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| Actors Ryu Jun-yeol, left, and Jeon Do-yeon pose during an online press conference for the JTBC series "Lost," Sept. 2. Courtesy of JTBC |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actors Jeon Do-yeon and Ryu Jun-yeol from JTBC's melodrama "Lost" have shared their emotions and a behind-the-scenes look after the series ended its 16-part run, Sunday.
"It feels like I have regrets every time I finish a project. I couldn't picture this series coming to an end, so I would always think to myself how hard it has been to live in this character. But now I think of it, that was just whining," said award-winning actress Jeon, who played the lead character, Bu-jung.
"I want to express my gratitude toward everyone who has been with me through this. I will continue to do my best to become good at acting."
The romance series kicked off with a 4.2 percent viewership rating Sept. 4 with high hopes as it starred popular actors and was the first series directed by famous filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, who is known for the leading period piece "Forbidden Dream" (2019) and the romance "Christmas in August" (1998).
However, the series soon felt short of viewers' anticipation, slipping down the slope with its viewership and recording a 1.7 percent rating by the fifth episode. Its last episode Sunday saw a 2.4 percent rating.
Written by Kim Ji-hye, who was behind the hit romance movie "Architecture 101" (2012), the series follows two people ― ghostwriter Bu-jung and attractive gigolo Kang-jae (Ryu) ― who feel adrift in life, seeking comfort in each other to find purpose in life.
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| Scenes from 'Lost' / Courtesy of JTBC |
Ryu expressed his affection towards the series, saying he did not want to let go of the character or the series.
"Kang-jae is a very typical man in his 20s. Some might say his life has gone astray but he also had problems that any other people in their 20s could have and would endlessly strive to solve them," he said. "Under few circumstances, like his family issue, he goes through suffering which makes his life different from how I spent my 20s… so those differences drew me toward the character."
He added that although many viewers might not have agreed with his way of making a living, he tried to get them to resonate with his journey through realizing it himself.
"I didn't want to glamorize his job or life. But I just studied my character with a focus on how I can portray him in a way that viewers can empathize with in his journey of finding himself and opening up to the world," he said.
Mentioning the feedback on the slow-paced series, the actor said he took in both the compliments and criticism.
"As we were making the series, we understood the issue of it and went forward, having a lot of thoughts. But to those who have been waiting for series like this, I think this series would be like an oasis," he said. "The story was not fast-paced nor did it have a lot of things going on with the plot. But when you closely follow the story of the characters, Lost offers a chance to think about life and death and about what it means to be human."
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