2023/01/22 [Hanbok Interview] ① (Gongchan)
What are your plans for the lunar new year?
I plan on spending time with my family and making Korean pancakes. On new year’s day, I will give a new year’s bow to my grandma.
Unintentional Love Story will be released soon. Please tell us about the drama.
It is based on a webtoon and is about a romance that starts out as a lie. I play the role of Ji Wonyoung, a general affairs manager and employee of a large company. The drama will be released soon this year, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Did you read and reference the webtoon?
I read the webtoon while preparing for the role and noticed many similarities between Ji Wonyoung and myself. We both have bright personalities but are not good at letting others know when we’re going through a tough time, which really hit home. The webtoon is already very famous, and during filming, I paid a lot of attention to the tiny details to ensure that I was portraying my character as similar to the source material as possible. In the webtoon, Wonyoung has a very bubbly personality, and I did my best to express that type of energy as well as I could.
How were you cast for the drama?
I was considered for the role because the production team thought that my image was very similar to that of Ji Wonyoung. I read the webtoon right after I received the offer, and as I was reading it, I thought to myself, “if it’s already this interesting as a webtoon, it’ll be even more interesting as a drama.” It would have been such a shame to pass up on this offer. Luckily, during my meeting, the director and the president of the production company viewed me favorably, and I was cast on the spot.
BL has yet to become mainstream in Korea. More and more BL dramas are being released these days. Nevertheless, were you hesitant about appearing in this drama? Did you watch any dramas for reference?
Honestly, I’m new to the BL genre. But, I liked the storyline of Unintentional Love Story, in which two people carrying hurt in their hearts get to know one another and gradually start opening up their hearts to each other. Thus, I tried to focus on the script when I was acting. Before we began filming, I watched Semantic Error, Call Me By Your Name, Cherry Magic, and other shows for reference.
How’s your on-screen chemistry with Cha Seowon?
When I heard that Seowon hyung was cast in the drama, I thought that he very much resembled the character of Yoon Taejun and that "the production team put a lot of thought into the casting." I've seen him on I Lived Alone and on a daily drama I watched with my mom, so it felt like I was meeting a celebrity when I met him for the first time. (laughs) It was hard at first, but it soon got better thanks to Seowon hyung's goofiness and adorableness. He's a very playful person and helped to lighten the mood on set, which is how we got close quickly. While filming, he led me well, and we often made each other laugh on set to cheer each other up. All of the cast members were close, and it's such a pity that Seowon hyung is in the military and won't be able to join us during promotions.
What should viewers focus on when watching the drama?
Please pay attention to the detailed emotions of Wonyoung and Taejun as they gradually get closer to each other. It’ll make your heart flutter.
What kind of feedback do you hope to receive after Unintentional Love Story airs?
I hope that after viewers watch the drama, they’ll say, “the actor Gongchan is in this drama and it’s pretty good,” and suggest it to others. I’ll be very grateful if I can become an actor that people deem worthy of recommending to others.