This is Part II of 1st Look′s interview with Kim Dong Wan. Read Part I here.
It seems you’re blessed with so many great friends. Your group, Shinhwa, has also been successful for such a long time, too…. How are the shoots for ‘Shinhwa Broadcast’? The shoots seem like they would last a long time.
I sometimes forget I’m in front of the camera when I’m with the friends I’ve been close with for such a long time. On days I feel happy, I’m really funny, but I also show it when I feel bad.
I’ve gained more than I’ve lost by staying in a group, and I’ve tried out singing solo and acting, so I have no regrets. There are singers that can’t sleep on nights before their concerts, but if you’re in a group, you feel more stable and you can depend on each other, so your heart feels lighter.
Do you have anything you want to say to the young idol groups that are out there these days?
They work really hard, so I have nothing to say. Idols these days are like superheroes. They’re kind, they’re great singers, they’re great dancers… there’s nothing they can’t do. Back in our day, if they were kind they weren’t very talented and if they were talented they were mean.
(Laugh) They’re doing great regardless of what I say, and that’s probably how it’s going to be in the future.
Lastly, let’s hear what your plans are for your future as an actor.
Of course, I’m aiming to be recognized as an actor by the public. I want to be recognized not as a singer that can act, but as a real actor named Kim Dong Wan. Oh, no. I actually just want to keep acting.
People tell me to pick the good pieces, but when do I start acting if I’m going to think about all that? Like [Guus] Hiddink said, ‘I’m still hungry’.
(Laugh) Ah, I need to wrap up with some wise words but I just keep mumbling on. People who have tried acting know what I’m talking about. When you’re on set, you see everyone groups full of everyone from children to old grandfathers and grandmothers.
People who have never spoken a word to each other before suddenly start crying, laughing and embracing each other once the cue sign drops, and those moments are the moments that really thrill me. When women pass age 30, they often say that they want to cry their eyes out like they’re the lead role in a drama, and like they say, when you act you can feel the pleasure of belching out your emotions.
You continuously feel a thrill you can’t put into words. I recently watched director Kim Ki Duk’s Arirang, and although I’ve never met him and I don’t know him very well, I related so much to the part where he said he wanted to produce films so badly. That part was sad, too. Yes, I do it because I want to.
The fact that I’m originally a singer and that I’m a member of Shinhwa will never change, but I want to become a real actor named Kim Dong Wan who is always thirsty for more acting.
It seems you’re blessed with so many great friends. Your group, Shinhwa, has also been successful for such a long time, too…. How are the shoots for ‘Shinhwa Broadcast’? The shoots seem like they would last a long time.
I sometimes forget I’m in front of the camera when I’m with the friends I’ve been close with for such a long time. On days I feel happy, I’m really funny, but I also show it when I feel bad.
I’ve gained more than I’ve lost by staying in a group, and I’ve tried out singing solo and acting, so I have no regrets. There are singers that can’t sleep on nights before their concerts, but if you’re in a group, you feel more stable and you can depend on each other, so your heart feels lighter.
Do you have anything you want to say to the young idol groups that are out there these days?
They work really hard, so I have nothing to say. Idols these days are like superheroes. They’re kind, they’re great singers, they’re great dancers… there’s nothing they can’t do. Back in our day, if they were kind they weren’t very talented and if they were talented they were mean.
(Laugh) They’re doing great regardless of what I say, and that’s probably how it’s going to be in the future.
Lastly, let’s hear what your plans are for your future as an actor.
Of course, I’m aiming to be recognized as an actor by the public. I want to be recognized not as a singer that can act, but as a real actor named Kim Dong Wan. Oh, no. I actually just want to keep acting.
People tell me to pick the good pieces, but when do I start acting if I’m going to think about all that? Like [Guus] Hiddink said, ‘I’m still hungry’.
(Laugh) Ah, I need to wrap up with some wise words but I just keep mumbling on. People who have tried acting know what I’m talking about. When you’re on set, you see everyone groups full of everyone from children to old grandfathers and grandmothers.
People who have never spoken a word to each other before suddenly start crying, laughing and embracing each other once the cue sign drops, and those moments are the moments that really thrill me. When women pass age 30, they often say that they want to cry their eyes out like they’re the lead role in a drama, and like they say, when you act you can feel the pleasure of belching out your emotions.
You continuously feel a thrill you can’t put into words. I recently watched director Kim Ki Duk’s Arirang, and although I’ve never met him and I don’t know him very well, I related so much to the part where he said he wanted to produce films so badly. That part was sad, too. Yes, I do it because I want to.
The fact that I’m originally a singer and that I’m a member of Shinhwa will never change, but I want to become a real actor named Kim Dong Wan who is always thirsty for more acting.
Kim Dong Wan definitely now has his wings spread wide. Shinhwa is soaring with Shinhwa Broadcast and its Asia tour, and Deranged handed him the official title of ‘actor’.
It seems the time will soon come when the name ‘Kim Dong Wan’ brings the word ‘actor’ to mind first before ‘Shinhwa’. His eyes, when he speaks, are full of warmth, but the same eyes fill up with a sharp charisma polished through many experiences and efforts when he stares at the camera.
This is how Kim Dong Wan takes step after step forward as an actor.
Editor: Shin Yoo Mi, Contributing Writer: Park Ji Ho, Styling: Park Ji Young, Hair: Che Che by Culture and Nature, Makeup: Kim Yeon Jin by Culture and Nature
Photo credit: Lee Sang Yeop
It seems the time will soon come when the name ‘Kim Dong Wan’ brings the word ‘actor’ to mind first before ‘Shinhwa’. His eyes, when he speaks, are full of warmth, but the same eyes fill up with a sharp charisma polished through many experiences and efforts when he stares at the camera.
This is how Kim Dong Wan takes step after step forward as an actor.
Editor: Shin Yoo Mi, Contributing Writer: Park Ji Ho, Styling: Park Ji Young, Hair: Che Che by Culture and Nature, Makeup: Kim Yeon Jin by Culture and Nature
Photo credit: Lee Sang Yeop
