Oh Jung-se shares experience playing against type in 'Revenant'

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Oh Jung-se shares experience playing against type in 'Revenant'

Published: 07 Aug. 2023, 11:10 Updated: 07 Aug. 2023, 16:09

Oh Jung-se in a scene of the recently-ended SBS mystery-thriller drama ″Revenant″ [SBS]

Actor Oh Jung-se has come to believe in ghosts after starring in the recent SBS drama "Revenant."

"I didn't believe before, but I met with actual shamans who could see ghosts, and they spoke with such firmness that I think now that there has to be some sort of a different world among us," Oh told the press on Friday in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

He played Yeom Hae-sang, a professor of folkloristics, or folklore studies, who can see devils and spirits, alongside actor Kim Tae-ri, who played Gu San-yeong, a woman who gets possessed by an evil ghost.

"Revenant" follows the two characters on their journey to hunt down and get rid of the evil ghost. It concluded its 12-episode run on July 29, recording a national viewership rating of 11.2 percent according to Nielsen Korea and ranking in the Top 10 Disney+ shows in five countries, including Korea, Japan and Singapore, according to streaming analysis company FlixPatrol.

"It was wonderful working with actor Tae-ri," Oh said. "I was particularly amazed at her ability to ease her way into a ghost when her character gets possessed."

Oh added, "She very subtly slips interchangeably between San-yeong and the ghost, and I was quite impressed by that."

Oh Jung-se in a scene of the recently-ended SBS mystery-thriller drama ″Revenant″ [SBS]

Compared to Kim's San-yeong, Oh's Hae-sang isn't as colorful, and it took some time before the actor could fully understand his character.

"My first impression of Hae-sang, through text on the script, was somewhat uncharming ... a bit dull even," Oh said. "Most protagonists are always the hero, but Hae-sang starts the series by failing to save a person. He always wears black head-to-toe, speaks very formally and lives a very lonely life.

He added, "But of course, a few episodes in, I knew I had lost to writer Kim Eun-hee."

Kim Eun-hee, who wrote dramas such as "Sign" (2011), "Phantom" (2012), "Signal" (2016) and "Kingdom" (2019–), wrote "Revenant." She and Oh previously worked together in a 2021 show, "Mount Jiri."

Actor Oh Jung-se [PRAIN TPC]

Fans of Korean dramas may also recognize Oh in various supporting roles such as a thirty-something autistic man in "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" (2020), a comic relief in "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019) or an antihero in "Hot Stove League" (2019).

Oh, since his debut in 1997, has an extensive filmography of more than 100 films and dramas, many of which he took on light and funny roles next to the protagonist.

His role in "Revenant" marks a change in his acting career as the role is a more subtle, serious character.

Oh Jung-se in a scene of the recently-ended SBS mystery-thriller drama ″Revenant″ [SBS]

"I knew I would have to overcome the image that I had imprinted on the public with my previous, lighter roles," Oh said, "but approach the character as I would any other role, contemplating the reasons behind his every line and movement and putting myself in those situations to figure out how one would feel in them."

Oh added, "Hae-sang, in his core, is a deeply kind man who values remembering those who've passed away, noting, "It was a challenging role, but when I was able to find these good things in him, I was able to act with confidence and also later learn from him.

Oh said he was in the process of letting Hae-sang go and move forward.

"As much as [Hae-sang] was very meaningful to me, now I want to forget him and meet the public with a new face."

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]