Jang Hyuk 장혁

[Biology Lesson]

1 hour ago, fiesty8001 said:

Coffee Prince was fun and Yoon Eun Hye is a good kisser. Unfortunately her career has tanked while Gong Yoo is still on the top.

 

I want to see JH in such drama for a change. 

 

 

Looking at the kiss, she actually is not doing much. Seems passive as usual while the guy does all the work

I know I have been saying this over and over again but I can't take anymore the petulant girl that needs to be won over! I can't take it! I don't want JH to do any of the popular KRomComs, and seeing his history, I don't think we will be seeing him doing that.

I know we like to complain that he never gets good projects, but the fact is that he does. He has an unusual number of good shows under his belt, many for whom he deserves much of the credit. I know it's unusual cause this is how I became his fan. I tried watching successful shows of other actors and gave up after two or three. this is including Gong Yoo. I think the only thing he did that I liked was Silenced (very difficult movie to watch), and even in that he wasn't the one that left an impression on me, but rather the young actors were very impressive. 

But with JH it was one good show after the other...

What will he do next? Who knows. We do know that his representatives said that something changed in his status after MF. After that show he seemed to be taking passion projects and roles. I wonder if TMWYS will be another changing point from his stand point. I hope it will be.

I'm a new fan, only 3 years aware of the existence of this extraordinary actor. But seeing all the footage and reading about his past, I now know he's been through so much in his career, so many ups and downs, so I'm just excited to see what will come next.

@dramafan33 spoke about how he was criticized for taking MF, by his own fans no less! I also read he was similarly criticized for taking FTLY. Both shows proved that JH knows what he's doing. And if a show proves to not be such a good choice, these days, we can trust that at least JH's role will be epic. 

[phoenix24]

Did he learn piano for a certain role or was that always side interest?

[azureblue7]

I read somewhere that he learnt it for his movie windstruck and there used to be a BTS showing him learning it with Jun Ji-hyun. But cannot find it anywhere now.

[phoenix24]

4 minutes ago, azureblue7 said:

I read somewhere that he learnt it for his movie windstruck and there used to be a BTS showing him learning it with Jun Ji-hyun. But cannot find it anywhere now.

wow windstruck is a while back.  Glad that he still kept up or still can play to Croatia ep. 

[dramafan33]

1 hour ago, phoenix24 said:

wow windstruck is a while back.  Glad that he still kept up or still can play to Croatia ep. 

He also plays a bit of guitar as he showed on Real Men once

 

@Biology Lesson @corey At least the girl in Coffee Prince enjoyed the kissing, hugging and she liked to climb on top of him. They were also shown in bed. That is much more than what we see nowadays. And she wasn’t stiff neither did she look like she was scared of him. 
 

In the majority of romcom I watched or “almost” watched my biggest problem is not the “petulant” girl. My biggest problem is when the girl acts like a doormat, examples, Pasta, The Greatest Love, Master’s Sun, Kim Sam Soon (she rebelled but doormat deep down) Chicago Typewriter, Beethoven’s Virus, Im sorry, I love you, Secret Garden etc

 

In all these cases, the writer manages to always trap the female character so she is either already a doormat or becomes a doormat pretty quickly, all these female leads fell in love with the guy first, or were already “fans” of the guy and consequently tolerated a lot of mistreatment from the tormented and/or jerk male leads who wouldn’t show love for them until the very last episodes while ignoring the second male lead who is usually nicer to them. That is the dynamic I don’t enjoy.
 

BTW that was the dynamic in the taiwanese FTLY which is why I didn’t want JH doing that but the k-version changed things and Lee Gun was a much nicer guy than most rom com male leads, he was eccentric and paranoid and did the jealousy thing and the push and pull thing slightly and he did the irritating noble idiocy thing (FTLY was after all a purposeful collection of tropes) but, Lee Gun was also super nice with Mi Young, showed maturity and gentleman manners, it was easy to see why she fell in love with him slowly. He was also a lot of fun to be with and always treated her like an equal. All his “jerk” moments were understandable in his circumstances and we knew deep down he was in pain and he never seemed “cold”. 

 

But anyway I digress. What I meant to say is, I’ve rarely seen the guy having to pine over the girl (only Jang Hyuk does that! Lol damn it, he often acts more like the romantic second lead with his unrequited love, i,.e, Thank You, Chuno) What I do see often is that the “doormat” girl who is in love with the jerk, often acts “surprised” and “confused” when the object of her infatuation finally kisses her, as if, they don’t know what that is. 

[azureblue7]

Something to lighten the mood .. hear his "banana rap"..

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

1 hour ago, corey said:

 

I was trying to recall if the FL in Healer needed to be won over and she did need a little winning over, but honestly, I was not trying to punk you!

