Special Interview with Hyun Bin (Worlds Within)

I find this interview with Hyun Bin extremely interesting. Hyun Bin is cornered by two women journalists as he finds a quiet moment to surf the Internet. Bombarded with questions pertaining to his current role in the KBS 2TV drama Worlds Within (The World We Live In), he promptly draws himself away from what he was doing, and pays full attention to answering the difficult questions thrown at him. [At least i think that's what happened. Oh i so want to be there!]

I'm tired, no more questions please...

Interviewer 1 (Lee Yoo Na): You have a bed scene in this drama. This is Song Hye-gyo's and your first bed scene isn't it?

Hyun Bin: I had to think how to climb up the stairs to the second floor and whether to show my underwear to Song when she took my blanket off. I just decided to cuddle her like a koala and climb the stairs, and show my underwear when the blanket is taken off. When she spanked my buttocks, the sound was so funny that we kept giggling and made a lot of NGs.

Interviewer 2 (Lee Jeong Yeon): Any NGs in kiss scenes?

HB: Not really. When we had the first kissing scene, the staff would watch it repeatedly but since we made more and more kiss scenes, they lost their interest in it. It makes me feel relieved.

I1: You must have gotten closer to Song, who is almost the same age as you. How do you call her?

HB: When shooting, we call each other 'Joon Young' and 'Ji Oh', which are our names in the drama. I thought it could take a long time to get along with her but we made love scenes in the beginning of the drama and we also had to stay together while shooting overseas, so there were a lot of chances to talk to each other. It didn't take a long time to get closer to her.

Hyun Bin and Song Hye Gyo play
Producers in Worlds Within

I2: Other than the bed scene, there was also a shower scene. The drama seems to show more naked actors than actresses. Have you done any physical training to get fit?

HB: Right before this drama I played a psychopath in the movie 'I am happy' and I had to lose weight to look skinny. Since then I didn't gain much weight. I could have tried to gain weight if I had more time after the movie. I play a director in this drama and they are normally not fit at all because their job is stressful.

I1: You indeed have a lot of love scenes with Song. Now they look really natural when watching the drama.

HB: We filmed a kiss scene today too. I don't brush my teeth and get nervous anymore as I used to do before. Normally there are around three kiss scenes in the entire drama but in this drama there are at least one in each episode. But I think it reflects what real people would do in their life. I think people can show their affection anytime they want. It makes me happy when I see people saying 'The drama makes me feel like having a girlfriend/boyfriend' or 'The drama reminds me of my ex', after watching it.

I2: How about yourself? Do you think of your ex or want to have a girlfriend?

HB: Yes, I really wish I had a girlfriend but it's ok now since Joon Young (Song's name in the drama) satisfies me. I think it will take a bit of time to find a girlfriend. I will shoot another drama right after this one. I would like to get a girlfriend after that drama. I'm just thinking when will be a good time to get a girlfriend (laughs).

I1: Can you compare yourself with Ji Oh? About love?

HB: Quite similar, both of us are shy and quiet. I'm not talkative so sometimes I feel sorry for the person with me.

I2: This is your first drama in three years and the ratings have not been high so far. Are you disappointed?

HB: Not at all, I feel sorry for the staff but I don't really care about the ratings. People can watch dramas with various ways such as re-air, internet downloads and mobile phones nowadays so I don't have to be dissapointed if the numbers are not as good as 'My name is Kim Sam Soon'.

I1: Have director Pyo or writer Noh asked for anything particular from you?

HB: Writer Noh wanted me to read lines faster. There are a lot of broadcasting jargons in my lines and she wanted me to read them flawlessly. She wanted me to portray the character as young and active. Director Pyo wanted my character to act slightly differently depending on who I'm acting with.

I2: Writer Noh said when she was writing the script, Ji Oh fascinated her the best.

HB: I'm sure that she's not fascinated by Ji Oh anymore because I've heard that she is going to put in a scene where Ji Oh is "baptized" with cow faeces.

There's nothing I want to do more...
than be an actor

I1: Doesn't it feel funny to play director? You are an actor.

HB: I used to think that it was an easy job because they just sit around and order others around. But that wasn't it. They have a lot of tough job behind the scene. It is a fascinating job though. Their job is about creating things from nothing.

I2: Who would you like to work with if you were really a director?

HB: I'd work with the guys in my baseball team (Jang Dong Gun, Joo Jin Mo, Kim Seung Woo, Gong Yu, Ji Jin Hee). Action genre would suit them best. They are all cool guys so it will be quite fun.

I1: Would you cast yourself?

HB: I would, if the role is suitable.

I2: If you could start over, would you have chosen to be an actor or a director?

HB: I'd choose to be an actor after all. I haven't thought about doing anything else.

Translations by Joe Gimm.

Source: Donga.com

Pics credit: Donga.com, Worlds Within KBS

More on Hyun Bin and Worlds Within:
Hyun Bin is maturing in The World They Live In
Hyun Bin's Worlds Within Style

Related:
Filming the movie I'm Happy
I'm Happy at the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival