Singer and actor Kim Yohan has revealed that he has become completely enamored with the sport of rugby through his role as a rugby player.
On the afternoon of the 25th, at the SBS building in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, during the press conference for SBS's new Friday-Saturday drama 'The Winning Try' (written by Lim Jin-ah, directed by Jang Young-seok), Kim Yohan shared, "I started training with the rugby team and real rugby players three months before filming began."
'The Winning Try' is a comedic sports drama that follows the unpredictable, eccentric coach Joo Ga-ram and the perennially last-place Hanyang High School rugby team as they sprint towards victory at the national sports festival. The drama is a collaboration between director Jang Young-seok, who co-directed 'Taxi Driver 2', and writer Lim Jin-ah, whose script won the top prize at the SBS Cultural Foundation's script contest.
In the drama, Kim Yohan plays Yoon Sung-jun, the strict captain of the Hanyang High School rugby team. He's a hard-working individual who lives under the weight of inferiority, appearing twisted and prickly on the outside, but at heart, he's just a nineteen-year-old boy who loves sports and craves recognition.
Despite the challenges of playing a rugby player, Kim Yohan was eager, saying, "When there's a lot to prepare, I'm the type to want to prepare everything. It wasn't me choosing this role, but rather, being chosen for it. I really wanted to play Yoon Sung-jun, and the script was so fun. There was absolutely no reason not to do it."
Director Jang Young-seok's main reason for casting Kim Yohan as Yoon Sung-jun was his 'comic-strip' good looks. "At first glance, actor Kim Yohan looks exactly like a sports team captain who's jumped straight out of a comic book," he said. Yoon Kye-sang, who shares the screen with him, also praised, "Acting together, I get this strange feeling. He's just too handsome. It's rare to think that about another guy."
Despite his 'comic-strip' good looks, Kim Yohan is set to showcase the solid charm of the rugby team strict captain through his character Yoon Sung-jun. Having dedicated a significant amount of time to rugby practice, Kim Yohan said, "At first, since it was a sport unfamiliar to us, there were uncertainties and difficulties. But as we got to understand the rules of rugby and learn more about it, we really started to feel its charm. Even our practice sessions were really fun, and we had a great time filming."
Kim Yohan described the allure of rugby, saying, "It's all about teamwork. To score a try, it's impossible to do it alone; it requires team play. Everyone is indispensable."
'The Winning Try', offering a taste of rugby's charm, aired its first episode on the 25th at 9:50 PM, following 'Our Movie'.
[Photo by Baik Seung-Chul]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)