On the morning of the 20th, a press conference for the new Netflix series "Mousetrap" (written by Lee Jae-gon, directed by Kim Hong-sun) was held at Hotel Naru Seoul M Gallery in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Actors Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu, Lee Kyu-hyung, and Director Kim Hong-sun attended the event to talk about the project.
Based on the hit webtoon of the same name, "Mousetrap" is a chase thriller that follows novelist "Moon-jae" (played by Ryu Jun-yeol), whose name, face, and life are completely stolen by a mysterious entity known as "Mousetrap," loan shark "No-ja" (played by Sul Kyung-gu), who tries to recover lost money, and detective "Soon-yong" (played by Lee Kyu-hyung) as they track down the identity of Mousetrap.
In the series, Ryu Jun-yeol plays dual roles simultaneously as the reclusive genius writer "Moon-jae" and "Mousetrap," who strips away his life entirely.
When asked why he chose the project, which is motivated by the traditional folklore tale "Rat Transformed Into a Man," Ryu Jun-yeol said, "I was drawn to the fact that a traditional folklore tale I read as a child is being reinterpreted for modern audiences and meeting global viewers. The immersion was so strong that after reading the script, I was so curious about the next episodes that I voluntarily looked up the original webtoon," conveying the powerful force of the story.
Regarding his approach to expressing dual roles for the first time in his filmography, he mentioned the film "The Night Owl" and shared his philosophy on acting.
Ryu Jun-yeol stated, "We all knew that I, as an actor, did not have a visual impairment (in 'The Night Owl'), so I worried about how to convince audiences of that. The dual roles in 'Mousetrap' presented a similar challenge. With audiences already knowing that a single actor is playing two characters, I had a lot of concerns about how to be convincing." He added, "Rather than trying to force excessive expressions, I focused on conveying the personalities, gazes, and delicate aspects of the characters."
He continued, expressing confidence, "The most prominent part is the voice. When conversing through phone scenes, I put a lot of effort into making viewers feel the difference primarily through the voice. If you look for other detailed aspects, you will find it entertaining."
Director Kim Hong-sun praised Ryu Jun-yeol's casting as Moon-jae, saying, "Moon-jae is not a common character around us, but one you might find once or twice if you look closely. He is not a good protagonist, nor a character with a heroic narrative, and he is a character who has to pull off dual roles." He added, "I made the offer after seeing the deep acting skills Ryu Jun-yeol has shown so far. He thought fiercely on set and offered numerous alternatives, which was a huge help to the directing."
Meanwhile, the 10-episode series "Mousetrap," which raises expectations for the intense acting synergy among Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu, and Lee Kyu-hyung, will be released via Netflix at 5:00 PM on the 28th.
[Photo=Baek Seung-chul]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)