[Drama 2013] Incarnation of Money 돈의 화신

[pechumori]

KJH INTERVIEW PICTURES FROM DONGA
credit: donga and nate

source:  Kang Ji Hwan 강지환 FB

[pechumori]

Open ended questions for Kang Ji Hwan's acting career.
translated by: pechumori 2013-05-02



Kang Ji Hwan whose acting career debuted 11 years ago, heaved a sigh of relief after he finished the SBS weekend drama, "Incarnation of Money".

"Incarnation of Money" is a story of revenge with a blend of comedy and suspense and ended up in a drama with the actors' solid performance. A cross between action and melodrama, Kang Ji Hwan's character, Lee Cha Don, sought revenge for the death of his father amidst corruption in society.

Extreme emotions were presented in the drama. The comical challenge that he underwent when he cross dressed as a woman as compared to the desperate sadness he delivered in several scenes. This work remained special because it meant the start of a new acting career. A lot of the legal disputes with his former agency went through his mind and made him suffer personally.

Q. Incarnation of money showcased a solid performance from the actors involved.

KJH: It's different from other dramas presented to the viewers. In fact, at first, it was not much anticipated. We also had a feeling that the title might be misunderstood as a heavy drama. As the story progresses, we have increasingly gained a lot of good ratings. The young actors and the senior actors gave outstanding performances.

Q. This drama seems to present a variety of genres from comedy, romance and action.

KJH: This is slightly heavier than the usual role. It felt like a comprehensive presentation.I thought it would be difficult to adjust to the level of the seniors.From the bright look of vengeance at its early stage, such stories have had a lot of calculations to present. Scenario analysis basically made the story strong.

Q. The big topic is the scene where, in order to reach your mother who was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, you had to cross dress as a woman.

KJH: It was the first time I dressed as a woman. I had to look more graceful and delicate than expected. I love it. (laughs).

Q. You often seem to make adlibs in your roles.

KJH: When I think of the scenario, ideas pop into my head at any moment ... when I'm in bed or sitting down. 70% of the ideas came from the script, while the remaining 30% were thought of during the filming.

Q. The scene where you cried after your mother died was impressive.

KJH: I immediately focused on the feelings of grief which gave strength to my body and then later on I wept. Those feelings were expressed throughout the dawn scenes which were eventually lost in a while.

Q. There were quite a few crying scenes here.

KJH: They say "Men don't have to put up with tears". I don't think so. Rather, the usual emotions seem to turn out in the drama.

Q. I heard that you were referred to as a "professional" melodramatic actor.

KJH:  I guess I'm obviously a melodramatic actor. But, there are some days when my comedy seems to be receiving more attention (laughs).

Q. Before joining the drama, you had a hard time because of the agency conflict.

KJH:  During the litigation process, I can not think of doing a drama. I am grateful to the IOM team who believed in me and waited until the end. Emotion seems to be so much more good. The feeling made inside your heart.
 
Q. You are scheduled to begin work immediately following this drama?

KJH: I think the next project is supposed to be ready at the end of May or June. Before doing more intense action, I want to try authentic melodrama as a challenge. One door is closed and another one opens. I want to work without interruptions, as I had suffered enough.

credit: tenasia
source: Kang Ji Hwan 강지환 FB

[pechumori]

Kang Ji Hwan: He did well to be an actor
translated by Fridha Kusumawardani 5/5/13
edited by: pechumori



In a recent interview, Kang Ji Hwan told reporters that "the controversies and rumors that were thrown at him made him become a better actor in the drama, "Incarnation of Money". When asked how he felt while filming the drama, Kang Ji Hwan said "Incarnation of Money" is a cool work. He really blended into the drama, directing, acting and met with the crew for a long time which resulted in great harmony. Although the ratings of "Incarnation of Money" did not top the MBC drama, "One Hundred Year Heritage" in terms of audience viewership, and didn't exceed 20%, he looked forward to the reactions for his work in the weekends. He got so many praises and support from the audience until the end of the drama.

◆ "Worth the wait for a confirmation for the actor"

"Thanks to the confidence of the crew who kept waiting for me until we could make it happen, I was able to appear in the "Incarnation of Money". Those were hard days, because at that time my previous management filed a case against me as they were disputing the exclusivity of my contract. Despite of the case, the director and the writers insisted that they only want me to play the role. The director gave me a chance to appear on the drama and to be a good actor. From the time that they approached me for the role, until the time when the case against my contract was dismissed, they waited for me and that surprised me. To be honest, I feel amazing and grateful".