 I believe you! I will start watching today and tell you what I thought...

 

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We've discussed at lenght here why there will be no more romcoms for JH (not that I agree with these arguments), but why don't you want him in a romcom???

It's not that I don't want him to do a rom com, I don't want him to the type of rom coms that are so popular in Korea- meaning all those rom coms with the bumbling idiot of a FL character that behaves like a little girl. The wide eyes innocent that doesn't understand what this guy wants from her...

 

52 minutes ago, dramafan33 said:

In the majority of romcom I watched or “almost” watched my biggest problem is not the “petulant” girl. My biggest problem is when the girl acts like a doormat, examples, Pasta, The Greatest Love, Master’s Sun, Kim Sam Soon (she rebelled but doormat deep down) Chicago Typewriter, Beethoven’s Virus, Im sorry, I love you, Secret Garden etc

Great list! All the shows that I will never try watching I will admit didn't see a single one of these...

 

One scene that by now will make me cringe is the wonderment scene- the girl is seeing something that makes her filled with wonder- fireworks, or a merry go round, or rain, or snow, or butterflies... and she looks at it with such innocent wonder, showing that this girl can still enjoy the simpler things in life, and she is as pure as a little girl. Usually the guy will look at her in this moment with a soft smile, slowly being won over by her simple joy... ugh! I can't take it!!! 

 

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BTW that was the dynamic in the taiwanese FTLY which is why I didn’t want JH doing that but the k-version changed things and Lee Gun was a much nicer guy than most rom com male leads, he was eccentric and paranoid and did the jealousy thing and the push and pull thing slightly and he did the irritating noble idiocy thing (FTLY was after all a purposeful collection of tropes) but, Lee Gun was also super nice with Mi Young, showed maturity and gentleman manners, it was easy to see why she fell in love with him slowly. He was also a lot of fun to be with and always treated her like an equal. All his “jerk” moments were understandable in his circumstances and we knew deep down he was in pain and he never seemed “cold”. 

I agree. At no point did I feel like LG behavior was not justified. He actually leaned more to the noble idiot, with the way he never got mad with Sera. He was way too kind to her... or to the two idiots that drugged him in the first place

 

About his anger when he thought she was in on the scheme- I just rewatched this scene, and this is where you see the advantage of having JH do this comedy, and what he meant when he told the director he doesn't want LG to be turned into a caricature. He wanted him to be real- this scene was completely mad, wacky almost, but beneath the wackiness you see LG's real fury and pain- look at how he is sweating, his hair is actually dripping, while he is crying. At this moment he is thinking he lost everything he ever wanted because of this "snail"... The show is filled with moments like this- seemingly funny and mad moments, that are filled with pain underneath... If JH does another Rom com, it needs to have a character as complex as LG...

With JH it's not the premise- it's what he will do with it...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dramafan33]

@Biology Lesson Muahahahahaha! I have to “laugh” like him when I watch him. I know Lee Gun going absolutely mad is one of those things that turned some people off (understandably) but I always was fascinated at just how wacky JH was willing to get. No restrains whatsoever. And the contrast of his deranged image and brightness and happiness of MiYoung as she enters the house. I felt actual worry and fear for her, the first time I watched lol

 

The Dr is so calm too. I’d be a little scared

 

But awww Lee Gun, I believe this is the scene where he said “All I can do is laugh”, I felt sad for him as I laughed 

[The Reel Life]

46 minutes ago, Sushimi said:

Damn. The craziness (referring to the video) is one of my favourite scene! He is so funny.. The other one is the “The man inside me” scene. Damn...the doctor’s office are my favourite scenes..I wonder what’s the doctor thought process?

Which doctor. His therapist, or the one that treated his condition? Doctor octopus? Haha 

[Biology Lesson]

2 hours ago, dramafan33 said:

@Biology Lesson Muahahahahaha! I have to “laugh” like him when I watch him. I know Lee Gun going absolutely mad is one of those things that turned some people off (understandably) but I always was fascinated at just how wacky JH was willing to get. No restrains whatsoever. And the contrast of his deranged image and brightness and happiness of MiYoung as she enters the house. I felt actual worry and fear for her, the first time I watched lol

This sequence was beautifully done, with him in dark,  thinking she was a scheming woman, who essentially drugged and raped him, contracted by her bright innocent reality. 

 

And I agree- JH's willingness to go all out, and even risk over doing it, is amazing (though some times he does over do it, like his constant "gebong" yelling in SOGC  ). It reminds me of Daegil eating and crying scene. I don't know many actors who would have been willing to do that, and risk looking unattractive. JH doesn't mind looking unattractive, as long as it serves the scene and conveys the emotions he wants to convey...

