Actor Choo Young-woo says he did everything he could to look delicate for his big-screen debut―even skipping the gym―but his forearms had other ideas.
Speaking at a press screening and Q&A for "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" on Dec.. 22 at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Choo joked about the forearm shots that pop up throughout the film. “I bulked up for my last project and tried to slim down for this one,” he said. “The character needed a fragile vibe, so I dieted hard and even avoided working out. But my muscles didn’t really drop until after we wrapped. I was bummed about that.”
Director Kim Hye-young laughed off the unexpected forearm close-ups. “That wasn’t intentional,” she said, adding, “Choo has a real boyish charm. He’s warm and thoughtful, which made him a perfect fit for Jaewon.”
In the film, Choo plays high schooler Jaewon, who falls into a heartbreaking romance with Seyoon (Shin Si-a), a girl living with anterograde amnesia. While he aimed to appear physically fragile, Choo couldn’t completely hide the physique he’d built―his ropey, vein-lined forearms occasionally steal the spotlight on screen.
Choo also opened up about the pressure of adapting a beloved property for his feature debut. “I loved both the Japanese novel and the film, so I felt the weight of expectations,” he said. “I even worried people would compare me to the original lead―there’s a difference in build and everything. I thought a lot about how to capture the freshness of a real high schooler. I dug into my own memories, and I even stopped a few students on the street to ask them questions.”
"Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" follows Seyoon, who loses her memories every day, and Jaewon, who fills in the blanks as the two cling to each other. It’s based on the global best-selling Japanese novel that has sold 1.3 million copies, newly reimagined with a Korean sensibility.
The film opens Dec. 24.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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