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Hwang In Youp (35) opened up about his youthful appearance.
On August 19, Hwang In Yeop sat for an interview following the conclusion of ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama Dream to You.
Dream to You follows the aftermath of the reunion of genius film director Woo Soo Bin (Hwang In Youp), who has achieved his dreams, and reporter Joo Yi Jae (Lee Hye Ri), who lives having forgotten her own.
In the drama, Hwang In Yeop played Woo Soo Bin, a genius film director who returns to Korea for Joo Yi Jae, who was his true dream.
Dream to You premiered on July 13. It started with a viewership rating of 2.7% and reached a peak of 2.87% with its third episode. The drama concluded while maintaining ratings in the 2% range.
Hwang In Yeop was seen in a school uniform. Commenting on it, he said, "A portion of the high school scenes was presented in the form of a short episode. I was worried, thinking, ‘Would it be too much?’ But I thought that if Hye Ri and I portrayed it beautifully and attractively, people might enjoy it a lot. So I think Hye Ri and I really worked together [to make it happen]. When we filmed wearing school uniforms, we acted like mischievous kids. We tried to immerse ourselves and make our performances blend naturally. There were also many cute and lively scenes. At the time, it hadn't been long since I had started acting with Hye Ri, so I was nervous and felt a little awkward. There were moments of silence between us, but when we were acting, our chemistry and timing clicked."
Talking about his youthful appearance, Hwang said, "I've even finished my reserve military service. I'm in my third year of civil defense service. I've never consciously tried to maintain a youthful image. I think viewers see me favorably because I wore school uniforms in the projects I worked on when I was still a rookie. So I think people see me as younger than my actual age. At this point, it has also made me wonder whether I should show a more manly side of myself. That's why I said at the earlier press conference that I would stop wearing school uniforms."
He continued, "I feel like I've reached the stage where I want to — and perhaps need to — transition from a boy to a man [on screen]. I worked out hard. I gained weight through exercise, putting on more weight than I originally had. We filmed the high school scenes around the Namhae area. While I was there, I think I used quite a lot of somewhat expensive face masks. I tried using a lot of the good masks and cosmetics sold at Olive Young."
He also said, "People ask me if I've served in the military, but the song that came out around the time I enlisted was Girls’ Generation's 'I GOT A BOY'. People ask me what song was released when I enlisted, and it was 'I GOT A BOY'. Around the time I was discharged, WINNER and Red Velvet were making their debuts. At the time, Girls’ Day was one of the popular girl groups. When I enlisted, my seniors in the military would listen to Girls’ Day's song 'Expectation' and say they liked it. Because I had seen Hye Ri's aegyo and everything else on Real Men, it was a great honor to act alongside her. When I told Hye Ri that, she said, 'Then treat me well.'"
Talking about whether he checks the public's perception about him, Hwang said, "I don't watch entertainment news. I do check social media. I don't read articles about myself; my parents read them and tell me about them. After the drama ends, the head of my agency always talks with me on the phone for an hour. We discuss the drama. He also tells me about people's reactions [to it]. I have three close friends from my neighborhood. They're all married now, so I hear a lot about what they and their wives say while watching it. I think what made me happiest was hearing, 'Your acting has gotten better.'"
"Of course, there was a time when I used to actively look for [people's reactions] as well. But my thoughts would become too focused in one direction, and I wouldn't feel mentally at ease. Maybe it's because I'm the type of person who pushes myself really hard, but I tend to tell myself things like, 'Shouldn't you be working hard and doing things properly?' I tend to shut out what I hear and focus. I believe it's better to spend my time and invest in things that allow me to show [people] something good."
He continued, "I always, always want to act well, so when I see negative opinions about my acting, I tell myself, 'Yeah, that's true,' 'They're right,' and 'I need to work harder.'"
Dream to You is streaming on Viki.
Source: Newsen