 

2 hours ago, dramafan33 said:

The Dr is so calm too. I’d be a little scared

 

But awww Lee Gun, I believe this is the scene where he said “All I can do is laugh”, I felt sad for him as I laughed 

It is actually a heart breaking scene- this man, who for years has been waiting for one woman planning an entire life with her, lost it all in one night, and to a woman who he thinks is bad

[HollyC]

i would love him make a drama with Lee da hee ( the one in  Search WWW), she can be badass and sexy without being fake.

I imagine a plot like a business rom-com, ML is rich, super smart,savage/sarcastic, seems to be too arrogant and not approachable but is humble and caring to people that he trust. The ML do everything for the company go well, people plots against him but they cant win against him. 
FL is a successful and famous lawyer, super smart, also savage, seems to be cold but is warmhearted, not interested in romance because of carrer. 
The ML and FL have some friction in the early stage, but start to be like comrades at some point, because both have a similar personality, inteligence and goals in the business. They help and save each other to resolve their problems and plots that people make againts them.They flirt with other a lot but without being too obvious with their feelings, just building the sexual tension.

At some point, they have a one night stand by mistake (drunk state) and she starts to avoid him( she dont want a relationship), in the contrast the ML gets more pro active to pursue her (dont care anymore , if people mistaken they being a couple or not) -> that part would be the rom-com core lmao , he get shameless to get her attention.

In the end, they are too much in love to resist not being together.
 

[Biology Lesson]

1 hour ago, corey said:

OK, I thought you do not want him to do romcoms in general. I do not think he would ever do a romcom like you described. We've been commenting that he tries to do different thing to avoid typecating. Please note that much as we like FTLY, it has a FL who does behave a little like a little girl (there is even the fireworks admiration scene), and is treated poorly at the beginning...

I don't agree that MY behaved like a little girl. She behaved like a shy woman that is not very assertive. That's not the same as being a little girl. Remember that she went on the vacation to Macao with a man, with the full intention of having sex with him  (they were supposed to be sleeping in the same room after all). Also, when she wakes up in the arms of a man, she doesn't freak out, like the little girl FL character would. She actually was pleased and was admiring how firm the chest of the guy was, thinking that it was the guy she came with.

As to the fireworks- that scene shows why FTLY is better than most K RomComs- yes, there were fireworks, but she wasn't staring at them with wonder   She enjoyed them, but she had eyes only for LG- That's the behavior of a grown woman. 

 

On paper, FTLY is the most cliche a show can be. It's filled with almost every rom com trope. When I first tried to watch the show, I couldn't imagine how this show could possibly be good. But it was- and it's all due to the execution and the characters. And obviously- JH. Sure, LG did treat MY badly at first, but he was justified because he realized that her relatives drugged him and he thought she was involved. Actually, his reaction should have been much more extreme, since, if you think about it, he essentially was raped! If anything, this was my biggest problem with the show- the fact that the "funny and goofy" guys from the island, planned the drugging and rape of LG, as the woman they hired to enter the room was a prostitute. That's pretty horrible... So, I had to kinda overlook that to enjoy the show...

 

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I think it is time for JH to do a mature love story. Like the cold man and a sigle mother mentioned by @azureblue7 (I think, if not, please forgive me). Only the FL needs to be feisty and be able stand up to JH. She should dislike him at the beginning and he should win her heart gradually... with the aid of long intense looks... And maybe dark locks... Minus the facial scars, of course....

Oh no! that's essentially the petulant woman that needs to be won over! That's another thing I can't stand in Rom coms! That's why I stopped watching "descendants of the sun" as I couldn't stand the "feisty" doctor that was determined to misunderstand the situation...

Come to think about it, JH already was in a show with that type of FL character- that was BM! The girl was feisty and stood up to LY, which made her very annoying in the beginning. I kinda liked how LY wasn't trying to win her over, but rather he actually was trying to make her pay by making her suspect the doctor she had a crush on  

The romantic plot line that I would like is if BOTH the characters dislike each other from the beginning, and for some reason they are forced together, which makes them slowly fall for each other. That usually makes for a very hot love story...  That's essentially what happens in "The big easy" and "No mercy". 

 

 

[dramafan33]

@Biology Lesson A reverse version of the fireworks scene 

 

 

 

 

[azureblue7]

The last of this interview is interesting.

 

 

 

[phoenix24]

Just now, azureblue7 said:

The last of this interview is interesting.

 

 

Too bad don't understand chinese 

[azureblue7]

30 minutes ago, phoenix24 said:

Too bad don't understand chinese 

Oh, when you click on the IG post, there's a translation button that you can click on at the bottom of the captions.

