Moon Sang-min from ′Under the Queen′s Umbrella′ focused on macho image and tried to not show real emotions

Moon Sang-min from 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' focused on macho image and tried to not show real emotions: K-DRAMA&FILM / 연합뉴스 / 2022-12-05 09:45:06

▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows actor Moon Sang-min. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by tvN, shows Moon Sang-min in drama 'Under the Queen's Umbrella,' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, December 5 (Yonhap) -- "It was important to depict the Grand Prince Seongnam, who does not show his inner feelings. Most of all, it was difficult because I could not express the emotions."

Moon Sang Min, who had an interview at Yonhap News Building located in Susong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul before the last episode of tvN drama "Under the Queen's Umbrella" said "I put effort in the way I walk, sit and many more specific things to bring up the macho image of the character."

Moon Sang Min played the Grand Prince Seongnam, the Queen's second son. Unlike other princes who grew up preciously in the palace and do not know about the outside world, he was raised through the lives of the people in Seochon outside the palace, so he is a free spirit who thinks outside the box.

Moon Sang-min said. "I was open to all the prince characters while participating in the audience, but the director selected me telling me that I go well with the character of the Grand Prince Seongnam."

He said. "The Grand Prince Seongnam is a two faced character, and the director told me that my eyes look sharp and sorrowful at the same time and that I will be able to express the character well."

He said that he put all his effort because it was a golden opportunity given to him four years after his debut. Moon Sang-min said, "I paid attention to all the small details such as the way I'm holding a brush, the way I;m turning the pages of a book, and I learned the Chinese characters in the script in advance."

Moreover, he laughed while saying "I had to practice at an action school during the nine free months as the Grand Prince Seongnam is a talented in horse riding and martial arts," he continued, "I participated in all the action scenes except the cliff jumping scene."

The Grand Prince Seongnam, who was suddenly thrown into the wide palace one day after being raised alone outside the palace, is well known to be able to use his body well, but in fact, his only hobby is reading books. However, he has quietly kept it to himself due to the threat of taking the prince position if he reveals his intelligence.

Then, when the crown prince, who was the biggest strength in the palace, was suddenly killed, Prince Seongnam vowed to succeed his brother as the crown prince to protect his loved ones.

Moon Sang-min said, "Grand prince Seongnam was a bit emotional in the beginning but he becomes stronger and develops a better relationship with his mother as he becomes the crown prince"

He explained, "He has some kind of frustration towards his mother since no one explained why he had to grow up alone outside the palace, but he never hated his mother," and added, "as he grows up, he realized her effort to protect the princes, and he has a belief that she did not isolate him for no reason."

Prince Seongnam was taken from the arms of the Queen as soon as she gave birth due to unavoidable circumstances. After a long time, the queen sits in front of Prince Seongnam and apologizes for the choice she made to save him, saying, "Mother and adults don't always make the right decisions."

Moon Sang-min recalled that the line particularly touched his heart. He said, "It's not easy for adults to admit their faults, but it was cool for his mother to apologize like that, and I was heartbroken because I could guess how hard it must have been for her at the time."

He said, "Kim Hye-soo treated me warmly like my mother at the shooting scene, and I learned a lot from acting," adding, "I naturally followed the senior's eyes and eyes in front of me, and I was so happy to hear the viewer's response that I could see Hwa-ryeong's eyes in Seongnam's eyes."

"While I was monitoring at home, I watched the scene where Kim Hye-soo was sobbing after the death of the crown prince. It was more than just a sad feeling, but it made my heart ache. I was in a bad mood all day. I was home, but I was instantly immersed as the character. It was my first experience as an actor and I got goosebumps."

Moon Sang-min, who is nearly 190 cm tall, is from the fashion model department of Hallim Arts High School. He made his debut in the 2019 web drama "4 Reasons Why I Hate Christmas" and also starred as the youngest detective in the Netflix original series "My Name."

"I first encountered acting in an acting class when I was a high school student and enjoyed the process of building a character, so I decided to become an actor," he said. "I don't have much experience yet, so I want to try any role, but in particular, I want to try a younger character in a romantic comedy."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)

(END)