Yang Se Jong, Woo Do Hwan, AOA's Seolhyun, And Jang Hyuk Talk About Working Together On "My Country"

On November 1, Yang Se Jong, Woo Do Hwan, Jang Hyuk, AOA’s Seolhyun, and producing director (PD) Kim Jin Won attended a press conference for JTBC’s drama “My Country.” During the event, the actors and the director shared what it’s like working together and raised even more anticipation for upcoming episodes.

When asked how the filming is going now that the drama has entered the second half, Woo Do Hwan answered, “It feels like we are filming the drama with viewers. We gain strength to film by watching the reaction from viewers.”

The drama is both fictional and non-fictional as it features actual people from history and fictional characters. PD Kim Jin Won commented, “I put a fictional story on top of actual history. That’s why I am more concerned about [how to tell the story]. While the drama is based on the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, it’s more of a story about people who love their country instead of the story of the country being born. I worried that if I had featured characters with extravagant backgrounds, stories about people living ordinary lives would have been too weak.”

Jang Hyuk also commented on playing the role of Lee Bang Won for the second time. Lee Bang Won is the prince who helped his father overthrow the Goryeo Dynasty to begin the Joseon Dynasty. Jang Hyuk played Lee Bang Won in the 2015 film “The Age of Innocence.” The actor stated, “The first time I played Lee Bang Won was a bit disappointing because the movie only lasts for two hours. Instead of featuring Lee Bang Won who chases after his dreams and desires, ‘My Country’ manages to tell the reason he had no choice but to become this person. I’m enjoying the drama because it allows me to imagine a different side of Lee Bang Won while reading the chronicles of him.”

Seolhyun talked about what she focused on the most while playing Han Hee Jae. She stated, “I consider [my role] as more like protecting loved ones instead of sacrificing myself for them. I’ve said even before the drama began that the country Hee Jae wishes for is a country where she can protect the ones she cherishes. I still have that in my mind.”

Lastly, the cast members talked about the chemistry between them. Woo Do Hwan stated, “I’m always amazed to see Jang Hyuk act. He gives me advice on action scenes and my acting, and there are even times when I feel upset because I can’t follow that advice. ‘My Country’ is a drama that allowed me to learn many things.”

Jang Hyuk stated, “I think highly of the junior actors’ attitudes. It’s hard to act based on one’s own preparations, but it’s even harder to take directions from someone else. However, they would participate in filming after listening to directions and applying the best advice to their acting. One of the charming points [of ‘My Country’] is that I get to film great scenes with great actors.”

The upcoming episode of “My Country” will air on November 2 at 10:50 p.m. KST.

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