Sohn Seok-gu: On working with Kim Hye-ja and Kim Da-mi » Dramabeans
Sohn Seok-gu: On working with Kim Hye-ja and Kim Da-mi
by lovepark
Actor Sohn Seok-gu (Nine Puzzles) has been busy this last month starring in two dramas as well as the movie, Virus. Making his rounds in a recent press tour, he sat down for an interview about his latest roles as the loving husband in romance-fantasy Heavenly Ever After and the tenacious detective in the recently finished mystery-drama Nine Puzzles.
When asked about his opposing roles in his co-current shows, Sohn stated that it was difficult to watch them at the same time. “I wouldn’t call it confusing, but memories of filming would pop up and overlap with each other. As a result, it went past my body’s limit, so it took a while for me to watch. I took breaks in between,” he recalled.
As for his co-star Kim Hye-ja who played his lovely wife in JTBC’s Heavenly Ever After, Sohn shared his experiences working alongside such a prominent, veteran actor. “I believe Kim Hye-ja would do well in a mystery,” he said. “The level of sincerity in her acting is on a different level. When I acted with her, I thought, ‘this is no joke,’ but when I saw it through the monitor, I felt her power even more. Her sincerity is amazing.”
Sohn also shared how his own father watched his show and would mumble to himself about how natural Kim’s portrayal was. He said that he felt the same way and added, “I was amazed when I saw it. Even if I acted my whole life, it’s not something I would dare to accomplish.”
Continuing the praise, Sohn described Kim as a lighthouse and said, “When I would drift to one side, she made me think, ‘I have to go back there.’ After meeting her, a lot has changed. It was not just another project.”
As for his other show Nine Puzzles, Sohn called it an unfamiliar genre and was worried at first about how he would fit. Utilizing his strengths as an actor, he emphasized his character’s emotions and his relationship with co-star Kim Da-mi to keep the audience engaged throughout all eleven episodes.
“When I first received the script, the range of emotions was small, and the character was closer to monotone,” he remembered, “but we decided to make him into a ‘nice guy.’ He’s a transparent character.”
At the mention of his co-star, Sohn described her as passionate and full of ideas. “From the beginning, she came in with a clear idea of her character, so I was actually the one asking her what to do. If I asked, ‘This seems odd, can you check the monitor?’ Da-mi would give me exact feedback on what to do. Then I would go to the director and say, ‘Da-mi told me to try it this way. Would you mind if we did it again?’”
Sohn also recalled how their acting styles were similar with a preference towards a more natural approach which seems to have helped their on-screen connection as well. When talking about his character’s arc, Sohn picked out episodes 3 and 4 as the start of his doubt, and then the pivotal moment in episode 5 is when he had to choose if he was going to trust Da-mi’s character.
When asked how he felt leaving his character Han-saem behind, he replied, “Once filming wraps, I’m not the type to have a lot of lingering feelings, but looking at pictures, I do miss him sometimes.”
