Suho "I was already an actor before EXO debut"

“Perhaps because I am famous as a member of EXO, I received a lot of questions about the ‘challenge’ of acting and the ‘challenge’ of a historical drama while doing ‘The Crown Prince Disappeared.’ To be honest, I never thought of anything as a ‘challenge.’ I debuted as a singer. Even though I am a celebrity, I think it is natural for me to appear in dramas and movies, but others may laugh at the idea that I am an actor, but others look at me seriously as an actor.”

Suho, the leader of the group EXO and an actor, met with Ten Asia at the SM Entertainment building located in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the 14th and told general stories about his activities in the entertainment industry, including MBN's 'The Crown Prince Disappeared'.

Suho revealed his deep connection with acting, saying, "I was lucky enough to debut as EXO while attending a theater school in my early 20s and learning various things." He added, "Acting has been my dream since I was young. As I gained more experience as an EXO member and had more time for personal activities, I naturally had more opportunities to do the acting I always enjoyed." Suho, who debuted in the group EXO in 2012, is known to have entered Korea National University of Arts in 2009.

He said, "I have often heard speculative stories about the reason why I act after debuting as an idol. I do not become an actor because the lifespan of an idol is short. I majored in acting before debuting. I loved acting so much. I joined SM Entertainment. “From the beginning, I planned to work with both singers and actors.” He continued, "I injured my leg in my third year of high school, so it was difficult for me to dance. I was able to focus more on preparing to be an actor than a singer. I also wanted to learn acting more properly, so I decided to go to a theater school," he said, looking back on the path he took. I saw.

Recalling the past, Suho said, "I liked practical music, but I wanted to learn acting in college because I had the opportunity to learn in SM's good system. Luckily, I was accepted to the school I wanted. Thanks to that, I was able to interact with outstanding alumni and gain acting knowledge. “I gained experience,” he said. He expressed his love for being a singer, saying, “I enjoy singing and dancing, but I also love producing.”

When asked about the charm of acting that he had thought about, he said, "It is very interesting to be able to live someone else's life other than my own through acting. I think it is a special experience to understand and resolve the character's emotions, even if they are not my actual emotions." “I do it,” he said, showing that he cared for both singers and actors without any discrimination.

'The Crown Prince Disappeared', starring Su-ho, is a Joseon version of a romantic comedy that depicts the story of Crown Prince Lee Geon (Su-ho), who lived a solid life, being bossed around by Choi Myeong-yoon (Hong Ye-ji), the woman who will become the Crown Princess. The first episode recorded a viewership rating of 1.5% (based on Nielsen Korea), but it rose to 4% from the 16th episode. The final episode, which aired on the 16th, recorded the highest viewership rating of 5.6% and 5.1% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea. It achieved its finale by breaking its own highest viewer ratings for four consecutive episodes.

When asked how he felt about the end of the work, Suho said, "We filmed for about 6 months from the end of last year to May of this year. It's not a short time, but I heard that filming 20 episodes in 6 months is relatively quick. There was pressure because it aired while filming, but “I was able to work hard because the response to the drama was good, but the actors and the director worked together to make it fun to film,” he said, recommending watching the making and behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube.

How did he interpret the character of Crown Prince Egan? Suho said, "Lee Geon is a character with a lot of sacrificial aspects. When I read the script, I thought, 'You're going to take it this far?' He expressed his respect for the character, saying, “I wondered, ‘Could there be someone like this in the world?’

Suho said, "Director Kim Jin-man of 'The Disappearance of the Crown Prince' said to me, 'Suho, I like you. When will you ever become king?' At that time, I suddenly thought, 'That's right. Thanks to playing the role of 'Crown Lee Geon' here, I got this novel experience. I realized, ‘I can do it.’ Acting is truly fascinating, and I am grateful for being given such an opportunity.” He also boasted about the writer's meticulous attention to detail. Suho said, "There was a difference between my real self and the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has a wider range of emotions than me. In order to act naturally, the writer wrote lines based on what I actually said. After watching a reality entertainment program filmed in the past with the members, “He changed what I said into a historical tone and expressed it in a fun way.”

"It was great to see the viewership rate rise even by 0.1%. When I read the title, I thought, 'This is happening proudly in a palace during the Joseon Dynasty?' As I was thinking about it, I began to wonder, ‘What will happen today?’ It seems that viewers enjoyed the work with a similar mindset as me, and these days, they sometimes express their frustration with the word ‘sweet potato.’ “I don’t think there are any misunderstandings between the characters, and the fact that interesting incidents continue to occur while confronting each other seems to have been a factor in increasing viewer ratings.”

He said, "I think the fact that the director casted actors who perfectly fit the characters was also recognized by the viewers. The writer developed the characters by observing the actors, but he also looked at the actors without prejudice through open auditions, so he was able to choose the right actors for the right roles. “I think you arranged the actors well,” he said with a smile.

Suho expressed his gratitude, saying that he felt that many people in their 40s to 60s recognized him through 'The Crown Prince Has Disappeared'. He jokingly said, "It was new and good that historical dramas are a genre with middle-aged mania. It was one of the reasons I decided to do this work. Thanks to the expanded awareness, I think I will be able to do my next work."

Suho is also active as a musical actor. From June to August last year, I went on stage with ‘Mozart!’ He said, "Thankfully, the musical production company paid a lot of attention to me. When choosing a work, I look at musicals, dramas, and movies all on the same level. The script is more important than the genre. I have decided on the work only by looking at the script."

"No matter what I've done so far, I've immersed myself in every nanosecond and done my best. I don't know how much was conveyed to the viewers, but fans who have been watching me know that. While I was doing 'The Crown Prince Disappeared,' I didn't meet my friends often. “I always recited the script while eating and before going to sleep. I have no regrets or regrets because I worked so hard. I just feel relieved and lighter.”

Suho, who completed the half-year journey of 'The Crown Prince Disappeared', expressed his passion by saying, "That doesn't mean I'm satisfied. I will find my regrets and shortcomings and make up for them when I move on to the next step."

Suho, whom we met in the interview, was a singer and actor who was serious about his entertainment activities as an artist and was strict with himself, but very considerate to others. It was a time when, 14 years after his debut, I was able to feel the secret behind his achieving the top position as the leader of the group and the lead actor of the work without any fuss.

Ten Asia Reporter Lee So-jeong forusojung@tenasia.co.kr