[Interview] Yang Sejong for Marie Claire Korea 2022
Actor Yang Se-jong: "I feel alive when I act."
It's been a while since you've done a photoshoot for a domestic magazine. How are you doing these days? I'm currently busy filming the drama "Doona!". I travel to the countryside to film four or five days a week, and the rest of the time I spend my days preparing for my role. When I'm working on a project, I try to be my character, not Yang Se-jong. This time, too, I intentionally kept Yang Se-jong's daily life simple for "Doona!"
When do you get a chance to step away from your character? When I'm boxing. I started learning it after my military service, and it's the most fun I've ever had. Boxing makes me feel like I'm letting out something inside me. I love the thrill of hitting the mitts; it also helps improve my reflexes. I'm so into it these days that I always head to the boxing gym on days I don't have filming. Even when I want to rest, I have to stay in shape, so I do it while thinking, "This is for next week."
Are you usually a planner? You look like you fall under the Judging (J) type in the MBTI personality type. I'm a Perceiving (P) type. I've taken the MBTI test three times, and the first and last results were ISTP. The other time, I was ESTP. The first time I took it in high school, I scored almost equally between Extroverted (E) and Introverted (I).
Do you consider yourself more extroverted or introverted? I was more extroverted until college, but now, compared to back then, I think I'm more introverted. But when acting, there are times when I have to show my extroverted side, depending on the character. In those situations, I try to make myself resemble the character in the film. The best way to do that is by listening to music. While preparing for a shoot or reading a script, I always play music that fits the character. For this film, I listened to a variety of genres while filming.
You returned to the set after a long time since the 2019 drama "My Country. " I met a colleague from the lighting team for "Temperature of Love" on the set of "Doona!" after five years. After a few rounds of filming, he said to me, "Sejong, you've aged." But even I could see my face had changed a bit. (Laughs) So lately, I've been taking half-body baths and using face masks before bed. I even watch videos on how to apply makeup. It was something I originally had little interest in, but with daily effort, I've definitely improved. The fact that my character in "Doona!" is a college student is another reason I'm diligently managing my appearance. Going through the process of becoming the character, creating the film's environment on set, and immersing myself in the script, I realized I looked like a real college student on the screen. I felt so relieved. (Laughs)
It feels like you completely avoid anything that's not related to the work. Is there a reason you immerse yourself so deeply in the world of a work? I believe that a little bit of freedom on set is essential for a good performance. So, before filming, I practice diligently on my own to internalize the acting, and when I get on set, I open my five senses. I actively communicate with the director and other actors to create each scene. I love the moments when unexpected things happen when we're harmonizing on set. I often encounter moments like this on the set of "Doona!". We're all having a great time filming together, so you can look forward to it.
I think "Lee Doo-na!" is a piece that brings back memories of my twenties. What memories do you have of your college years? It was fierce. I had classmates who were incredibly passionate about acting. They were supposed to go home after class, but they were staying up all night with the lights on in the practice room. I wanted to learn from and grow with my classmates, and because acting itself was fun, I practiced even while cutting down on sleep. Sometimes, we'd drink makgeolli together and play the acoustic guitar, and we even got into arguments while discussing our own ideas about acting. (Laughs)
Is that fierceness still there? My values have changed a bit. When I was younger, I had a competitive spirit, a drive to "do well." But since my debut as an actor, I've never once acted with the expectation of standing out. I just hope to fully immerse myself in the character I play and fully convey his thoughts, emotions, and situations.
What do you enjoy most about acting? It's incredibly thrilling when I feel like I'm living as a character in a piece. The deeper the relationship with the character, the more naturally their aspects are reflected in me. Even without intending to, I find myself seeing the world through their eyes. It will continue to change depending on the character, but ultimately, I've come to the conclusion that I need to hold firm to my convictions and see things as they are.
Do you find it easy to return to your true self after a project ends? It wasn't easy in the past. Whenever a project wrapped, I'd go on a trip, talk to friends I hadn't heard from in a while, catch up on movies and books I'd put off, and take walks whenever I had free time, often pondering, "Who am I?" But now, I find myself returning to myself. I feel like it's an actor's responsibility to regroup and prepare for new roles.
It's a process that takes a considerable amount of time. Yes, because these are characters I've spent months with. The emotions of the characters I've played over the years have been ingrained in me to a certain degree, and I believe it's still a process of accumulating. I don't necessarily try to erase the traces of those past characters. Those traces remain, and they have a certain influence on Yang Se-jong as a person.
How do you feel when you say goodbye to a project you've been working on for a while? Yes, I do. One day, I burst into tears, thinking, "Will I ever be able to relive the memories of the set, the emotions of the moment I was acting?" The same goes for the people I worked with on the project. When I was wrapping up the drama "Dr. Romantic" I asked Han Suk-kyu to take just one photo with me. It might have been the last time I'd ever see him. He smiled kindly and said, "It's okay."
You look quite affectionate. A lot. I can't easily cut ties, and there are times when I have to turn back decisively, but the process of establishing the conviction that I need to do so is quite difficult. Recently, I've developed a hobby of buying meals for acquaintances. I go to their favorite dishes and listen to their stories. I believe there should be empathy and understanding, like, "I see. That must have been hard. How have you changed now?" Whether acting or in daily life, I believe listening to others is more important than speaking.
To whom does Sejong tell his story? I think I tell it to my friends and hyungnims. I feel comfortable sharing my story with people I can read their minds with just a glance. We've spent a lot of time together, and I know we can be honest with each other while maintaining respect and consideration. When I'm talking to someone, I try to only say things that are appropriate to the situation, and I try to be as reserved as possible about others. I pretend not to know even when I know, and when I don't know something.
When did that attitude develop? Sometimes, when I'm acting on set, I feel unfamiliar emotions. At those times, I wonder, "Is this an emotion I've come to understand as Yang Se-jong? Or is the character's inner self so deep that I haven't been able to penetrate it, and it's manifesting on set?" Then, when I looked at the monitor, I saw eyes and expressions I'd never seen before. In those moments when I discover something unfamiliar within myself, I learn and reflect on a lot. It's fascinating how acting allows me to discover emotions I never knew existed.
I imagine it's a fun yet difficult process. So why do you continue acting? Since high school, I've been pursuing acting with a single goal in mind. From college entrance exam preparation and college studies to auditions and my first project, and even while in the military, I've been thinking about acting for over ten years. If I were to do something other than acting, wouldn't there be something missing? Acting makes me feel alive.
Now that you're preparing to return to your post-military service career with a new project, could you say I'm at another starting line? I don't place much importance on this moment. I don't see it as another starting point, nor as an extension of my previous work. Every project I've undertaken with a consistent approach to acting has always been a new beginning for me, and it will continue to be that way.