Kim Min-jae says pianist role in 'Do You Like Brahms?' was turning point
Actor Kim Min-jae made a remarkable impression in the recently ended romance drama “Do you Like Brahms?” Courtesy of Yamyam Entertainment
By Lee Gyu-lee
Since debuting as an extra in tvN's 2014 hit series “I Need Romance 3,” actor Kim Min-jae wasted no time working his way up the ladder to land major roles in series like “My Little Baby” (2016) and “Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency” (2019).
And after years of building up his repertoire, the actor's most notable starring role finally came in the romance series “Do you Like Brahms?” which ended this week with a 6 percent viewership rating.
Kim, 23, said this series was a turning point in his acting career that taught him to “believe in the feeling.”
“I wanted to immerse myself in the character without having to focus on the technical approaches to act each scene like setting the tone and breathing techniques,” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times Wednesday at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The subtle drama revolves around young classical musicians ― a violin undergraduate student Chae Song-a (Park Eun-bin) and world-famous pianist Park Joon-young (Kim) ― caught in a separate love triangle with their friends.
The two develop a romance as they stay by each other's side through relationship struggles and the harsh reality of the classical music scene.
The actor played famous pianist Park Joon-young in “Do you Like Brahms?” Courtesy of Yamyam Entertainment
Joon-young goes through complex emotions as he has to deal with the pressure to stay afloat as a top pianist through global competitions, family issues, and letting go of his long-time crush to start a new relationship.
Kim noted that blowing life into such a complicated character helped shape his acting philosophy.
“This series gave me an idea of how I should act. It gave me a lot of courage and confidence,” he said.
“There was an emotional scene between Joon-young and his mom, in which I thought he needs to cry. But I was physically and emotionally drained at the time, so I told the director I might have a hard time tearing up.
“But, the director told me, 'let's go with the flow. Just genuinely be in the scene, instead of worrying about tearing up.'”
The advice helped him get out of his comfort zone, which eventually made one of his favorite performances of the series.
“I'm never fully satisfied with my acting … but one thing I can say is that I wasn't acting. I just delivered the honest, sincere feelings I had for each scene,” he said.
He said he felt under great pressure to play as a world-class pianist.
“I had about a month and a half to practice before we began shooting and I used that full time to practice. I really wanted to do well,” he said.
The actor says he studied various pianists to create the character of Joon-young. Courtesy of Yamyam Entertainment
The actor noted that he actually performed many of the music pieces himself. He studied various different classical pianists like Cho Seong-jin and Son Yeol-eum, to create habits and expressions for the fictional pianist Joon-young. And as more he studied and practiced classical music, he came to enjoy it more.
“Classical music doesn't have lyrics, but it has stories,” he said. “And once I've learned the stories behind them, I could resonate with the music much more.”
“Do You Like Brahms?” follows the delicate emotions of a romantic relationship between two millennials. Kim said he learned a lot from co-star Park, who has extensive experience since she debuted as a child actor.
“I came to rely on her as she was a more experienced actor … it meant a lot to me,” he said. “I would ask her many questions, like 'This scene is difficult to express, how should I work it out?' … and every time, she gave me such wise answers.”
The actor still strives for new experiences. “I feel like I need to experiment and try as many different roles as possible in my 20s, so I can take those experiences to shape better my 30s,” he said.