Hwang Jung-min - Career

Career

Hwang Jung-min first began his acting career in theater, as a musical actor in Line 1 (1995). He then starred in various musicals and plays in Daehangno such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Cats.

Despite his career on stage, Hwang had difficulty transitioning to film. He went through a long struggle for recognition, with people saying he "didn’t have the right face for film." He even considered giving up his dream, but stuck to his conviction about walking the path of acting. Hwang said, "After becoming interested about the stage and how it feels to be that person on stage, I've never thought of anything else. That I never swayed -- that is one thing I can say with confidence." His big break came when he was cast in Waikiki Brothers, a 2001 film that was a sleeper hit in Korea. In his role as a hopeless drummer, Hwang left a strong impression and earned favorable reviews, with director Yim Soon-rye calling him "an uncut gemstone".

Hwang went on to have prominent roles in Road Movie, A Good Lawyer's Wife, Heaven's Soldiers and A Bittersweet Life.

But it was in 2005 that Hwang became a household name, portraying a naive farmer in love with an AIDS-stricken prostitute in the hit melodrama You Are My Sunshine. Hwang explains that he was "moved by the tale of the genuine love between two people. I agreed with the director's idea of showing it as pure love, like an uncut gem, without sloppily adding to it or embellishing it."

When he accepted the best actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in You Are My Sunshine, many were moved by his now-famous speech: "All I did was add a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others."

Hwang is now considered an A-list star in the Korean film industry, headlining films such as Bloody Tie, Black House, Happiness, A Man Who Was Superman and Private Eye.

Hwang has said that when choosing scripts, he looks at the overall storyline rather than the character itself. He then exerts effort to continuously bring out the character’s inner workings. “It is very important that you don’t get too absorbed in yourself,” Hwang says. “You must always remember that there is another person watching the scene. Maintaining objectivity is important.” Hwang’s emphasizes sincerity and empathy in his acting. "The camera doesn't lie. You can never fool the viewer. You have to act with your heart, not your head." It is because of this commitment to emotional truth that Hwang can confidently tell interviewers that he is 100 percent satisfied with his work. During a crisis on set, or when he is either feeling too satisfied or caught up in mannerisms, he takes out notes he made when he first read the screenplay. "I look at the screenplay again and again. That's where all the answers are," he says.

He made a triumphant return to theater in the 2008 production of Nine. The theater producer said that it took three years to cast the leading role because in Hwang he had found the right actor to rival Antonio Banderas' Broadway performance. He has since starred in University of Laughs, The Wedding Singer and Man of La Mancha. Hwang says, "A movie is the art of a director but the play is the art of an actor."

2009's The Accidental Couple was particularly special to Hwang, as it was his first time starring in a television drama in his 14-year acting career.

Making the period film Blades of Blood presented a physical and mental challenge for Hwang. For his role as a blind swordsman, he went to schools for the blind to observe their movements.

On average, Hwang stars in three to four films a year and some say that he does too many. In response, Hwang says, "I breathe only when I act."