◆ Difficult to wait for the reward to be given immediately.
 
Kang Ji-hwan quickly learned the role of Lee Cha Don. He went to the director, Yoo In Sik who was grinning at the third day of shooting. He got recognition from the director who said, "It was worth the wait for the confirmation for you to join this drama and for your TV comeback." It seems natural for Kang Ji Hwan to be given the role in "Incarnation of Money".He was destined to be Lee Cha Don.

But it was tough to act as Lee Cha Don. He has digested all the genres from suspense, action, comedy and drama. As Lee Cha Don, he had to be in charge of the irregularities,corruption and greed in the society. He smashed a heavy and dark story which dealt with a breathtaking and tightrope performance.

"The role requires a variety of genres to be performed. It was too big to handle. However, my first appearance in the drama which was comical, was supposed to be performed in a formal situation, I was all alone and it was awkward. Like the case of the make up applied on Hwang Jung Eum which was supposed to be funny, but since she had the fat suit on, it was stressful. My role as a prosecutor required that I do court scenes, it is risky and full of challenges."
 
The scene of the Empress of Joseon where Lee Cha Don did comedic acting in the "Incarnation of Money" when he entered the mental hospital has been the hot topic among viewers. Kang Ji Hwan wore a traditional Korean dress called the Hanbok and had an ahjuma hair style, He kicked the male nurse radically and violently. In those funny scenes he has proven his flair for comedy.

"Actually, the hospital scene had already been written and I suggested to the writers to change the character to an Empress dressed in a hanbok. The writers were surprised with my suggestion since the cloth and cover improvisation can create a funny scene. I was able to pull it off."

Although there were a lot of comic scenes that appeared in the "Incarnation of Money", it has escalated into a tragedy, as the rival of Lee Cha Don committed suicide by shooting himself
Moreover, the death of a son (Kwon Hyuk played by Do Ji Han)served as the retribution for his father. The tension continued until the final episode of the drama.

We were grateful for the writers who worked hard to increase our ratings. The performance of the senior actors were enough to raise it,hence we did not lose the original intention for this drama. Our work flowed continuously.

◆ "had an exclusive contract dispute, I noticed the calendar."

Even if he had a funny character in the "Incarnation of Money", at the second half of last year, Kang Ji Hwan had a tough time with his previous agency regarding a dispute about his exclusive contract. He only noticed the calendar just to count the time when he would be free. However, it couldn’t solve the heartache at that time.

"I was forced to wait for the date of the expiration of the exclusive contract. Back then, I went around the neighborhood with my friends, drank soju in the mountains, browsed the Internet, did things that helped me to kill the time. i got calls from many people who kept on supporting me anyway. I realized most of the people who had been involved in this business also felt exhausted. I’m not alone. I did not have the time to complain. "

"At last, I could not tell him that he is more desperate in the situation or in need of money to hold on to the work. I wanted to quit, but I can't. So, I was in dire every month. There was no choice but to just work hard and fortunately, I chose the right decision and I am proud of how it turned out."

◆ "I want to get married"

This year marks the twelfth year since Kang Ji Hwan made his debut. Through "Incarnation of Money", Kang Ji Hwan said "I want to create a second heyday. My two contracts had me embroiled in disputes and conflicts and I bypassed those anyway. So, I do not have to worry about it in the future.My dream of success has been realized to some extent and it will be perfect if I can take home a pretty girlfriend
with me.

"I really want to get married. In particular, I am working to put all my effort into this and they have failed. I wish I can get the right one. My ideal type of woman is fair skinned, tall and beautiful. A woman with long hair, who can really cook, and love her parents as well as mine, well I hope I add to that. I don't mind if she is older than me, as long as she does not exceed 40." (laughs)

Although he has no girlfriend, the existence of the fans all over the world who always watch over him,  can fulfill his emptiness. Since the time when Kang Ji Hwan debuted in the musical stage until his recent drama, "Incarnation of Money",the love of his fans have never wavered. Kang Ji Hwan expressed his extraordinary gratitude.

credit: sunha@osen.co.kr
source:  Kang Ji Hwan 강지환 FB

[larus]

Thanks, @pechumori:  I enjoyed reading the interviews. He has already a new project?! I understand correctly? He wants to do a melodrama? I don`t like melodramas at all but if he will be in one I will give it a try. I like dark stories or parts of melodrama but not an entire story trying to squeeze more tears from viewers. But I trust KJH. I finished recently Capital scandal. I loved it. I cant wait for the next KJH`s drama. I miss Incarnation of money. It was such a good show.

