[Dispatch=Yuha Cheon Reporter] "I was so focused on being first that I ended up missing a lot of important things. Actually, being third would be fine…." (Oh Jeong-se)

Park Gyeong-se (played by Oh Jeong-se) is a director who has already released five feature films. To others, his life appears successful, but his inner world has always been entangled with anxiety and inferiority. The more he chased after first place, the more his sense of lack grew.

Actor Oh Jeong-se persistently delved into the imperfect inner world of human beings. He portrayed a transparent person who, while consumed by bitter jealousy and belittling others, was completely see-through. He brought to life a complex character who could never be hated.

'Dispatch' met with Oh Jeong-se on the 26th. Through the JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama 'Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness' (hereafter 'Everyone Fighting'), we heard about the process of completing Gyeong-se.

◆ Gyeong-se's Comfort

'Everyone Fighting' is a drama that depicts the process of finding peace for a person who, uniquely falling behind among successful friends, suffers from envy and jealousy. It took 'anxiety,' a universal emotion of modern people, as its subject.

Gyeong-se is a character who has run ceaselessly toward success. But he lived having missed the most important emotions. Through clashing and getting hurt with Dong-man (played by Koo Gyo-hwan), he grows.

In fact, the two were rivals and each other's muses. Gyeong-se's film was ultimately Dong-man's story, and Dong-man's film contained Gyeong-se's life. They had made each other's lives into works.

Oh Jeong-se recalled, "With Dong-man, we bicker every time, but underneath there is a deep friendship that cannot be severed," and "(Koo Gyo-hwan) was a reliable presence who always gave me inspiration both inside and outside the drama."

The drama did not depict a conventional success story. There was no satisfying twist. Instead, it offered quiet comfort to ordinary people who embrace their own anxiety and worthlessness and live on.

"I received a lot of solace through the work. I hope the viewers, as the dialogue says, do not suffer, do not become ill, but grow old healthily and happily."

◆ Gyeong-se's Motif

This is the second meeting with director Cha Young-hoon since 'When the Camellia Blooms.' Oh Jeong-se revealed that he received the greatest inspiration from Director Cha when acting Gyeong-se in this work.

He recalled the wrap party of 'When the Camellia Blooms.' "While the staff and actors were happy, the director alone was crying," he explained, saying "I could see the overwhelming emotion that only someone who has finished a big project can feel."

Oh Jeong-se discovered the texture of Gyeong-se from that human aspect. A person who wears the title of successful director, but cannot hide a childlike heart.

In fact, Oh Jeong-se places great importance on 'transparency' when creating a character. He said, "I approached the same way when creating Noh Gyu-tae in 'When the Camellia Blooms,'" and pointed out that "Gyeong-se is also a person who knows how to courageously confess his emotions."

"On the surface, it might sound like an ordinary line. But when you encounter the situation and emotion of that moment, there are words that cut particularly deep. The line 'I'll just come in third' was Gyeong-se's courageous confession acknowledging his anxiety for the first time."

◆ Oh Jeong-se's Confession

Then had Oh Jeong-se himself, like Gyeong-se, fought against his own worthlessness.

He shook his head. His nature is not to be swayed by circumstance. Even during his unknown years when he was rejected at countless auditions, rather than blaming himself for being worthless, he consoled himself saying 'nevertheless, I can rise.'

"I am not one to feel great envy or jealousy. Even when frustrated, I don't descend into the deep cave. On the other hand, Gyeong-se is a character who greatly rejoices in success and greatly wavers at failure. We don't have much intersection."

However, when creating a character, he becomes more sensitive than anyone. He adds emotions into the script and sometimes hits a wall while adding small details.

A representative example is the funeral scene in the latter part of the story. He said, "When everyone at the funeral parlor was bowing, I directly suggested that only Gyeong-se be praying."

"The next week there was another ancestral rite scene. It wasn't an action that started with religious meaning, but the scope seemed to expand, so I was taken aback. At that moment, I too seemed to be fighting my own worthlessness."

◆ Oh Jeong-se's Drive

Oh Jeong-se is an actor with almost no downtime. In the first half of this year alone, he has four works. The drama 'Climax,' 'Everyone Fighting,' 'Fifty Fifty,' and the film 'Wild Things.' For him, acting is life itself.

"What is the driving force that keeps me going without getting tired? I am the type who rests while working. It's not 'I'll rest after this project ends,' but rather I find rest in going to the set, meeting actors, and the process of clashing."

Next month on the 3rd, he will meet audiences with 'Wild Things.' In a past interview, Oh Jeong-se said, "The comedy genre is the most difficult," and avoided it, but ironically he has taken on a funny character.

"Before, (comedy) was burdensome so I kept retreating. But at some point, I wondered how long I had to keep avoiding it like this. Whether I get beaten or not, I'm approaching works with the mindset of just trying."

Contrary to his concerns, the film is receiving enthusiastic response even before its release. In particular, the ballad song 'I Like You' from the film is garnering attention on social media. The birth of a legendary supporting character as the 'Ballad Prince' has also been anticipated.

"I tried to run fiercely toward all the characters including Gyeong-se, Je-soon, and Seong-gon. Rather than passing by with 'this is enough,' I believe it is the actor's role to dig deep to the end."

<Photo credit=Frame TPC, Studio Phoenix, SLL, Studio Flow>