Noh Jae-won “Hobby: Playing the piano → Boxing, if I get interested, I jump right in” [Photoshoot]

Men‘s lifestyle magazine Esquire has released a photoshoot with actor Noh Jae-won.

This photoshoot was themed ‘Noh Jae-won between acting and non-acting’, and was motivated by the direction Noh Jae-won pursues as an actor. Through this, the goal was to capture Noh Jae-won’s subtle feelings that are unusual, unfamiliar, and yet somehow familiar.

Noh Jae-won said about the photoshoot, “I‘m the type that when I try to express something with intention, it doesn’t work out well”, and “(So) this shoot where I just improvised to match the feeling of the outfit and makeup was really new and fun”. According to an interview that was released along with the photoshoot, Noh Jae-won also improvised a dance during the shoot. It is said that the staff on set were constantly amazed by his ability to convey a unique and sensual image with just simple poses and facial expressions.

In a pictorial interview, Noh Jae-won confessed that he has a wide spectrum of hobbies, including playing the piano, boxing, walking in the forest, and watching UFC. He said, “I think that finding something you like is a gift-like moment in life,” and “I think I ended up developing all sorts of hobbies because I jumped right into something I was interested in.” He added, “I want to deny it, but I think I actually do all those hobbies because I think they’ll help my acting.” He said that if you enjoy your hobbies, your mind becomes healthier, and because of that, you can pursue better acting.

He also shared his thoughts on the character Nam-gyu in the Netflix series “Squid Game,” which recently became a hot topic. Noh Jae-won said, “As the only person who knows all about Nam-gyu’s past life, of course, I made it all up myself, but I acted without thinking of Nam-gyu as a bad person.” When asked about the part where Nam Gyu‘s wickedness is revealed, he smiled shyly and said, “I was surprised when I saw that scene. I was really nervous because it was the beginning of filming, but I don’t remember how I did it.”

Noh Jae-won‘s pictorial and full interview can be found in the March 2025 issue of Esquire and on the website.

Jung Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.