Hope he`ll find the woman of his dreams.

[samara34]

I want to see him in a light comedy, he was so good in coffee house :/

[pechumori]

you're welcome @larus, there are a lot more interviews out there, but translating them takes time I have so many more pictures to post especially when he attended the Osong Expo. I will start posting them today. There are also interview pictures of HJE.

After working so hard for IOM, and the series of interviews, KJH is now having his vacation.
KJH'S LATEST TWEET VIA HIS OFFICIAL TWITTER ACCOUNT @Kangjihwan_
5/7/13

The weather is good, too! Gangnam long-awaited outing



credit: @Kangjihwan_ twitter

[pechumori]

Kang Ji-hwan’s post-Money interview and photo shoots
by javabeans | May 6, 2013

Ah, that time after an actor wraps a drama and finally has time to give tons of interviews and shoot photo spreads… Kang Ji-hwan recently finished up his weekend revenge-and-money-and-corruption drama Incarnation of Money, and we’ve got a slew of interviews and photos, like the cover he recently shot for May’s issue of The Star magazine.

In that magazine and in other interviews he’s given recently (I’m condensing several into this post), he talked about how he felt about the drama, his legal battles with his former management company, and his plans for the future.

About Incarnation of Money, he said, “I worked hard, and it feels good to receive acknowledgement and positive feedback. Maybe it’s because I’ve done a lot of romantic comedies, but I had a desire to take on a straight drama, and I was able to really do that this time. I was able to show a new side of myself in a genre I’ve wanted to try, and I’m happy about that.”

Kang has been in legal disputes with his former management company for the past several years, and proceedings had gotten pretty bitter as they tried to block him from working. It’s why he had to drop out of Faith (before they reworked it into the Lee Min-ho version), and the ex-management company tried hard to keep him out of Incarnation of Money as well. Aside from the legal disputes, his image took a hit.

He said, “It was so frustrating. An actor has to act, but because of outside factors I wasn’t able to. I had practically given up on hopes of acting in a drama. But the director and writer called me, and I was so thankful.” The producers stuck with Kang Ji-hwan as well, stating that no other actor would do, and in the end he was able to continue filming. “When I started working on the drama, I went into it determined, with gritted teeth,” he said.

About his acting: “My goal all this while was to receive recognition for my acting. I wanted to show people by the end of this drama that Kang Ji-hwan was an actor who could act well. I’m satisfied with the result.” His character, as he describes Lee Cha-don, “was not just one character. It went from comedy and melo, action to even thriller. I felt a lot of pressure, that my character would be swinging back and forth within a serious drama.”

What I like best about Kang Ji-hwan, though, is his ability to turn on a dime and hit different emotions and tones within a scene, so I think on that score he was a solid pick for the role. If I had to make a criticism it’s that he sometimes goes too far (which can work to hilarious effect in comedies like Coffee House), but I can’t accuse him of having limited range.

Another thing I dig about Kang is his candidness in admitting that he wants to be liked, that he wants to hear praise. I mean, I guess it would be cooler for actors to ignore fame and popularity and not seek out the limelight, but it’s refreshing to hear somebody admit that they like reading positive comments about themselves. It’s adorkable; he reminds me of the guy who used to be a nerd and then got hot in later life, who still has awkward tics.

He said, “Usually when I’m doing a drama I do tend to visit various fan sites. I want to indulge in some praise. [Laughs] Actually, reading hateful comments makes me unable to concentrate on the project, so to avoid those potential danger traps I stuck to fan sites. But with this drama, I went searching for comments on other articles and sites. It was a source of comfort and support to see that there were a lot of positive comments, which helped me through tough times.”

