Actor Park Yong-woo (54) expressed his feelings about playing his first serial killer after 30 years in his acting career.
The LG Uplus STUDIO X+U mid-form drama 'The Hunter with a Scalpel' is a crime thriller where the forensic doctor Se-hyun discovers the familiar killing methods of his father, a serial killer who was thought to have died 20 years ago, and sets out to find him before the police officer Jung-hyun, in order not to become his prey. It was officially invited to the Rendezvous section of the 8th Cannes International Series Festival before its domestic release.
Debuting in 1994, Park Yong-woo played the role of the psychopathic serial killer Yoon Jo-kyun, who is deeply passionate about human anatomy, in 'The Hunter with a Scalpel'.
When asked about his thoughts on the conclusion, Park Yong-woo said, "It's been a while since filming ended, and watching the broadcast brought back memories. After some time, it feels like I'm not myself but rather the character. I watched it from the perspective of a viewer or audience. Yoon Jo-kyun is scary, detestable, and malicious," he joked.
Regarding his reason for participating, he stated, "I was drawn to the character. He is a distorted person with a mental illness. I felt a sense of challenge in portraying a character that is emotionally deficient. There was a fun in imagining it, and I had a strong desire to do so. When I met with the director, I felt that we could wrap the story well through various conversations," he said.
He also mentioned, "The director said he watched 'Decision to Leave' and found a duality in my comfortable smile, which felt good and seemed to fit the role," he shared.
To express the villain Yoon Jo-kyun in 'The Hunter with a Scalpel', he made efforts to research thoroughly before filming and immersed himself according to the situation afterward. He intentionally wore bright-colored outfits to maximize the contrast with his brutal nature.
When asked about his feelings on playing a villain, Park Yong-woo replied, "Personally, there is a thrill in doing something I would never do in my daily life for money. I have come to enjoy playing characters with deficiencies, but it varies depending on the genre or content. I think of people not as purely good or evil but as having mental illnesses, and I focus on that. I pondered what kind of mental illness this person might have," he revealed.
He added, "I also don't have a precise understanding of myself, but I think people are scary when they act in ways that are outside common sense without any hesitation. I feel like trying to understand people or situations that are utterly incomprehensible could lead to a trap. So, I tried to act as if those behaviors and actions were part of their daily life, as much as possible," he confessed.
Regarding Yoon Jo-kyun's sudden bursts of laughter, he explained, "Charles Manson was a madman who committed heinous murders through his followers, and there is a scene where he is interviewed. He laughs unexpectedly and frowns, saying, 'I am nothing, and I am no one. But I think of myself as everything.' I referenced that part and shared the idea with the director," he explained.
Regarding why Yoon Jo-kyun is kind to the townspeople, he said, "When he does something nice for someone, he feels a sense of superiority when he feels deceived. He seems to have a strong sense of victimhood. People with a strong sense of victimhood tend to seek self-validation. Everyone feels that they are being deceived, and he likely felt a thrill from that," he replied.
He also shared his thoughts on the father-daughter relationship between Yoon Jo-kyun and the sociopathic genius forensic doctor Seo Se-hyun (played by Park Hyun-joo) who has a murderous instinct.
He said, "I think it's a relationship between people, whether it's family or lovers. I considered it a love story. After researching and contemplating, I don't know the exact difference, but I believe various emotions stem from love. Sometimes it can turn into obsession or a sense of victimhood. It can be expressed in various ways, and if we talk about emotions derived from love, Yoon Jo-kyun had feelings of obsession, self-validation, and victimhood," he explained.
He continued, "I haven't married, so I have limitations, but I thought about the relationships between people. I believe that people with a strong sense of victimhood tend to be wary of others, and that wariness can manifest as violence. Yoon Jo-kyun feels an instinctive loneliness like being on a deserted island, but he feels comfort and kinship from the realization that someone who shares his blood resembles him. It seems he felt a sense of existence from that," he shared.
He also mentioned Park Joo-hyun, with whom he shared the father-daughter dynamic. Park Yong-woo said, "We didn't have time to meet and talk separately. It's a pity we couldn't have many conversations on set. However, I tend to worry that if we discuss emotions that arise spontaneously in advance, they might come out mechanically, so I thought it was better that way. I wonder how Park Joo-hyun felt about it," he said.
He added, "Park Joo-hyun also seemed to think a lot about it. Since it was a role with complex emotions, I thought I should listen to her and ask what she wanted. I asked her what she wanted to do, how she wanted to do it, and if there were any lines she wanted to match. I remember we did it according to that," he shared.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
