Namgoong Min recalled his rookie days on ‘You Quiz On The Block.’
On the episode of tvN’s variety show ‘You Quiz On The Block’ aired on July 26th, Namgoong Min appeared as a guest.
Yoo Jae Suk said, “It’s been a while since we saw each other, it was last autumn.” Namgoong Min replied, “I’m living a very busy life. I have to memorize and prepare for the drama shoot. I might be less busy than Yoo Jae Suk hyung.” Yoo Jae Suk countered, “You are busier than me.” Hearing this, Jo Se Ho joked, “I heard your schedule is booked until 2029.”
When asked about bulking up, Namgoong Min explained, “I originally weighed 58kg in my early twenties. I looked weak, so I started exercising. When I got cast in the drama ‘The Veil,’ I thought I needed muscles to overpower someone in one punch..” He added, “I thought I was going to die. Before bulking up, I was 66kg, and it took me a month to get over 70kg. But once I surpassed that, I went up to 80kg. I felt like I could defeat anyone.”
Namgoong Min is set to make a comeback with the MBC drama “Lovers” on August 4th. He expressed regret, “I have some bad memories of historical dramas. I was a rookie, and my historical acting wasn’t good. We filmed for six months to a year, and by the end, I got used to it, but I still feel a little disappointed.”
He added, “I once said I wanted to try a historical drama, and now I got the chance to do it, so I decided to take the opportunity.”
Namgoong Min then expressed that his passion for acting overflowed during his rookie days. He said, “It was overflowing. Even if I received unreasonable treatment on set, it didn’t hurt me. For example, I experienced something like this. While I was acting, a gust of wind blew and knocked over the lighting stand. It wasn’t my fault, but it was a period when I felt humiliated. Someone said, ‘Hey, you caused this.’ I was just standing still. I was the source of all the NGs. That was the time when I had to say ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I’ll do it again’ loudly, and I was always the target.”
He even mentioned how he was the receiving end of swear words throughout his minor roles. Namgoong Min said, “I started as an ‘extra.’ As a rookie who was supposed to smile, I received insults like, ‘You are the reason this is going downhill.’ However, because I practiced acting on my way home, I felt good. I didn’t feel sorry at all.”
Yoo Jae Suk praised Namgoong Min, “If it were me, tears would have burst out on the spot. Your mental strength is incredible.”
Namgoong Min revealed the character that he studied the most to portray was Chief Kim from the drama “Good Manager.” He said, “I put so much research into the character. His movements were exaggerated, so I referred to foreign actors’ performances.”
Source: Daum.
