Yang Se Jong discusses his recent hit drama “Doona!” in new interview!
Yang Se Jong had an interview with iMBC Entertainment at a cafe located in Seoul on the 27th of October. The interview was related to the Netflix original series “Doona!” directed by Lee Jung Hyo.
“Doona!”, which was released on the 20th, is a romance drama based on a webtoon of the same name. It tells the story of a regular college student named Won Joon (played by Yang Se Jong) who meets Doona (played by Suzy), a retired K-pop idol, in a sharehouse.
Yang Se Jong plays the role of Won Joon, a college student who decides to live in a sharehouse due to his responsibility for supporting his mother and sick younger sibling, as he travels a long distance for school.
When asked if he would date a celebrity like Doona, Yang Se Jong answered decisively, “Absolutely not.” He explained, “It’s too burdensome. It’s not that I dislike the person, but I don’t think I can handle that kind of relationship. It’s too burdensome. I know how this world works, so I think it would be really difficult for me.”
When asked about the specific aspect that burdens him, Yang Se Jong said, “If I weren’t in this line of work, wouldn’t my life be exposed? I could be exposed by paparazzi. But in the case of Won Joon, he silently waits. He keeps waiting. Even when Doona resumes her activities, he continues to wait while studying.” He shared, “It’s just really difficult to endure the fame that comes with it.”
Regarding the character of Won Joon gradually falling for Doona, Yang Se Jong said, “I don’t think there was a specific moment when he fell in love with Doona. It seems like he slowly became immersed in it. They keep running into each other, going to amusement parks together, and he’s always by her side, so without realizing it, Won Joon seems to have become immersed in Doona. At some point, he started thinking, ‘I want to lean on her shoulder.'”
The actor’s name is Yang Se Jong and the drama’s name is “Doona!” Suzy, who conducted an interview with Yang Se Jong a day before, said, “Just by looking into Yang Se Jong’s eyes, tears came out.” Yang Se Jong also explained, “There are scenes that made me teary-eyed. There is a scene where I thought, ‘What is this?’ starting from therestaurant scene, subway scene, and the scene where Doona comes to our house at the end. There is a scene where Doona asks me, ‘Why are you so calm?’ As the story progresses, our relationship changes, we continue to wait for each other, and Doona resumes her activities. I think Suzy and I felt that way because the narrative kept changing like this.”
He continued, “Since our chemistry was good just by looking at each other, we were separated in the emotional scenes in the later part of the drama. It was for the sake of respecting and considering each other. I wanted to act while keeping our emotions intact. That’s why we had some time apart. Our chemistry was so good, so I think that’s why we did it this way.”
Already in his 30s, Yang Se Jong had to portray his character in his early 20s. When asked if there were any difficulties, he said, “When I had difficult thoughts, I looked into the script. I focused on the script because I had to understand Won Joon’s emotions. To express the character, I had to become the character. I was curious about how people in their early 20s have fun these days, so I asked my younger siblings around me. I asked them, ‘What kind of thoughts do you have?’, ‘What is the trend among people in their early 20s these days?’ It was really helpful. Various things accumulated. The script was probably the most helpful. The writer wrote it very well. The narrative was clearly presented.”
Yang Se Jong revealed, “I was quite similar to Won Joon in terms of the sense of responsibility he had. I empathized a lot with Won Joon. I also have a sense of responsibility like him, and because of my family environment, I also have a consciousness that I need to achieve something quickly. I also have a pure side like him. Like Won Joon, I am cautious when approaching people. I empathized with his consideration and ability to listen well.”
Meanwhile, “Doona!” is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: (A)