Asked why he doesn’t leave many comments when he purports to read his fan sites daily, Kang laughed, “If I commented too often my mystique would fade.” HA. You big dork.

credit: Dramabeans

[pechumori]

KJH INTERVIEW PICTURES FROM THE DAILY FOCUS

credit: the daily focus and naver

[pechumori]

More interview pictures of KJH

credit as labeled and naver

[pechumori]

KJH INTERVIEW PICTURES FROM MY DAILY

credit as labeled and nate

[pechumori]

There's a news article that was published yesterday about cute, little Luxury.

Actor, Kang Ji Hwan's dog, Luxury on hunger strike?

translated by pechumori 5/7/13

Last May 5, 2013, in celebration of Children's Day, actor Kang Ji Hwan unveiled the picture of his dog at his official twitter account with the message, "Children's Day, Luxury is on hunger strike ... give it a rest."

The published photos of the Pomeranian dog, Luxury had a cute appearance that showed shiny black eyes that stared at the camera. Last month, Kang Ji Hwan and his dog, had their pictures taken together for his post "Incarnation of Money" interviews. He showed full affection for his dog. Kang Ji Hwan is well known for his extraordinary affection for dogs. He became interested in joining volunteer activities for raising dogs.

Kang Ji Hwan starred in the recently concluded, popular SBS weekend drama, "Incarnation of Money".credit: Economic Daily Star Today via daum

***Background Information about Pomeranian Dogs
Pomeranian
Dog Breed
The Pomeranian is a breed of dog of the Spitz type, named for the Pomerania region in Central Europe. Classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from the larger Spitz type dogs, specifically the German Spitz.

Hypoallergenic: No
Life span: 12 to 16 years
Higher classification: Dog
Temperament: Sociable, Intelligent, Extroverted, Playful, Friendly, Active
Colors: Brown, White, Orange, Grey-shaded, Tan, Black
Origin: Poland, Germany

credit: wikipedia

source: Kang Ji Hwan 강지환 FB

[GaeinaLee]

Goodness gracious, @pechumori, you feeding us with non-stop news and pics of KJH make me miss him, HJE and Hyuk more.. *sob*
My current state: Hyuk deprived. 8-|^^

[pechumori]

Oh, my dear friend, @GaeinaLee. You should have told me earlier that you are Hyuk deprived.I checked his Facebook page for some new pictures, but alas, it is not updated. The last entry was made in Christmas of 2012. There was nothing about IOM on that page. Tsk Tsk Luckily, I stumbled upon these pictures earlier. So, here's the remedy for your deprivation.

DO JI HAN FOR SINGLES MAGAZINE MARCH 2013 ISSUE
credit: twenty2blog.com

(Meet the new James Bond)





source: Incarnation of Money 돈의 화신 FB

[GaeinaLee]

Wahhhhhh... Hyuk as. Bond? Game on, darling... 
Sweetie, @pechumori, you're an angel, you know that right? *kisses*

[Guest farstrep]

This is out of topic.

@GaeinaLee, have you watched the Korean movie "The Tower"? Hyuk is a fire fighter in that movie.


credits: hancinema.net


credits: as tagged

[GaeinaLee]

Not yet, sadly not yet, @farstrep dearie... *sob*

Ohhh, look at that fine young man... Noona want to kidnap you and take you prisoner, cutie.. Noona's very special prisoner of love... Pwahahaha.Oh Lord, what did I become because of this particular young man? ^^

[Guest farstrep]

@GaeinaLee: Do watch it. There is a particular scene you might enjoy in there.

[GaeinaLee]

Ahahaha, the naked scene, right @farstrep? I read the nitbits about it, but I do want to go gaga if the scene is completed with bed, candle lights, rose petals, and a woman, instead of in almost collapse building caught in fire.. ^^

[pechumori]

@GaeinaLee, thank you. :x

@farstrep, Do Ji Han looks dashing in that uniform. I told Gaeina about the "nude scene" Do Ji Han had in that movie, when he came out of the shower, but there were no pictures yet. I have been looking for the links for the film, but haven't seen one yet. It was shown last Dec. 2012, it should have been available now. :-?

HJE INTERVIEW PICTURES
credit as labeled and nate

source: Incarnation of Money 돈의 화신 FB

[Guest farstrep]

@pechumori and @GaeinaLee: I think the film with English subs is available for download.

The ending of this nude scene is actually quite sweet.