Jisung lost 15kg in 2 months

Actor Ji-sung attempts to portray a drug addict for the first time since his debut. He is said to have put his all into acting for the character, losing 15kg and even hyperventilating, so expectations are high for his new transformation.

On the afternoon of the 24th, a production presentation for SBS' new Friday-Saturday drama 'Connection' was held at the SBS building in Mok-dong, Seoul. Director Kim Moon-kyo and actors Ji-seong, Jeon Mi-do, Kwon Yul, Kim Kyung-nam, Jeong Soon-won, Jeong Yu-min, Cha Yeop, and Lee Kang-wook attended the event.

'Connection' is a suspense drama in which Jang Jae-kyung (Ji Sung), an ace detective on the drug team who was forcibly addicted to drugs by someone, uncovers the full story of the connection and their deteriorated friendship that lasted for 20 years, using the death of his friend as a clue.

Director Kim Moon-kyo said he had a lot of concerns about the subject of drug addiction and said, “The subject matter is timely, but I thought it should be handled with caution when broadcasting on terrestrial television.”

He continued, "I was torn between my professional ethics as a person who makes videos and wanting to express and show them properly, and my ethics as a member of society that serious issues should not be shown for entertainment purposes." He added, "Rather than imitating and showing the momentary pleasure that drugs give, it could be seen as a disease. We decided to be bold about it and proceeded with it."

Ji-seong, who is attempting to act as a drug addict for the first time since his debut, said, "The fact that a detective from the drug crime investigation team was addicted to drugs was new in itself. As I imagined how to act like that, I was half-hearted about making a choice. Also, the composition of the character itself was colorful. It was different. Of all the characters, I am the one who appears the most and carries out the investigation, and there are many characters who shine, so I was curious about their acting.”

Regarding the difference from previous genre works, "I thought about it, but it was difficult to predict before filming. However, while filming, I thought that I had matured into the genre and had a different energy. You can see that on screen. “It will happen,” he said confidently.

Ji Sung also had to lose a lot of weight for his character. He said, "I gained up to 85kg while raising a child, but lost 15kg. I started filming at 70kg. As a result, I had severe aftereffects because I lacked stamina. I tried to sublimate that part into acting."

Regarding acting while addicted to drugs, he said, "I thought about the mind control itself as 'I have to do another act while acting.' I acted out the confusing fight between me trying to overcome the drug and me trying to enjoy the drug addiction." Instead of spitting it out, I tried to inhale it. At times, I felt like I was going to hyperventilate and faint, but no one noticed that acting while using your body like this could be life-threatening, so I kept it within a reasonable limit.” said.

Jeon Mi-do played the role of Oh Yun-jin, a woman who runs into the wall of reality and volunteers to make a living. Jeon Mi-do, who was starring in a genre film for the first time, said she received a lot of help from Ji-seong, saying, “I wanted to learn tone and manners, so I watched most of the OTT genre films. However, what I saw and what I did on set were different.” He added, “The filming was not done in order. “I found it difficult to control the level,” he said, expressing his gratitude, saying, “Senior Ji Seong provided guidance at every moment.”

Kwon Yul takes on the role of Park Tae-jin, a prosecutor at the Anhyeon branch office who has an outstanding brain. On this day, Kwon Yul announced that he would sue director Kim Mun-kyo for defamation. The reason is that when director Kim Moon-kyo spoke about the reason for casting, he said, "I cast people who looked similar to the actors based on their actual characters and images as much as possible." He added, "When these people appear, viewers think, 'This is what they look like.' Because he said, “If you do that, that’s the case.”

Kwon Yul, who played the villain, made people laugh by saying, "If that's actually true, I can prepare for defamation."

‘Connection’ will premiere at 9:50 PM on the 24th.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr