'Graduated' Wei Hajun passes first MELO "I met a more mature 'me'"
Wi Ha Joon shared his thoughts on the end of tvN's Saturday drama "Graduation" through his agency M.S.T. Entertainment on the 1st.
The last week of "Graduation" was a week that was perfectly filled with the awakened Lee Joon Ho's (Wee Ha Joon) cider counterattack and his heartwarming romance with Seo Hye Jin, and Wee Ha Joon's performance was dazzling.
While he led the first half of the drama with tender emotions as he delicately and fluidly conveyed Seo Hye Jin's pain, despair, and anger at being hurt and broken because of him, the second half of the drama was filled with heart-wrenching tension and intense immersion as he perfectly handled the cold eyes and cold-blooded murderous lines contrasted with his calm expression and voice to provoke the anger of Deputy Director Woo Seung Hee and Choi Hyung Sun and cause them to break down.
Through "Graduation," Woo Ha Joon showed a deeper and more delicate emotional performance, perfect melodrama and chemistry with Jung Ryeo Won, and portrayed the character of Lee Joon Ho as a three-dimensional character with complex charm.
He was praised for once again showing the expansion of his acting spectrum, and confirmed his potential as an emerging melting pot in his first romance lead role.
▲ Below is Woo Ha Joon's end-of-episode interview.
◆What does the drama 'Graduation' mean to actor Wei Ha-joon:
- It is a work that allowed me to graduate from the immature me who always felt that I was not good enough and meet a more grown-up and mature 'me'.
◆If there is a scene that you are most attached to and remember, why? I think it's the scene where Junho's purest and most affectionate feelings are captured in a delicate way, so that's the scene I'm most attached to.
◆You said that Junho is a 'growing character' in this drama, but I think I could see him changing as he encounters various people and goes through various events. As an actor who played Lee Joon Ho himself, when did you feel like, 'This guy is really an adult, he's grown up'?"
- I don't think he's grown up now, but I think he became more mature through his own anguish and reflection, realizing, 'This is the way I really loved Hye Jin. The ending of part 14 is the inflection point of that change."
◆We could feel the warm atmosphere on the set through the released making film. I think the energy of the scene must have influenced your acting. Did your on-set interactions with your co-stars, the director's direction, etc. change or influence your interpretation of the script?"
- I don't think it changed my interpretation of the script, but I think the message that the script wanted to throw into the world was clear, and I think the director's really detailed and realistic direction and the actors' true selves projected into the characters made the characters more three-dimensional and attractive.
◆'Graduation' has been particularly well-received by drama enthusiasts. Do you have a favorite response from fans that you remember the most? I was really touched, comforted, and happy when a fan wrote, "I want to distribute such a good work for free so that many people around the world can see it." I was so touched, comforted, and happy. It made me think once again that I was really good at doing this work."
Meanwhile, Wee Hajoon has been carefully considering his next project amidst a flurry of work since the end of The Graduate. In August and September, he will be traveling to five Asian cities, including Seoul, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, for a fan meeting tour, and the second season of "The Squid Game" will be released.
