me not lose focus," he said, expressing his gratitude.
He also showed respect for Yoo Yeon-seok. He said, "When filming the mountain climbing scene at Cheonggyesan Mountain, Yeonseok personally carried the staff's equipment. The location was a mountain and the equipment itself was heavy, so it was cool to see him help us all the way to the filming location."
He added, “Senior Yeon-seok is the person who takes care of the overall atmosphere on set,” adding, “The team atmosphere was good because he was good at creating the atmosphere.”
‘Understanding Love’ was criticized by viewers as being somewhat ‘frustrating’. Keum Sae-rok was confident that this part was the great charm of the work.
He said, "It's a drama that's like a secret diary. I sometimes don't write down things that hurt so much in my diary because I think there are moments I don't want to see again. But this work felt like four diaries unfolding. As each person's sense of entitlement and wounds are revealed, “I thought that people who watched it might have felt frustrated. It was a realistic drama rather than pretty and beautiful,” he commented.
He said, "Unlike other dramas, each person's pain and wounds are expressed a lot. The realistic drawings were new to me. It was a work that could show the other side of love in a diverse and deep way." He added, "In it, the character Mi-kyung is healthy." “I thought it was cool. Normally people get jealous and obsessed, don’t they? It was a work in which Mi-kyung was portrayed beautifully,” he added.
He also expressed his gratitude to the fans who recognized the value of his work. Keum Sae-rok said, "A lot of mothers and fathers around me also looked at me. They said that it reminded them a lot of the love they didn't choose or the love they chose. Memories like, 'What if I had made this choice back then? Ah, so I made this choice.' He said, “I was very lucky to meet a good work that received such evaluation.”
Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr