Actor Nam Joo-hyuk is back. Standing before the public after a military service hiatus with a deeper gaze and a firmer presence, he gave his all from scorching summer to bone-chilling winter to complete the Netflix series 'Donggung.' We met actor Nam Joo-hyuk, who successfully underwent an intense transformation into 'Gucheon,' a ghost hunter traversing darkness.
'Donggung' is a mystery thriller occult period drama in which Gucheon (played by Nam Joo-hyuk), a ghost hunter with the special ability to freely cross into the spirit realm, and Saenggang (played by Roh Yoon-seo), an inspecting court lady who can hear the sounds of spirits, receive a secret summons from the King (played by Cho Seung-woo) to uncover the truth behind a cruel curse haunting the East Palace. Since all episodes were released on July 17, it has been generating a hot response both at home and abroad.
▲ Shedding Rom-Coms for an Occult Period Drama... Attempting a New Transformation
Behind Nam Joo-hyuk's choice of the occult period drama 'Donggung' as his comeback project after military discharge was a deep thirst to expand his character spectrum and a spirit of challenge. Having received great love as a refreshing and sweet romantic comedy male lead in numerous works such as 'Start-Up' and 'Twenty Five Twenty One,' he revealed that he seriously reflected on his filmography during his military service.
"While in the military, I had a strong desire as an actor to show the public a character with a distinct personality and a new side different from before. Looking back at my filmography, I realized I had done a lot of romantic comedies. Of course, I still love rom-coms and want to do them, but at the time, I wanted to experience character diversity that was a bit more intense and deep."
In the midst of that, the project he came across like fate was 'Donggung.' The character he plays, Gucheon, is a figure with a dark and exhausted narrative unlike anything he has shown before. He is a man who chose voluntary isolation by turning his back on the world due to the trauma of losing his mother in childhood, a three-dimensional character struggling to survive with nowhere to anchor his heart in either the real world or the spirit realm.
"I became curious about how a guy like Gucheon, who was already exhausted and isolated, would survive and get by when dragged into the palace, the most uncomfortable and overwhelming space. I thought, 'I should create this character with my own color.'"
'Gucheon' is a character who goes beyond just seeing ghosts and can actually travel to the spirit realm to eliminate them himself. To intuitively show the character's changes of losing vital energy (yang energy) and depleting physical strength whenever he goes to the spirit world, Nam Joo-hyuk paid meticulous attention visually. Having gained weight and muscle right after his military discharge, he lost about 7 kg during filming.
"When Gucheon is first dragged into the palace, he looks chubby, but as time goes on, I wanted to portray him losing vital energy and becoming skin and bones. I ate salads that I didn't usually eat, quit instant noodles, and went on a diet. On top of that, because I used my body a lot during filming, I naturally lost about 7 kg."
▲ Despite Repeated Underwater Scenes and Intense Action... "The Hardships Were Nothing"
Due to the nature of the occult period drama genre, 'Donggung' was filled with intense action and underwater filming, pushing the actors' physical stamina to the extreme. Nam Joo-hyuk revealed that he anticipated a somewhat tough journey from the moment he first received the script.
"Reading the script, there was so much action and so many underwater scenes that I braced myself for a lot of hard work. When I decided to do the project, I was still in the military, so my physical strength and passion were at their peak, and I calmly thought, 'It's going to be tough.' But after filming the first spirit realm action scene, I felt it to the core: 'Ah, this is going to be really tough.'"
In particular, before VFX (visual effects) work, acting while looking at props or empty spaces was a major challenge. Nam Joo-hyuk shared, "At first, when acting with entities like Gwimae or 'Gkeomeoksari,' I couldn't even imagine it, but through the set setup and conversations with the director, it was amazing that over 90% of the final cut was realized just as imagined." He also added his deep thoughts on the tone of the action.
"Gucheon's action isn't offensive action to execute ghosts or look cool. It's defensive action aimed at listening to the stories of ghosts who have their own tragic tales and sending them off to a better place. I wanted to show a desperate action, though powerless, to survive myself and save them as well."
Although it was a set where he threw his entire body across all four seasons, Nam Joo-hyuk attributed all of this process as a natural dedication to the work. It was a moment where his professional sense of responsibility toward the project shone through.
"The director didn't make us suffer on purpose at all. It was just that I realized firsthand that there was more action as I moved and went into the water than when I read it in the script. If that vividness was conveyed well to the public, then the hardship and suffering I went through are nothing at all. If it served as nourishment to create good scenes, that alone is enough."
▲ "Disappointed to Have Few Scenes with Cho Seung-woo... Comradeship-Filled Chemistry with Roh Yoon-seo"
He also shared affectionate thoughts about his chemistry with fellow cast members. Regarding Cho Seung-woo, who played the King, and Jang Young-nam, who played the Queen Dowager, he expressed affection, saying, "I was so disappointed that I didn't have many scenes with the senior actors. Seung-woo hyung is the best senior who sets a relaxed atmosphere so junior actors can play freely on set. I definitely want to meet him again in a work where we can share more scenes."
Regarding his chemistry with Roh Yoon-seo (playing Saenggang), with whom he shared most of his scenes, he expressed satisfaction, saying, "Even before the first shoot, we went through the process of building characters together with the writer and director, so our chemistry was great right from the start." He specifically explained that the relationship between Gucheon and Saenggang was not simply 'romance.'
"We didn't approach the relationship between Gucheon and Saenggang as a simple romance. Gucheon, who had chosen isolation, receives help for the first time through Saenggang, and it was closer to 'comradeship' and reliance as they save each other. We tried to create it so viewers watching 'Donggung' could imagine various dynamics between Saenggang and Gucheon, and I feel grateful that it seems to have been received well that way."
▲ "Mixed Reviews Motivate Growth... Will Give My All in Acting"
Since its release, 'Donggung' has ranked No. 1 on Netflix in South Korea and gained enthusiastic responses among overseas viewers, drawing comparisons to 'Stranger Things' and the film 'Constantine.' In Netflix's global rankings, it swiftly claimed the No. 2 spot among non-English shows in its first week. On the other hand, some viewers expressed mixed feelings and disappointment regarding the characters or acting tone.
Regarding these varied and mixed reviews from viewers about the work and acting, Nam Joo-hyuk showed a frank and composed attitude.
"I am aware of the mixed reactions as well. I accept positive evaluations with gratitude and also accept disappointing reactions with gratitude, thinking about 'how I can improve and grow further in the future.' In fact, those opinions serve as a new motivation for me. The more viewers a work has, the more natural it is for various opinions to arise. In the future, there will be times when I am praised and times when I am not, but I will appreciate all opinions."
Finally, Nam Joo-hyuk calmly accepted the 'fate' that comes with the profession of being an actor and reaffirmed his future ambitions.
"Being an actor is a job where you inevitably face evaluation every time. I think I will approach future works with the same mindset. Meeting good projects every time is a great blessing both as a person and as an actor. I will continue to study and research, and in my next work as well, I will burn with passion and do my best to act."
Meanwhile, 'Donggung,' featuring Nam Joo-hyuk's new acting transformation, consists of eight episodes in total and was released in full on Netflix on July 17.
(Photo: Netflix)
Reporter Kang Seon-ae
Reported by Kang Seon-ae | SBS Entertainment News
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