【INTERVIEW-131105】Joo Won 'The worries of acting in Good Doctor'

“I was worried about biases arising from young people with autism, the worries of acting in Good Doctor”

For Joo Won, Good Doctor was a very meaningful piece of work.
Joo Won is an artist who has been gaining popularity rapidly in recent years. Every drama that he starred in received high viewership ratings. From KBS2 TV series “King of Baker, Kim Tak Goo” to “Ojakgyo Brothers”, “Bridal Mask”, MBC’s drama “7th Grade Civil Servant”  till the recent KBS2 TV “Good Doctor”, all of these drama had received tremendous positive responses. Recently, he is even preparing to the musical stage after 4 years, starring as the male lead in the musical “Ghost”. 24 hours per day doesn't seem to be enough for the actor with such a busy schedule.

Among these works, the drama that has heightened Joo Won’s acting and popularity is “Good Doctor”.  Joo Won was casted as Park Shi On, a handicapped doctor who is naive and passionate. This character exceeded the expectations of audiences by a large margin, not just because he is a popular young star, but more so because of the acting skills that an actor should possess and which Joo Won has received rave reviews in that aspect. However, for Joo Won, “Good Doctor” was not a very simple piece of work.

In the recent Newsen interview, Joo Won talked about his psychological burden and effort while filming “Good Doctor” and the effort he has invested for this character.

When posed with the question “Did you expect that “Good Doctor” would become so successful?’ Joo Won replied “Frankly speaking, I did not expect that the drama would become so successful. However, I did felt that “Good Doctor” has a story line which audiences will probably like. But, the character Park Shi On in “Good Doctor” has also influence people to have a different view when looking at young people with autism due to my portrayal of Park Shi On.”
In reality, the character of Park Shi On that Joo Won has portrayed is very different from the usual young people with autism that has appeared in other previous works. As a doctor that saves people, taking on a role that was above him in the society was very meaningful. It also changed how everyone view people with autism.

His perfect portrayal of the character Park Shi On has exhibited Joo Won’s acting skills. He has wowed audiences with his meticulous and matured grapple of the character.

As Joo Won recalls “The most difficult aspect of portraying the character Park Shi On is that I have no previous examples to serve as a reference. That was the most difficult. Before official filming started, I searched for a lot of works that has characters of a young person with autism, but there wasn’t one that fits or any aspect that they had in common. The only aspect that could act as a reference was the expression in their eyes and their hand gestures that are filled with anxiety. As for the rest, I had to figure it out slowly and act it out slowly.
For Joo Won who has such a tight schedule and was not in his best physical condition, his eyes sparkled when the interview topic relating to acting was brought up. From this, we can see the immense passion and ambition towards acting that Joo Won possesses. Even with the psychological burden, he still tried his best to portray Park Shi On in “Good Doctor”. Such passion is indeed connected continuously. I guess this is the reason that makes everyone like Joo Won, not because he is a star but because he is an actor.

Joo Won who has immense passion for acting doesn't only appear in Movies and TV screens, but his passion has also made him step onto the musical stage once again.  After 4 years, as though he is returning back to his hometown, Joo Won once again stands onto the theatre stage for the musical "Ghost". In “Ghost”, he stars as Sam Wheat, a character that could not bear to leave his loved one even after his death.

“Ghost” the musical is adapted from the same titled movie “Ghost” that has received tremendous success worldwide in 1990, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. After its first success in England in 2011, it has since being staged at the Broadway, Australia, Holland, etc. The Korean version this time round is its first in Asia. “Ghost” the musical will start on the 24th of November at D-Cube Arts Centre.

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Source: Newsen
Chinese Translation by choco | 朱元中国首站
English Translation by Sukie@moonjunworld
Proofread & Edited by yxgrace@moonjunworld
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