Actor Sol Kyung-gu has shown deep trust and affection for his junior co-star Ryu Jun-yeol, with whom he worked in the series "Deuljwi".
During a press interview for the Netflix series "Deuljwi" (written by Lee Jae-gon, directed by Kim Hong-sun) held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 2nd, Sol candidly shared stories about the production alongside the secret to his seamless chemistry with his junior actors.
Based on the webtoon of the same name, "Deuljwi" is a tracking thriller that follows Mun-jae (played by Ryu Jun-yeol), a novelist whose name, face, and life are entirely stolen by a mysterious entity known as "Deuljwi", alongside No-ja (played by Sol Kyung-gu), a loan shark trying to recover lost money, and a detective named Sun-yong (played by Lee Kyu-hyung) as they chase down the true identity of Deuljwi. In the series, Sol plays No-ja, a ruthless loan shark who stops at nothing to achieve his goals, bringing a charmingly multi-dimensional character to life with a rugged yet subtly humane touch.
On this day, Sol shared the behind-the-scenes story of how he suggested the casting to Ryu Jun-yeol. Since they were under the same agency at the time, he revealed, "As a senior, I had to be careful, so I couldn't tell him directly to 'do this project,' but instead passed the word along to the PR team, saying, 'Why don't you ask Jun-yeol to take this on?'"
Explaining why he thought Ryu was the right fit, he said, "Jun-yeol's strength is that he has a strong personality while also having a friendly, everyday face. Our project is a story about flawed-looking people rather than grand figures, and he was the exact actor suited for that." He added with high praise, "Especially in Part 1, there is a lot of narration, and actor Ryu Jun-yeol has a really great voice. His delivery is also exceptional. I was very worried about how Part 1 would unfold, but it would have been a disaster if not for the casual yet impactful narration thrown in by Jun-yeol."
The atmosphere on set was also cheerful. Having many scenes filmed while moving in vehicles, the two grew closer by having numerous conversations inside the car. Sol recalled, "Jun-yeol is very curious, so whenever he asked various questions, I answered comfortably. Just talking about the project would have been boring, but spending time chatting about this and that in life was truly enjoyable."
He also did not hold back his praise for Ryu's passion for acting. "Jun-yeol always carries his script around. He prepares thoroughly and has a lot of opinions. I was grateful when he offered ideas, saying, 'How about doing it this way?' It made me feel like, 'He is even worrying about my character alongside his own,'" Sol added. "He is a friend with many charms. He is an actor who likes to look at his own part, check the other person's part, and build things together. There are no seniors or juniors in front of the camera. Because he shared his opinions without hesitation, our communication flowed very well."
Sol has previously showcased unmatched bromances with numerous younger actors such as Im Si-wan, Byun Yo-han, and Hong Kyung. When asked about the secret behind his exceptional chemistry with male actors in particular, he emphasized, "I think it's because I don't pre-determine answers on set. Rather than pushing my own stubbornness, I go with the mindset of receiving the other person's acting. I tend to react very actively in the moment. I don't try to outshine the other person. I believe that if the counterpart actor looks good, I naturally shine together with them."
Modestly stating, "I think I've also been blessed with good fortune in people. I've worked with great actors," Sol answered a playful question asking who among his past junior co-stars was the best by saying, "Right now, politically speaking, it's Ryu Jun-yeol," sending the room into a burst of laughter.
Meanwhile, all 10 episodes of "Deuljwi" were released worldwide via Netflix on August 28. According to FlixPatrol on the 2nd, "Deuljwi" has been keeping up an unstoppable global box office run, climbing to 6th place globally in TOP TV Shows just four days after its release, and ranking 5th in the Netflix global TV shows non-English category.
[Photo=Netflix]
By Kang Sun-ae
(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)
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