"I always feel regret about my acting. There are regrets that linger and it can be painful. Fortunately, it seems to turn into good energy for the next project. If I ever produce a work that I am truly satisfied with, I might stop being an actor, right?"
Actor Ryu Jun-yeol (38) has been engulfed in madness. It is through his first encounter with the "Universe of Acting," 'Revelation'.
After the release of 'Revelation' (the work itself received mixed reviews), Ryu Jun-yeol expressed his gratitude for the flood of praise for his acting, saying, "I am always full of regrets." He added, "I tend to not see my works well. There are always regrets. I appreciate the compliments, but I don't hold onto them for long. I quickly forget and prepare for the next one."
Released on the 21st, 'Revelation' (directed by Yeon Sang-ho and produced by Alfonso Cuarón) is a Netflix original content that tells the story of a pastor (Ryu Jun-yeol) who believes that punishing the perpetrator (Shin Min-jae) of a missing person case is a divine revelation, and a detective (Shin Hyun-bin) who is tormented by the ghost of her deceased brother, as they each pursue their beliefs.
It has recently topped Netflix's global TOP 10 non-English films, receiving a hot response. "I never expected this, and I am truly grateful," he said, adding, "The feedback seems to come much faster than a theatrical release. Since it can be watched immediately upon release, I can feel it quickly. I am very happy."
He continued, "I think it’s because many people resonate with the reason I chose this work. It’s not a religious story, but a story about human belief," expressing his affection, "It’s an entertaining narrative that can resonate with one’s own beliefs or convictions, and in the latter half, it philosophically unfolds, which I think is why many people liked it."
Ryu Jun-yeol, who received a mission to pioneer and led a small church, expresses the ever-changing psychology of 'Seong Min-chan' chillingly and delicately after receiving a revelation.
He stated, "I have always had a particular interest in what humans believe and what thoughts they hold. Perhaps that’s why many of my previous works dealt with these themes, and I want to continue to engage with and express such stories in the future."
"Even now, many people have little way to verify and confirm fake news, so they accept it as truth. I think it’s necessary to reflect on what beliefs led me to accept that. For the character 'Seong Min-chan', what is more important than 'good and evil' is 'what this person believes'. How to judge that is up to the viewers."
The character he portrayed, Seong Min-chan, becomes fanatical from the moment he believes that the incidents he faces are divine revelations. Ryu Jun-yeol explained, "In the original work (webtoon), he was a typical greedy pastor filled with desire, but that changed. In the webtoon, such settings and visuals are intuitive and fun elements, but when viewed as a film, I thought 'there needs to be a process of change for the audience to empathize and immerse themselves.' I liked the setting where he focuses on the revelation and makes choices contrary to his intentions. I designed it so that he cannot distinguish between good and evil."
"I had no intention of showing 'what's right'. I just wanted to have fun while acting. Personally, I have a reluctance to express emotions, but the style of director Yeon Sang-ho matched what I wanted to pursue. Since the director has a background in animation, he liked intuitive expressions, which aligned well with what I aimed for in this work. Since I was acting differently from before, there were parts that quenched my thirst for acting. I still doubt myself, but I realized 'there are aspects that viewers like about this.'
He also received praise from producer and director Alfonso Cuarón. However, Ryu Jun-yeol shyly said, "When I hear compliments, I take them in one ear and let them out the other. It’s quite embarrassing and burdensome." He added humbly, "It’s a great honor because he was a director I learned from when I was studying in school. However, I try to forget compliments quickly. I am happy just that people watched the film."
Regarding director Yeon Sang-ho's comment that he is "an actor who constantly questions, to the point of bleeding from the ears," he replied, "I actually felt like a 'question mark murderer'." This brought laughter.
He said, "From the early stages of the script to the character, I pondered and questioned about the warriors and relationships. I have a lot of doubts. I keep checking if it’s right, and I reconsider even what I think is right," adding, "Personally, I think the more questions there are, the better the work becomes. The moment you believe you are right, you can be deceived by the atmosphere. It can feel refreshing at the time, but there’s regret after completion. I keep doubting and questioning what might be a better direction."
He also expressed, "I want to do as many works as I can. The thirst never ends. I think it’s a path toward a masterpiece," smiling.
"I’ve been acting for 10 years this year, and I also think about how long I can continue this work. If a work comes out that I think is perfect, I might stop. But that moment hasn’t come yet. (laughs)"
