'My Youth' Song Joong Ki: 'I might not be able to do melodramas as I get older'

Song Joong Ki shares why he chose My Youth.

A press conference for JTBC's new Friday drama My Youth was held in Seoul. Director Lee Sang Yeob, along with actors Song Joong Ki, Chun Woo Hee, Lee Joo Myung, and Seo Ji Hoon, attended the event.

My Youth follows Seon Woo Hae (Song Joong Ki), once a beloved child actor who lost his light due to greed of adults around him, now lives quietly as a novelist and florist. His calm life is disrupted when Seong Je Yeon (Chun Woo Hee), his first love from a decade ago, suddenly reappears. Together, they once endured their darkest days, and their reunion stirs long-buried memories. Je Yeon, now a team leader at Feel Entertainment, after suffering from her family's sudden downfall, lives only for success.  

The K-drama marks Song Joong Ki's return to the small screen three years after Reborn Rich. Song Joong Ki transforms into Seon Woo Hae, a florist and a novelist who once shone as a child star. Opposite him, Chun Woo Hee takes on the role of Seong Je Yeon, Seon Woo Hae's first love.

Talking about why he chose the project, Song Joong Ki said, "It wasn't intentional, but I realized that, so far, I've played the kind of characters who didn't really have their feet on the ground; they were somewhat [fantasy-like], distanced from everyday life. Also, it's been a while since I've done the melodrama genre. Isn't melodrama always a genre actors feel greedy for? I was so happy to finally come across a script that made my heart flutter again, and I felt honored to receive the offer. I had been wanting to take on a more everyday, down-to-earth character, and I was so happy that such a role came to me."

He continued, "Another reason I joined is that I felt like I might not be able to do melodramas anymore as I get older." Song Joong Ki went on to lavish praise, saying, "And another very big reason is Chun Woo Hee. From start to finish, she was one of the biggest reasons I decided to join. She's sitting right next to me even now, but I truly felt so happy to be able to work alongside her, and she is really the best partner."

When asked to share his thoughts on playing Seon Woo Hae, a former child actor, Song Joong Ki said, "There is a certain pathos that I had to express, but in some ways it was comfortable because he's also an actor. Of course, I was not a child actor myself, but since I've met many child actors on set, I tried to infuse into the role what I had indirectly experienced [through them]. In many respects, it felt comfortable."

My Youth is coming September 5, and will air two episodes back-to-back every Friday. Global viewers can watch it on Viu (Asia, the Middle East, and Africa), and Rakuten Viki (the Americas, Europe, Oceania, the Middle East, and India).

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