INTERVIEW Lee Seo-jin goes all-out for laughs in 'Dr. Park's Clinic'
Actor Lee Seo-jin plays the role of Dr. Park Won-jang in Tving's original series, "Dr. Park's Clinic." Courtesy of Tving
Veteran actor hopes to stay relevant to younger-generation viewers
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Lee Seo-jin's latest character ― a bald, struggling doctor ― in the comedy series, “Dr. Park's Clinic,” shocked many people who are familiar with his image as a gentle, sophisticated NYU Stern graduate with memorable performances in romantic series.
The actor expressed that he was ready to go all-out in creating the hilarious character for the very first comedy series of his 23-year acting career.
“As an actor, wearing special effects makeup and props is not something to be ashamed of. If I gave many people a good laugh, then my work has been successful. And I'm willing to do it again if it can entertain the audience,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday.
Based on the webtoon of the same name by doctor and creator Jang Bong-su, Tving's original series unfolds the story of Dr. Park Won-jang (Lee) opening a clinic.
He dreams of raking in cash by running his own practice. But he is soon faced with the harsh reality when the clinic barely gets any patients, struggling to manage the clinic and keep himself from drowning in debt.
Despite his concerns, the nurses show very little interest in the clinic's success, and his wife, Sa Mo-rim (Ra Mi-ran), expects an affluent life.
A poster for the comedy series, “Dr. Park's Clinic" / Courtesy of Tving
The mockumentary-style sitcom integrates different parodies of famous TV lines and internet memes, and overtly exaggerated product placement, as if it is part of the comedy, which some might describe as a little cringe-worthy at times.
Lee noted that his primary concern with the series is to make it funny, even if it means he has to dress up as a woman or wear a bald cap to portray the doctor, who is secretly bald and wears a wig.
“I tried to stick to the original webcomic and not ruin its reputation,” he said. “I had to make this series funny and engaging, so I thought a lot about how I might make the scenes more hilarious … My concern was that it might only seem funny to us and would not appeal to the viewers.”
He added that he put complete faith in the series' director, Seo Joon-beom, who also scripted the story.
“Since the director wrote the script and led the production, I felt I needed to fully trust him. If the director said something should be funny, it was my job to make it happen,” he said.
“Before I put on the bald makeup, there was a photo-shopped picture to see the transformation. When I saw the picture, I was shocked to see it … But when I put the actual makeup on, it looked much better, which was disappointing because it wasn't as funny.”
A still from the series, “Dr. Park's Clinic" / Courtesy of Tving
Lee noted that one of the reasons he took the role was to appeal to a younger audience.
“Younger people around me told me that the script was funny. And I felt I should rely on the sentiments of those younger people over my own,” he said.
“As I've entered middle age, I have come to respect younger people more. They are unbelievably smart and different (from other generations). They are the ones to lead this era, so I think it's only appropriate for us to tailor our work to them.”
Lee added that he made the right choice in taking the project to stay relevant to that age demographic, as he has noticed the series' popularity among younger audience members.
The actor, who has taken on various roles in TV series throughout his career, expressed that the most important thing in choosing a role is how much he can enjoy the project.
“In the past when there were only a few broadcasters, the number of pieces I could work on was limited. So I would choose the ones that were more likely to be hits,” he said. “But now, since there are more networks, OTT, and other platforms, I care less about those. So, I chose the ones that I can have fun working on.”