Kim Young-kwang said, ‘Say it’s love’ and spoke less.

“I hope viewers will feel that just as everyone’s fingerprints are different, each person’s way of loving is different.”

Kim Young-kwang, the main character whom we met ahead of the release of the final episode of Disney+'s 'Say It's Love' (hereinafter referred to as 'Say Love'), hoped that this drama would remain in the hearts of viewers like this. 'Love Words' is a work that depicts the romance between a man and a woman who should never have met, a woman named Shim Woo-joo (played by Lee Sung-kyung) who is passionate about revenge, and a man who becomes the target of revenge, Han Dong-jin (played by Kim Young-kwang).

Sim Woo-joo, who found out about his father's affair during his school days, ends up losing his lifelong home to his father's affair partner and legal stepmother. Dongjin is his stepmother’s son. Dong-jin, like Woo-joo, is also a person with many deficiencies, but without knowing this, Woo-joo joins the exhibition company run by Dong-jin to get revenge on Dong-jin. Dong-jin begins to feel annoyed by Woo-ju's cold behavior.

"It's a romance in a different way from existing romances. It was a challenge for me. When I first saw the script, I thought it would be fun and had confidence in Dong-jin. I thought I could get as close to this character as possible. I didn't say anything easily. “A patient person, someone who is deep in thought and knows how to live for others. I thought that was the charm of this character.”

Dong-jin is a character who finds loneliness natural and is accustomed to enduring and enduring it. A mother who was not her first priority, and a lover who was her first priority but left her. The shabby past naturally led Dongjin to focus on work. Kim Young-kwang portrayed the character of Dong-jin as a detached person who has become numb to old pain.

"I set myself as a person who has become indifferent to external stimuli or the actions of others, or a person who is afraid of someone approaching me, and I controlled my emotions as much as possible when acting. When someone talks to me, I try not to react, and although I can hear everything with my ears, I express my emotions as much as possible. "I am a person who does not show my emotions. I thought that if I went any deeper, I would be in pain, so I controlled my emotions. I thought I must have complex feelings."

In order to immerse himself in the character, Kim Young-kwang refrained from hanging out with his fellow actors at the filming site. This is to focus more on the character. When asked if it was difficult to be apart, Kim Young-kwang laughed and said, "I felt it this time, but it was more comfortable to be quiet." Still, he said, “We often had company dinners on our days off.”

“We were laughing and chatting, and then we started filming, and the director asked, ‘Why is the corner of Dongjin’s mouth turned up?’ That was it. I tried to prevent that. I also talked less than usual. Even though I wanted to talk during this filming, I didn't do much. I said, let's endure it like Dongjin, let's endure it well."

Kim Young-kwang and his co-star Lee Sung-kyung are both former models, and the two have been in a relationship since their modeling days. Kim Young-kwang said, "There was a time when I almost made a movie with Seong-kyung, but it fell through. Even after that, whenever I contacted him or met him, I said, 'We should do a project together.' I felt comfortable because I knew him from my modeling days."

“Although we have known each other for a long time, I was able to focus on acting in a romantic drama. Because our characters had different personalities, we kept our distance on set. It was not hot or cold (just because we knew each other). At the time when I was immersed in Dongjin while filming, Seong-kyung, who plays Woo-joo, As Dong-jin, I also felt comforted after seeing his mature acting. I felt that Seong-kyung has great emotions and that he is someone who acts with those emotions."

Kim Young-kwang, who has been working steadily on his work, said, “The rest period is the time to prepare for the next work,” and revealed the aspect of a ‘hard-working actor.’ He smiled and said, "I watch a lot of YouTube these days, and I enjoy Sung Si-kyung's 'I'll Eat It.' While watching that, I thought, I want to eat soup, too."

Kim Young-kwang's next film is filming the noir drama 'Biography of a Villain'. Kim Young-kwang, who is challenging various genres including the Netflix thriller drama 'Somebody' in November of last year, the Disney+ romance 'Love Words', and noir, said, "As an actor, I have a desire to shoot a lot and leave a lot behind. At my age, I can do that now." “There will be things I have, and there will be things I can do when I get older,” he said, expressing his enthusiasm.

"I don't think I can wear a school uniform anymore. It feels like my position is changing little by little. I'm happy that I can do more acting. The joy of being able to show off different genres and different sides of me dominates me. Rather than thinking about what I'm going to do in the future, “I’m enjoying acting right now.”

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr