Gu Gyo-hwan: 'If I were wearing the emotion watch from 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 now, I'd be green all over — down to my veins'

※This interview with Gu Gyo-hwan continues from Part 1.

From films to TV dramas, every project Gu Gyo-hwan has appeared in is doing well. Can we call this the 'Gu Gyo-hwan era'?

Calling it the 'Gu Gyo-hwan era' is a bit much. When I walk down the street, people sometimes call out, "Dong-man." I don't see it as an era; it's more that Gu Gyo-hwan and viewers and audiences are becoming a little closer. I hope we get even closer going forward.

Which feels better: being known as 'Hwang Dong-man' from 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 or being called the 'K-Joker' from 〈The Collective〉?

I like both. Some people still call me 'Jane' (a role in 〈Jane of Dreams〉), and others call me 'Eun-ho' (a role in 〈Our Marriage〉). The fact that they call me by the characters I've played makes me feel like they've accepted me into the world of those works. That is better than any award. Where else does an actor get such praise? When I remember actors I like, I remember them that way—by name.

What do you think is driving such deep audience engagement with your performances, and why does each project you appear in become a talking point?

It's really hard to say why things are doing well. I'm very grateful. I guess the reason is simply that the emotion is being conveyed to the audience. So it's difficult to analyze the cause of success; I just feel good that the feelings have been communicated to viewers.

You just credited the characters for being loved, but isn't it the actor Gu Gyo-hwan's own charm that breathed life into those characters?

I do have charm. Aren't you going to ask what that charm is? That keeps me from being careless. (laughs) I've thought about it a lot—what is my charm as an actor? I love my projects the most. If someone asked, 'Who here loves this work?' I'd be the first to raise my hand. With 〈The Collective〉 and 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉, I'm more of a fan of the work than anyone. I'm the No. 1 fan because I saw them first.

You said you're a fan of the works. What elements make you always fall into a project?

Sometimes it's the director, sometimes the co-actor, sometimes the script, sometimes the cinematographer. It's like dating. If someone asks, "Why do you like that person?" your type isn't always consistent. I fall for different qualities. In projects by director Yeon Sang-ho, for example, I choose them because I like the director. I enjoy working with him.

Looking at your filmography, I get the impression you excel at portraying characters with a rebellious streak who break from stereotypes. Are you drawn to those challenging roles?

I've analyzed it and there's a reason. I may look like I have a rebellious streak and a strong individuality. But I'm an actor who takes feedback very well; directions stick with me. That's my strength. So if someone says, "Do it like this," I do it—maybe that's how the word spread. (laughs) There was one specific instance: in 〈The Collective〉 there's a scene where Seo Young-chul kneels and cries his heart out. In the first take, I just cried. For the second take the director said, "Don't end with crying; slowly transition into a little giggle and a smile." So I immediately said, "Yes." I didn't even ask questions like, "Why should I smile?" It was, "Yes, I understand." I'm a very service-oriented actor. Customer satisfaction. (laughs)

Seo Young-chul in 〈The Collective〉 and Hwang Dong-man in 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 both have a rebellious streak—does that streak exist in the real-life Gu Gyo-hwan?

As a person, Gu Gyo-hwan certainly has clear tastes. As I always say, I'm an otaku of popular culture and the arts—my tastes are definite—but as an actor I know better than anyone that film isn't a solo endeavor. No matter how talented I am, performance isn't created alone. There's music, co-actors, many elements composing a role, so I'm receptive to feedback. The tastes of Gu the actor and Gu the person differ. As a person, my taste spectrum is wide. I know something, even if superficially, about most subcultures. So I can converse with just about anyone.

As an aside, I'd like to ask about behind the scenes of 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉. The scene on the bus where you're wearing headphones and lost in emotion became a major topic on social media. What music were you actually listening to in that scene?

For that scene we used YouTube Music and I actually listened to a lot of music. The headphones were even the model I usually use; I planned to use my own, and the art department distressed them to look exactly like mine. Oh, I need to re-pair them. (laughs) Anyway, I listened to my playlist. But I don't want to name any songs—if someone hasn't seen 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 yet, naming a track might spoil the experience. From Hwang Dong-man's perspective, I don't think music was actually playing in that scene. Even if no music plays, he cries and then laughs.

Also, I'm curious whether the emotion watch in 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 was actually functioning. Now that 〈The Collective〉 and 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 are doing well, if Gu Gyo-hwan himself wore an emotion watch, what emotion do you think would register?

The emotion watch was a real prop; its colors appear, but the texts inside were handled with VFX. Right now, of course, it'd be green all over my body—probably all the way through my veins. That's because the characters I've played are being loved, as you said. Seo Young-chul in 〈The Collective〉 is being hated by audiences. Since being hated was Seo Young-chul's goal, that's an unparalleled honor for an actor.

In 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉 the line "I just need to not be anxious" feels like the core message running through the drama. Do you feel pressure to maintain the current moment, or are you simply enjoying it?

I don't have a concept of maintaining it. I'm not collecting points from anyone. Rather than outside results or numbers, I'm too busy enjoying the good feelings now, and I have too little time to pour more affection into a character. If I start worrying about metrics, I'll become very stiff. So for my own sake I don't even look at them. Instead, I focus more on what I should be concentrating on now, the things I find fun. Right now, as an actor I'm shooting the film 〈The Gardeners〉, playing a character named Mun-ho. Rather than thinking, "I'll get a lot of love from audiences as Mun-ho," I think if I represent Mun-ho well, the reactions will naturally follow.

Just as many fans admire your acting, many are also waiting for your next project as a director. When can we expect to see Gu Gyo-hwan as a director?

My desire and ambition to create stories as a director are ongoing in real time. I'm preparing now and looking for a partner. Near-term, we're finishing postproduction on 〈Your Country〉, so there's a piece that will be released soon. I also run a production company called '2x9.' At the end of the year I'll collaborate in some capacity on director Lee Ok-seop's solo-directed film 〈The Love Counselor〉. So, if people show a little more interest, I think I can show more of myself as a creator.

If you were Director Gu Gyo-hwan, how would you like to cast Actor Gu Gyo-hwan?

That's a really interesting question. (Thinks for a long moment) I'd like to use him in motion capture—whether as a raccoon or a slime, it wouldn't matter. Because it's off-putting when I direct and also appear. That answer reflects my wish that, when I'm directing, the actor Gu Gyo-hwan not be recognizable.