‘Trunk’ Gong Yoo meets “‘Melo master’? Embarrassed... Seo Hyun-jin is right” [DA:Interview②]

Actor Gong Yoo praised Seo Hyun-jin, who he worked with.

In an interview with Netflix‘s ‘Trunk’ held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 5th, Gong Yoo expressed his satisfaction with the work, saying, “I enjoyed watching it. I only saw the rough cut over his shoulder, but when I saw the finished product, it seemed more refined.” He added, “I think it was a smart choice musically as well. I personally don’t prefer songs with a lot of lyrics, but I liked that there was only one song with lyrics. I liked the feeling of approaching it in terms of sound. It was a good attempt, and I think it helped in terms of genre.”

Gong Yoo said that he thought it would be a work that the public would ‘like or dislike’ from the time he read the script. He said, “The ‘temporary marriage’ material and setting are detailed and unrealistic. I‘ve been in this field for over 20 years, so I know the pattern of what the general public likes and consumes. However, from my perspective, that can’t be a standard for choosing a project. I tend to appear in stories that I find interesting and curious.” He added, “As someone who‘s filmed a project, I think it would be helpful for viewers to watch it until the end while being a little calmer and wondering why this setting was used.”

Gong Yoo praised Seo Hyun-jin’s high ability, saying that she made up for the parts that could have been unfriendly in the project with her acting. He said, “‘Trunk’ is a project where Seo Hyun-jin‘s acting is fun to watch. He emphasized, ”I think Seo Hyun-jin’s face and lines can be plausible.“

When he was praised for his chemistry with Seo Hyun-jin, saying that they were a meeting of ‘melo masters,’ he said, ”I think it‘s because my previous works received a lot of love, but I’m grateful but embarrassed. However, I think Seo Hyun-jin is a ‘melo master.’ I liked her as an actress and was a fan of her, but when we acted together, I realized that she had a much deeper understanding of the work than I thought.“

Gong Yoo said, ”I think ‘Trunk’ is a drama that is driven by In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin) and Seo-yeon (Jung Yoon-ha) rather than Jeong-won. It must have been a difficult role, but when I saw Seo Hyun-jin acting, I felt that she filled in the parts that weren‘t explained in detail, such as her expressions. I felt it even when she acted right in front of me. I could feel it once again, ’She‘s an actress who acts delicately and precisely.’ He expressed his gratitude, saying, “I felt secure when the actor I was acting with acted like that, and it felt like we were rising together and that he was also helpful.”

Meanwhile, ‘Trunk’, based on the novel of the same name by author Kim Ryeo-ryeong, is a six-part mystery melodrama that depicts a secret marriage service that begins to come to light due to a trunk floating on the lakeside and the strange marriage story of a man and a woman inside it. It is a work that director Kim Gyu-tae, who directed the dramas [Our Blues] and [It‘s Okay, That’s Love], and writer Park Eun-young, who wrote [Hwarang], joined forces to produce, and it was released on Netflix on the 29th of last month.

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