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| Actor Jung Kyung-ho played the role of a celebrity math instructor in tvN's rom-com series "Crash Course in Romance." Courtesy of tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Jung Kyung-ho has amassed quite a wide-ranging repertoire throughout his 19-year acting career, taking on projects spanning the genres of thrillers and crime to comedy and romance.
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| Actor Jung Kyung-ho / Courtesy of Management Allum |
"Looking back, I've been playing agitated and sensitive characters for the past eight years. I used to think I needed to break away from that box. But one day, I was monitoring my acting as Choi Chi-yeol and I felt I was doing something different than my previous roles," the actor said during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday, held at a cafe in Gangnam District.
"I think my portrayal of the character, now that I'm in my 40s, has become deeper … stronger and more natural. I didn't intentionally try to do something different, but (my acting) has become more flexible than before."
The series revolves around a former national handball player, Nam Haeng-sun (Jeon), who runs a small store selling side dishes and raises her high school daughter alone. When her daughter tries to sign up for a private crammer class offered by Choi, a celebrity math instructor, Nam steps into the cutthroat world of private education for high schoolers, while becoming entangled in a relationship with the teacher.
The series garnered huge popularity with its feel-good romantic comedy plot of Nam and Choi, teen romance and coming-of-age story of the students, as well as a thriller twist with a serial murderer character. It wrapped up on Sunday with its highest viewership rating of 17 percent.
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| A scene from the series "Crash Course in Romance." Courtesy of tvN |
Jung said that he studied real-life celebrity math teachers to create his character, making up habits like giving a kick to cheer up the class.
"I didn't know anything about math. So I audited instructors' classes to see how they actually teach. I also saw videos of real celebrity instructors … the important part is writing down the equations on the board. Because it was such an unfamiliar world, I bought a chalkboard and practiced it at home for two months," he said.
"In real life, there are several ways for the teacher to grab students' attention to stay focused in class. Some would cuss or yell, but with Chi-yeol, it was warm encouragement and a high-kick."
The actor expressed his excitement about working with award-winning actress, Jeon, during a press conference in January. He shared that he was thrilled and honored to play her counterpart.
"Working with Jeon was such a huge opportunity, so I didn't even think twice about taking on the role. When I see myself in the camera frame with her, it made me so happy, not as Chi-yeol but as Jung Kyung-ho," he said. "With her years of experience, you wouldn't get nervous to be in front of a camera. But she was always nervous and excited. I really like how she always tried to stay true to her character from the beginning and the end."
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