 

Anyway, the last part of the interview mentioned that he likes actor Ethan Hawk as he seems like a poet living in the city, having simple yet different perspectives in thinking and who gives people the feeling like he prefers freedom than making many plans. Hyuk mentioned that he is also not the kind to plan a lot. Because he is an actor, he knows what the public  and  the entertainment business want. But all he want is to express his own things. In the future, it is important to maintain this balance.

 

[azureblue7]

One more old article about him

 

 

[dramafan33]

16 minutes ago, azureblue7 said:

Oh, when you click on the IG post, there's a translation button that you can click on at the bottom of the captions.

 

Anyway, the last part of the interview mentioned that he likes actor Ethan Hawk as he seems like a poet living in the city, having simple yet different perspectives in thinking and who gives people the feeling like he prefers freedom than making many plans. Hyuk mentioned that he is also not the kind to plan a lot. Because he is an actor, he knows what the public  and  the entertainment business want. But all he want is to express his own things. In the future, it is important to maintain this balance.

 

And I loooooove Ethan Hawke! His eyes also speak. He is one of my favorite actors 

 

And I love his love for horses (and how the horses love him back) 

[dramafan33]

@corey I think a person can have a pretty face and still be shy, non - assertive and feel insignificant. To me Jang Nara totally sold that character.

 

Rich boy - poor girl and viceversa are really a universal romantic story trope. Since class differences do exist in the world I don’t mind seeing the topic being addressed as long as it makes sense for the characters or if the story has something interesting to say about it as opposed to just being a gimmick or simply and obstacle that separates the couple. 

[Biology Lesson]

47 minutes ago, corey said:

Ok, maybe you are right, but to me her non-assertiveness and shyness is to the n-th degree and to the point of being not very convinvcing or attractive to me. Especially that she is a very lovely young woman. We've been told that she is unattractive - and this happens in many K-Dramas (and C-Dramas, too!) and the show tells the audience that a very beautiful woman woman is ugly, and sometimes to convince us they make the girl wear glasses. Anyway, I am not a fan of MY in FTLY, but that is my opinion only of course

To tell you the truth, at first viewing her character's behavior was the reason I didn't finish watching. I felt she wasn't strong enough, you know, the whole "girl power" thing  It was only at second viewing that I let go of that. I realized that she had a different type of strength- she was described beautifully by LG- a not very smart woman ("pabo" he called her)  that is very-very kind. Women like her exist, women that are shy and insecure at work, but have this incredible emotional intelligence that gives them a different kind of strength. Strength of character. And this is what MY had. The moment I accepted that, I was able to enjoy who she was, and how she was exactly what LG needed. For sure she wasn't attractive to me- but I got why she was attractive to a lonely sweet man, that craves love...

As to being told she was attractive- I actually don't agree with that. I thought she looked very plain in the show. Jang Nara has very sweet features, but she is hardly a great beauty. I thought she was a perfect casting for the role. She actually looked a bit like a snail  When LG told her, when he lost his memory, that he would never be with a woman like her, it was very believable. Because it wasn't just about her looks, but also about her demeanor. But there she again showed her unique type strength - she wasn't insulted, as she knew he loved her and she believed in him, so she just endured and waited for him to remember her... I loved it!

 

47 minutes ago, corey said:

Oh, I have almost forgotten about it! I never understood why they needed this particular plot device to bring the couple together. MY never really explains to LG that she had no part in it - why? And the guys are never held accountable - as if the end justifies the means

Yeah, the show had a few holes in it. Another one for me, was the relationship between Sera and LG- I didn't understand why they made them behave like they were sister and brother, and not lovers. This I don't get. 

 

47 minutes ago, corey said:

No no no no no no!!! I did not mean a  petulant girl at all! The ML is supposed to be cold at first (while maybe deep down attracted to her)- and the FL does not like him at all in the beginning - basically "Pride and Prejudice" dynamics of relationship.

Oh  this is where I think we differ- I really don't like "Pride and Prejudice"  the main female character grates on me... I think the only version of this that I liked was in "Clueless". 

 

47 minutes ago, corey said:

This is really something I also - like you - like a lot - where both characters warm up to each other and discover each other - well at some level FTLY was something like that where LG and MY ended up falling in love - but I do not really want to see another rich guy pushing around a poor girl (why K-Dramas often think it is necessary to have one party rich and othe other poor to have an interesting relationship??)

Well, as we've seen in FTLY, that depends on the execution. Can't really think of a another show of movie of this type that I liked...

 

47 minutes ago, corey said:

Anyway, we all know chances are slim JH will do something like that next.

 It's very hard to predict what JH will do next, isn't it? I trust him to create a great character but I want a good story too, as will all do. WHY IS THAT SO DIFFICULT!!