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| ▲ This photo of South Korean actor Jung Hee-tae is provided by Bigboss Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- “From section chief Jung in the drama 'Misaeng,' to the chief secretary in 'Reborn Rich,' and most recently to the mystery-comedy film 'The Noisy Mansion' dealing with the issue of inter-floor noise... I can keep walking this path as an actor because there are audiences.”
Actor Jung Hee-tae, who has steadily worked across theater, film and TV dramas for more than 30 years, spoke candidly about his acting life, philosophy and future plans in a recent interview with Yonhap News.
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| ▲ This still of Kdrama series "Misaeng," provided by tvN, shows South Korean actor Jung Hee-tae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Jung’s first acting experience was in elementary school, when he played the role of a “pine tree” in a stage adaptation of the fairy tale “The Rabbit and the Tiger.” His real entry into acting came during his studies at Chung-Ang University’s department of journalism and mass communication, when he joined the theater club “Toari.” “The club had continued since 1974, and at the urging of a senior I ended up on stage for the freshmen welcome performance. That was decisive,” he recalled.
Born in Ulsan, Jung once dreamed of attending an arts high school but faced opposition from parents and teachers. “Back then in the provinces, acting was dismissed as being a 'ddanttara' (slang for entertainer),” he said. “As a child I was timid and anxious. I was happy when praised, but acting was not a dream I could easily admit.”
After completing military service, he returned to the stage, playing the eldest son in Lee Youn-taek’s play “Ogu.” He later won the grand prize at the National University Theater Festival with “Where Is My Wife.”
“In those days, most seniors from Toari got jobs after graduation, but some of us devoted everything to acting. Influenced by a senior from the military’s culture promotion unit, I became even more immersed in theater,” he said.
Jung made his screen debut in the 2002 film “The Coast Guard.” He recalled with a laugh, “I remember when we cheered for soccer player Ahn Jung-hwan’s World Cup header goal during filming, and the bench at the set collapsed.”
Independent film “Ten Minutes” became a turning point. His performance as a labor union branch chief in the film, which won the audience award at the Busan International Film Festival, led to his casting as section chief Jung in “Misaeng.” “The production team looked at independent films and theater actors. They said the character in ‘Ten Minutes’ resembled the section chief in ‘Misaeng.’”
In “Misaeng,” he played a brash, energetic role, while in “Reborn Rich,” he portrayed a seasoned secretary. Both works also featured actor Lee Sung-min, though with different dynamics. “In ‘Misaeng’ we were in conflict, but in ‘Reborn Rich’ I was his closest aide. We discussed acting and I sought advice,” he said.
Jung explained that while he once became overly sensitive by immersing himself in characters, he now tries to place them in his subconscious and live in the moment to express them naturally. He compared filling in unscripted details to “coloring an empty canvas,” and stressed that finding a character’s goals and obstacles is the core of acting.
This year alone he wrapped up a play, filmed two dramas and one independent film. “I was fortunate to meet good works and get good results,” he said, expressing special affection for indie projects. “‘Ten Minutes’ opened new possibilities, and in indie films I get to talk a lot with directors and study together.”
Among his stage works, he picked “Thebes Land” as the most memorable. The 2-hour-45-minute play consisted only of dialogue without stage directions, requiring him to handle a huge volume of lines. “Back when I wasn’t confident with the Seoul dialect, this work gave me courage. Once, I poured emotions out so much that my mind went blank, but that actually matched the unstable character and earned positive reviews. It was a time of personal growth.”
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| ▲ This poster of South Korean actor Jung Hee-tae in his most memorable theatrical play "Thebes Land" is provided by Bigboss Entertainment. |
Outside of acting, Jung calls himself “quite lazy.” In his early married years, he ran a billiard hall under his wife’s name and helped his mother with her work, commuting back and forth to Ulsan. After a difficult period with health issues, he described getting cast in “Jeong Do-jeon” as “a miracle.”
To younger actors, he advises, “Acting is a process of constant learning. You need humanities knowledge and diverse experiences.” But he also stressed, “Rather than direct interference, it’s better to give time for choices.”
Jung is awaiting the broadcast of the Kdrama series “Last Summer,” and continues active work with projects including “Field Mice,” “Judge Lee Han-young,” “Arthur” and “This F***ing Love.”
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