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| ▲ South Korean actor Jeon No-min, who starred in the drama "Love (ft. Marriage & Divorce) Season 2," poses for a photo prior to an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on July 28, 2021. The drama is being aired by the local cable TV network TV Chosun. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- "I mean, I'm not as bad as Shin Yu-shin (actor Lee Tae-gon). I don't understand why everyone is blaming me the most?"
In a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, actor Jeon No-min, laughed while continuing to say, "Nowadays I get to experience the popularity of the drama as well as the hate for my character. I'm not getting any more advertisement offers or special treats even when I go to restaurants because I'm portrayed as the 'bad guy' for my role."
In TV Chosun's weekend drama "Love ft. Marriage and Divorce," Jeon's character Park Hae-ryun leaves his wife Lee Si-eun (actress Jeon Soo-kyeong) for Nam Ga-bin (actress Lim Hye-young), a musical actress who is ten years younger than him, which infuriated the public.
All three of the leading male characters of "Love ft. Marriage and Divorce" have an affair, but unlike Shin Yu-shin and Pan Sa-hyeon (actor Sung Hoon), who try to hide their secret relationship as best as possible, Park Hae-ryun confidently expressed his feelings to his wife and children from the beginning of season one, adding fuel to the viewers' anger.
The second season of "Love ft. Marriage and Divorce" is now nearing the end. With Nam Ga-bin likely to reunite with Seo Dong-ma (actor Bu Bae), Park Hae-ryun is on the verge of becoming the odd man out. Jeon said, "I'm not even sure what will happen to Park Hae-ryun, but I hope Nam Ga-bin and Seo Dong-ma end up together. I hope those who love each other stay together."
Jeon, who suits well with dark melodramas, is said to have been offered roles as the antagonist after making a big hit as the villain Hong In-bang in "Six Flying Dragons" (2015). However, Jeon revealed that this time, it was harder to feel the unique satisfaction whilst acting as the 'bad guy'.
"There are times when I would scream my lines to get rid of my stress as a villain, but my current character always calmly gets into trouble. So there's no way to relieve my stress that's piling up," Jeon said with a laugh.
"Actually, Park Hae-ryun is a hard person for me to understand. How could someone say to their daughter, 'I am not Jesus Christ or Buddha Sakyamuni.' In addition, the first thing Park says to his wife is, 'Why don't you stop living?' I wasn't confident in saying these lines so I tried my best to avoid it. However, in the end, I decided it would be better to properly deliver my lines, even if this meant receiving a ton of criticism from the audience."
Although Park Hae-ryun committed unpardonable actions, actor Jeon was slapped by actress Jeon Soo-kyeong, who plays his wife, and Jeon Hye-won, who plays Park's daughter, Hyang-gi, gives him a hard time throughout the drama. However, Jeon proudly said that he had the best chemistry with the two actresses.
"I was really proud of Hyang-gi because she would always come up to me and say, 'Dad, let's practice our lines together.' Once we met, we would practice for five hours, so I was confident she would do a great job. Everyone clapped their hands when we saw Jeon Hye-won act scenes worth of 25-paged scripts in one take. She's like my daughter now. The atmosphere was great with Soo-kyeong too. I'm confident to say that our family had the most stable atmosphere within the drama. Of course, it was no joke when Park Hae-ryun and Lee Si-eun were angry at each other," Jeon recalled.
Asked why Park Hae-ryun acts like he does in the drama, Jeon said, "How can we decide which character was worst in this drama? We're all equally bad," adding, "Of course, Park Hae-ryun is more pathetic in that he even went to rat on Shin Yu-shin's affair."
"When I was with actresses Lee Min-young, Song Ji-in, and Lim Hye-young, who play the three 'mistresses,' before shooting season one, the production team jokingly asked me who I liked the most. I chose Lim Hye-young (who plays Nam Ga-bin) without much thought and that's how my character ended up liking her. If they asked me again, I wouldn't pick anyone," Jeon said laughing.
The 54-year-old actor also analyzed the reasons behind the popularity of "Love ft. Marriage and Divorce," which is aired not only on TV Chosun but also on global online video service (OTT) Netflix. "Regardless of how old or where people are from, the story of this drama can be relatable on some levels to everyone. Also, due to the novel coronavirus, I think people are more curious of the events that happen indoors and within families."
Jeon No-min, who started his acting career at the age of 31 after appearing in a public service advertisement while working for a foreign airline, is now active in various fields such as theater production.
"Rather than thinking about what genre and roles I want to play next, if I like a certain character that I have been cast for, I decide to act in that work. I plan to meet with the audience in movies and plays during the second half of the year, and I would like to host entertainment or current affairs programs if I get the chance," Jeon added.
Wrapping up the interview, Jeon No-min left only one stern remark for husbands who are currently in a secret affair. "You must never do it."
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