2PM's Ok Taec-yeon (24) debuted as a film actor. He played a star chef Won-cheol on 'Marriage Blue' (directed by Hong Ji-young, produced by Soo Film), a film about marriage blue (the psychological anxiety or stress experienced by people who are getting married) that four couples experience a week ahead of their wedding ceremony. He became Won-cheol who believes that “marriage is life” while containing his boiling energy for a while.
The film has already drawn great attention with the combination of director Hong Ji-yeong from 'Kitchen' and Soo Film well-known for production of romantic comedies of 'All about My Wife' and 'Finding Mr. Kim’. The ‘romantic comedy version of Avengers’ features famous actors such as Kim Kang-woo, Kim Hyo-jin, Joo Ji-hoon, Lee Yeon-hee, Ok Taec-yeon, Ma Dong-seok, Guzal, Lee Hee-joon, and Go Joon-hee.
Ok Taec-yeon, who debuted through this film, was not outshone by the outstanding senior actors with his own presence and aura. He infused life into his character Won-cheol with detailed emotion acting as a calm man compared to the other lively male characters such as a baseball coach (Kim Kang-woo), an innocent bachelor of a flower shop Geon-ho (Ma Dong-suk), an employee of a urology clinic and mommy’s boy Dae-bok (Lee Hee-jun), and a gravel guide of Jeju Island Gyeong-su (Joo Ji-hoon).
"The 2PM members and producer Park Jin-young told me that they enjoyed the film. When I first read the scenario, I had a different feel for Won-choel from the film. He was a more remote man for So-mi (Lee Yeon-hee) than now. He valued work more than love. I understood the character through discussions with director Hong, Whenever I faced difficulty in understanding the character, I sent a message to her and she sent me a long line of messages (laughter)."
Director Hong highly complimented Ok Taec-yeon in an interview with TV Report. She said, "He is such a promising actor. He confidently admits his weaknesses and makes endless efforts. Most of all, he is not like an idol star. He is very easy-going. He took care of the staff members by memorizing the name of each of them.”
When heard about director Hong’s praise, Ok Taec-yeon said with his signature polite smile on his face, "It is nothing to be praised about.” He said, “I believe that you can achieve a better result once you get close to staff members. Particularly, they are those who make a film together with me. I may meet them again in my next project. I can ask them about my weaknesses in acting once I get close to them. The same goes to stage.”
Won-choel and So-mi, who have dated for seven years, come to face a dramatic event a week away their wedding ceremony. So-mi confused with her feelings where she is not excited for Won-cheol meets Gyeong-su in Jeju Island where she went for a contest. A triangular relationship is created among So-mi, Won-choel in Seoul, and Geyong-su in Jeju. Won-choel has a disadvantage in appealing to the audience with his charm compared to Geyong-su, who will appear against the beautiful scenery of Jeju. Director Hong added the charm through cooking and fluent Russian speaking skills and the strategy worked.
"I thought about what charm Won-cheol will be able to show to viewers. It was a sense of 'stability’. He may be a boring man, but I wanted him to approach viewers in a more familiar feel. Speaking Russian was very challenging. I was sort of tutored by Guzal. I started to get nervous three days before shooting. I listened to a Russian tape over and over.”
Director Hong conveyed a subtle feel between a man and a woman through 'Marriage Blue'. According to her, "The love scenes that are sensual without exposure and express excitement of the two people” makes viewers fall into the film. Particularly, the love scene of Won-cheol and So-mi shows the climax of tension when they meet in Jeju for the first time since So-mi is shaken by Gyeong-su.
"It took about two hours to shoot the scene. It was not hard. I did not think that I should lead an actress because I am a male actor. I had talked about it a lot with the director and the actress. There was no speaking line, but we created one during the shooting. We shot the scene three times. I feel relieved to hear that the scene is beautiful (laughter).”
He described himself as “a person who does not set Ok Taec-yeon apart from an idol star Ok Taec-yeon.” He went on a package tour to the Vatican City, uses a bike and a public transport, receives allowances from parents, and reads the novel ‘Goguryeo’ by Kim Jin-myung despite a busy schedule. He is far apart from what the public usually think about an idol star.
"I do not set myself from an idol star Ok Taec-yeon. I do not want to hear that I have changed. My students from high school say that I became more stylish than before (laughter). I am concerned, however, when ugly pictures are released on the internet since my agency (JYP Entertainment) expects a certain value from me as an idol star.”
When asked, “Why do you keep yourself so busy?”, Ok Taec-yeon, who has recently entered the Graduate School of International Studies of Korea University said, "I want to live crazy for work. Now, I put work first. That is why I entered the graduate school and keep myself busy. How I plan my life now determines the rest of my life. I have not met a crucial turning point for my life yet, but I always try to enjoy myself. I am sad that I could not do such things that other people in my age enjoy such as a blind date or a long march through the national land.”
Source: Kim Soo-jung swandive@tvreport.co.kr / Photograph=Kim Jae-chang freddie@tvreport.co.kr, Cinus Entertainment
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