Bae In-hyuk Addresses Acting Criticism at '21st Century Grand Prince' Press Conference

Bae In-hyuk candidly addressed the acting criticism surrounding him.

On the 6th, a press conference for MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Grand Prince' (written by Yoo Ji-won, directed by Park Joon-hwa) was held at the Chosun Palace Seoul Gangnam in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by IU, Bae In-hyuk, Noh Sang-hyun, Gong Seung-yeon, Yoo Soo-bin, Lee Yeon, and director Park Joon-hwa. Unlike MBC's usual practice of holding press conferences at the Sangam Golden Mouse Hall, this event was notably held at a hotel.

'21st Century Grand Prince' is set against the backdrop of a 21st-century constitutional monarchy, depicting a romance that breaks social status barriers between a woman dissatisfied with her commoner status despite having everything and a man who, despite being the king's son, can possess nothing.

In the drama, Bae In-hyuk plays the role of Lee An-daegun, the second son of the royal family who can have nothing but his status. When asked about concerns regarding his acting, he responded, "Is this concern about this work?" He continued, "Whenever such concerns arise, I discuss them with the director. I've always tried to improve my acting. For this work, I focused on making the character of Lee An-daegun emotionally relatable to the audience. I concentrated solely on the narrative of Lee An-daegun."

Regarding the perception of him as the '21st-century Suyang Daegun,' he stated, "When I interpreted Lee An-daegun, I didn't think of him as the 21st-century Suyang Daegun. Although characters in the drama call me Suyang Daegun, I see Lee An-daegun as someone who appears strong and rebellious on the outside but is lonely and wounded on the inside. I aimed to portray these emotions."

Regarding his entrance scene, he said, "Look forward to it. It gives off a Suyang Daegun vibe." He added, "I had many concerns. The writer had well-crafted the narrative of Lee An-daegun in each scene. I focused on thoroughly understanding the script. On set, I collaborated with the director to create the scenes. The actors opposite me helped draw out my emotional performance. I acted with confidence in the script and enjoyed creating it with everyone on set."

'21st Century Grand Prince' premieres on the 10th at 9:40 PM.

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr