[Trans] ELLE November ’12 – Jaejoong Interview
The route to Alwar, a city near Rajasthan of Northern India, is steeper than what was expected. The information that it will only take four and half hour to reach from Delhi’s airport should not be believed that easily.
To someone who is used to measure life with a tick-tocks of the clock, it is not easy to enter a city where time is believed to stand. It is also not that unusual for such comments to appear, “Are we filming ‘Laws of the Jungle’?”. In the seven hours, the up-roaring dust kept pursuing the rears of the vehicle, just like the genie that appeared from the magical lamp. Through the dust, looking out of the window, the people of Ajabgarh have started their new day upon daybreak and it was a breathtaking scene
“It feels like Indiana Jones. An adventure of back to the past?” Not sure who commented this feeling. However this land which used to be one of the King’s favourite place, has become a developing village with drought and poverty. Even after the strong wind gushed by and leaving the lake into a puddle, the hearts of these people remained moisturised and this is something to be happy for.
“Wow, it is really an amazing country!” Jaejoong reacted when the elegant resort appeared in front unknowingly, and very quickly, his mixed feelings were gone and became all energetic once again.
JYJ member Jaejoong was focused on in his many areas of development. Facing the various experiences, challenges and image, he has never been patient in staying stagnantly. The reason we chose India as the shooting location is also due to his diversity and willingness. To someone like him who have travelled to many countries, India is a country he has not been to. To us, we are lucky to find a good location. And so, let the adventure begin.
In the world he imagined, the title of actor was linked to many problems. In drama ‘Dr Jin’, Jaejoong was the righteous police officer Kim Kyung Tak and experienced love alike to Plato’s theory; at the same time, he was Choi Hyun in the movie ‘Code Name: Jackal’. Despite the lack of sleep, his feelings involvement and retrieval in were natural, as though enchanted
“It was not easy filming two works, but the desire to portray the various characters was strong. It was two different characters and will need more concentration. Luckily I was able to memorize the lines well. (in a sincere look) I eat Omega-3 very often, it will help in blood circulation? It seems to work so.”
‘Dr Jin’ is a historical drama and more or less, there are inconveniences. To those viewers who likes novelty, the mundane filming location in historical dramas seems less appealing and this gave Jaejoong great burden. Till about mid way through the drama where more viewers starts to pay attention to it that Jaejoong’s mentality changes. At that time, even those viewers who love the rival drama ‘A Gentlemen’s Dignity’ starts to develop interest in Jaejoong’s character. “Anything that is not well-displayed this time round can be done better next time. Thinking like this. I will also be able to review myself critically.”
For his first historical drama, Jaejoong had to explore and display the character Kim Kyung Tak while in his debut movie ‘Code Name: Jackal’ showing in November, Jaejoong will show the looks of his original occupation as Choi Hyun. (T/N: Jaejoong’s debut movie should be ‘Heaven’s Postman’) “There are a lot of fiasco scenes in the movie and I had the thinking, ‘Really? Is it okay to be such?’, as there are a lot of exaggerating scenes. To say that we are ‘being funny with our whole body’ is actually not that unsuitable. On the surface, (Choi Hyun) he is a very haughty and willful singer but after understanding him, one would find that he is actually an innocent guy and been through a lot before becoming a very popular singer yet he was kidnapped by a killer.” In the one-day-event of the kidnapping of top star Choi Hyun, Choi Hyun and Jaejoong shares the same similarity of being a singer and this is a chance to show his acting with realism. “We are all singers and usually artistes would show the perfect side of them. And we also have a normal side of us that was not usually shown. I realised my own hidden personality is showing out slowly.”
Jaejoong is also close friends with co-star Song Ji Hyo and both cooperate easily as they understood each others’ acting style. “This is a comedy and there are many scenes that are interesting and have to be shot from different angles. Not only was it the Director’s request, Ji Hyo noona and myself would said many times, ‘Let’s do it one more time.’ As most of the filming were done under insufficient sleep, I found the filmed scenes not that satisfying after checking at the monitor. However I was not very concerned with my image. Drenched, electrocuted… I simply am okay with all the (image) destructing scenes.” Jaejoong’s repetitive image destroying has got to do with his openness towards acting.
Jaejoong started his acting career from Japanese drama ‘Sunao Ni Narenakute’ but his official domestic drama debut was ‘Protect The Boss’ with Ji Sung and Choi Kang Hee. It was a light comedy drama about a wacky secretary with the wayward chaebol successor but his character Cha Mu Won was not that lively as expected. When facing challenges, his true emotions are often hidden under the poker face.
“It was difficult. The skills of singing and dancing as a singer and the skills of acting are different, isn’t it? Thus I need to slowly accumulate. But this does not mean that I neglected music. Though it looks as if the time I spent acting is more and singing is lesser, I will not use the excuse of ‘I’m busy with acting thus no music inspiration’. I do take out time to compose and listen to music.”
“It’s good to expand oneself but I don’t wish to give up my current skills in order to develop another new skill. Therefore I don’t wish to be troubled by my identity but to give myself time to adapt to the changes.”
“I am not musically inclined at first and am totally an outsider towards singing and dancing. But it was through training and more of it through experiences accumulation that I attained improvement. Therefore isn’t acting able to be so, right? Through accumulating of experiences and attaining the satisfactory performance.”
In the past, his easy-going and child-like looks were never been shown. Due to Jaejoong’s looks, people always think that he is cold and picky, and his personality might not be good. However through his hard work, such skepticism was dispersed to some extent.
Jaejoong’s acting career allows flexibility to his artiste career but the problem still exists. “As the dramas’ works increases, more and more people knew about Kim Jaejoong. But to overseas fans, overlooking the group JYJ and still associating me with the past Hero Jaejoong, this is a bit regretful. It is an issue with time. I will have to work harder.”
The three members of JYJ worked hard in their own area, exploring a diversity of potentials and finding a chance to develop. “Right now we are in a process of developing ourselves and when we grouped together once again, I anticipates the compliance effect.”
However, Jaejoong felt regrettable about the lessen music interactions with fans. “Just like a festival, festival!” The concert experiences in South America and Spain changes his thinking towards popularity and cheers. “When I was younger, I felt that as long as I do my job well, popularity will naturally come along. But I don’t feel it that way now. Those who would leave, will leave in the end.” Nine years of artiste’s activities groomed his sense of crisis and feelings are changed naturally. One has to rebuild the relationship with fans. “Once fans disappeared, there will be severe sense of loneliness, right. Those who said, ‘I’m happy just by making music’ might not experience fans’ love before. They wouldn’t know that being loved by fans due to music is such a blissful matter. Because creating music with own preference, and the satisfaction from creating it for others is very strong. Just like cooking. With a heart of ‘The ones eating will find it delicious right?’. If nobody listens to your music… that feeling might just be the worst.”
Thinking back of the days in India, we are unsure how they managed to find out the resort Jaejoong was staying but there will be fans calling everyday and emails enquiring about it. There were even female fans who did not care about the lengthy and steep routes of the filming location and followed us through. Therefore, his concern should not be happening any sooner.
“In the past period of 8 to 9 years, what remains is eternity. At that time, there were many things that need to be done and from what I’m looking at now, it’s still the same. Growing up and developing needs time. Can popularity and fame, the embracing hope and challenging spirit be maintained forever? I have such thinking and sense of crisis. As time goes by, what remains is eternity. Even when I’m in my 30s, I have to live with my 20s mentality. What is different from the past is that I am no longer afraid of challenge and my mentality and determination has never changed.”
To people with a mature mentality like Jaejoong, traveling to a new place should be an experience towards a slow-paced life. And to him who is steadily increasing his activities, it will be a short break for him. Lastly, life is an adventure and the journey is lonely. The once-prosperous Indian village embraced the deep meaning of eternity. And to Jaejoong, this journey embraced his thoughts on the realistic tomorrow and the unpredictable future.
credit: purple33
trans by: rachui@sharingyoochun
Momma’s Source: sharingyoochun.net
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