Rowoon of SF9 on his character in 'The King's Affection'
By Seven Bueno
The King’s Affection is one of the hottest dramas yet on Netflix, ranking in the Top 10 series on the said OTT platform. Here’s a recent interview with Rowoon, the lead vocalist of SF9 who plays Jung Ju-in, a Sikawon instructor and royal tutor to Hwi in the series.
Rowoon wants audiences to look forward to is to see the emotions of the characters that augmented one of this favorite scenes from the series. He says “there were many scenes where the stars showed tears even if it wasn’t part of the script.”
Offscreen, Rowoon says that he also shared some bonding with his co-actors during production. He was so happy to work with his co-stars, even “to the extent that I didn’t even think of differentiating offscreen and onscreen (work).” Rowoon says that the shooting schedules were tiring at times, but he was definitely excited to discuss each scene with all his co-stars.
In terms of what he wanted to bring out in the story and from his character, Rowoon wants Ji-un to be someone who sends a message about living and feeling each day to the fullest. This gives something very meaningful beyond its raw instructor-like character.
In comparison to “Extraordinary You,” which had only bits and small scenes of a historical drama (saeguk = historical drama), we are set to see “The King’s Affection” to showcase Rowoon’s full ability and skill in acting in a real “saeguk” series. At first, Rowoon thought that there were “typical acting skills” required to act in a saeguk drama. Nothing in his experience, however, was set in stone. In that regard, “the degree of freedom that I had in terms of portraying Ji-un gave me an opportunity to try a new voice and new type of acting for the series.”
On being asked about the most memorable moment when shooting, Rowoon recalls a line “Who says that certain things are just for women? What’s good should be shared by everyone,” and he quotes his character as it demonstrates his thinking and philosophy. The most fun part for him was the spontaneous acting moments with his co-stars, especially the lines and the emotions of each character. The most challenging part was “turning off Rowoon” when acting in the role of Ji-un.
As to why he wanted to star in the drama, he says that it was a “heart-aching story from the script and the newness of the plot” that caught his eye and inevitably got him into the role.
Can’t relate just yet? Well, you can catch up on “The King’s Affection” on Netflix today, with new episodes coming out every Monday and Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. (Philippine time).