Solid of “Chief Detective 1958” (from left): Choi Woo-sung, Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi and Yoon Hyun-soo —MBC/ DISNEY+
After memorable turns in “Sign” and “Taxi Driver,” Lee Je-hoon is including one other career-boosting function by the use of “Chief Detective 1958”—the 10-part Okay-drama collection from MBC that started streaming on Disney+ final Friday and Saturday.
However the 39-year-old boyishly good-looking actor knew that bringing lead character Park Younger-han to life would entail not simply dangers however heightened expectations as properly, notably from viewers conversant in the long-lasting South Korean police procedural collection “Chief Detective” that starred Choi Bul-am and aired from 1971 to 1989.“This present is a prequel to the legendary OG drama ‘Chief Inspector,’ through which the chief detective is Park Younger-han,” associated director Kim Seong-hoon on the press con final week. “For this present, we’re taking it again to 1958, when Younger-han was not the chief detective but. It’s a narrative about his youthful self.”
Within the present, the idealistic cop decides to maneuver from his hometown in rural Hwangchun, the place he makes a speciality of petty thieves—he has arrested 96 cow thieves, to this point—to the corruption-ridden Jongnam Police Station in Seoul.
As he begins to make a reputation for himself at his new put up, Younger-han crosses paths with the trio who would ultimately turn out to be a part of his legendary squad, composed of “Mad Canine” Kim Sang-sun (Lee Dong-hwi of “Reply 1988”), the hulking Cho Kyung-hwan (Choi Woo-sung) and rich student-turned-new police recruit Search engine optimization Ho-jeong (Yoon Hyun-soo). Younger-han additionally meets his love curiosity, bookstore proprietor Lee Hye-joo (Search engine optimization Eun-soo).
Je-hoon, who’s typically seen trying chill or cool as a cucumber, recalled what it was like to come back face-to-face with the actor who originated his function. He stated, “I met Mr. Choi Bu-lan for the primary time after we had been doing our first desk learn. You realize, I don’t typically get nervous about this stuff as a result of I put together lots for my characters. “However being in entrance of Mr. Choi whereas delivering the traces of the younger Younger-han, I discovered myself getting very nervous! I don’t even keep in mind how I did or if I did properly at that desk learn as a result of I used to be dropping my thoughts (laughs).
“After we learn the primary two episodes, Mr. Choi jogged my memory that Detective Park is a man who has a variety of rage inside as a result of he desires to eliminate all of the dangerous guys and shield the weak. He talked to me concerning the humanistic facets of the collection and the character.
“You realize, Mr. Choi did 880 episodes of the present. So as a substitute of attempting to seem like him, which might have been a tough activity, I needed to actually take after his persona and convey what his inside emotions had been. That’s how I approached this character.”
Requested if he additionally hides a variety of rage inside like his character, Je-hoon answered, “After I was filming, I used to be feeling a lot rage due to the disturbing circumstances Younger-han was made to cope with. You realize, there are such a lot of dangerous guys on the market, and all I needed to do was bust them.
“Mr. Choi’s model of Younger-han was that of a reliable and skilled detective, however my character couldn’t have been as seasoned as a criminal offense buster when he was younger as a result of he was simply getting began. So I needed to have the ability to monitor down Younger-han’s private progress on this prequel.
“Generally, you’d fear about him as a result of he might be rash and reckless, however he can’t be faulted for his ardour and grit to actually carry down the dangerous guys. So, you find yourself cheering him on and rooting for him. That’s what I had in thoughts when taking part in this character.
Je-hoon (proper) with Search engine optimization Hyun-soo
“We additionally talked about Younger-han’s private life, not nearly his work as a cop. We didn’t see a lot of that [in the original], and I believed he additionally would’ve fallen in love. He would have had a household, so maybe we might present that a part of him on this prequel and add extra layers to this character … as a result of [knowing more about him] would actually make lots of people glad. “In order that’s the place his love story with Lee Hye-joo (Hyunsoo) is available in. I believe it’s going to be a variety of enjoyable for viewers to see how that romance progresses within the present.”
Large footwear to fill
For his half, Dong-hwi admitted that he knew that they had enormous footwear to fill.
“I used to be little or no when the unique present was on-air,” he defined. “I don’t keep in mind it a lot as a result of I used to be younger then. However once I turned an actor, I knew about this OG drama as a result of it’s legendary in South Korea. Even within the motion pictures, this present is being referenced lots. “I received much more within the unique once I was trying to do that venture. I watched a variety of clips on YouTube and thought what a cool present it was. After we had been filming the documentary, we additionally talked to Mr. Choi about it. They delivered superb performances again within the ’70s and ’80s—they had been so refined and refined it’s arduous to imagine that the present got here out about 35, 45 years in the past.
“You may actually really feel their charisma oozing out of the display. So, as Je-hoon stated, we needed to take after the philosophy they lived by and the way in which these characters had been portrayed.”
In Woo-sung’s case, the function of Kyung-hwan got here with a bodily requirement—which made him marvel if he might pull it off.
Lee Je-hoon on the press con —PHOTOS COURTESY OF MBC
“I really like the function, however touchdown it made me very nervous,” he shared. “I received interested by who this character was and what made him tick. After I was researching the character, that’s once I realized that he’s alleged to be the large man of the group.
“However how am I supposed to remodel into this enormous, larger-than-life character? So, I began consuming … till I gained 25 kilograms—and I didn’t thoughts it as a result of I actually needed to look convincing. I needed to seem like the actor who performed him within the unique collection.”
As for Hyun-soo, his motivation to do properly as his character Ho-jeong might be traced nearer to house. “The present aired earlier than I used to be born,” he famous. “However my household was so glad once I received the audition, notably my grandpa—who turned out to be an enormous fan of the present!
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“After I informed him that I believed I did properly at my audition, my grandpa gave me an enormous hug. It meant lots to him, so I felt like I used to be being a superb grandson simply by touchdown this function.” INQ
