On the afternoon of the 2nd, during a media interview for the Netflix series "Mousetrap" (written by Lee Jae-gon, directed by Kim Hong-sun) held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Sul Kyung-gu shared stories about the project along with the secret behind his perfect chemistry with his junior co-stars.
Based on the webtoon of the same name, "Mousetrap" is a tracking thriller that follows novelist Moon-jae (played by Ryu Jun Yeol), who has his name, face, and life 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 Sun-yong (played by Lee Kyoo-hyung) as they chase down the true identity of Mousetrap. In the series, Sul Kyung-gu plays No-ja, a ruthless loan shark who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, charmingly portraying a multi-dimensional character that feels both rough and subtly human.
On this day, Sul Kyung-gu shared the behind-the-scenes story of how he suggested the casting to Ryu Jun Yeol. Since they were under the same agency at the time, he shared, "Because I had to be careful as a senior, I couldn't just say 'You should do this,' so instead I passed along the message to the PR team, telling them to ask Jun Yeol to take it on."
Explaining why he thought Ryu Jun Yeol was the right fit, he said, "Jun Yeol's strength is that he has a strong individuality while also having a friendly, everyday face. Our project is a story about ordinary, somewhat ordinary-looking people rather than grand figures, and he was the exact actor suited for that." He continued with high praise, "Especially in Part 1, there is a lot of narration, and Ryu Jun Yeol's voice is truly great. His delivery is also exceptional. I was quite worried about how Part 1 would unfold, but it would have been a disaster if we didn't have Jun Yeol casually tossing out that narration."
The atmosphere on set was also warm and cheerful. Having many scenes where they traveled by car, the two grew close by having numerous conversations inside the vehicle. Sul Kyung-gu recalled, "Jun Yeol is very curious, so whenever he asked various questions, I would answer comfortably. Talking only about the work can get boring, and sharing all sorts of living stories like that was truly enjoyable."
He also did not hold back praise for Ryu Jun Yeol's passion for acting. "Jun Yeol always carries his script around. He prepares a lot and has many opinions. I was grateful when he offered ideas, asking, 'How about doing it this way?' It made me feel like, 'He's even thinking about my character along with his own,'" he added. "He is a friend with many charms. He is an actor who looks at his own part while also looking at the other person's, and loves building things together. There are no seniors and juniors in front of the camera. Because he shared his opinions without hesitation, communication flowed very well."
Sul Kyung-gu has showcased unmatched bromances with numerous younger actors such as Yim Si-wan, Byun Yohan, and Hong Kyung. When asked about the secret behind his exceptional chemistry with male actors specifically, he emphasized, "I think it's because I don't go to the set with a fixed answer. Instead of pushing my own stubbornness, I go ready to accept the other person's acting. I tend to focus hard on reacting in the moment." He added, "I don't try to outshine the other person. I believe that rather than trying to stand out myself, making the other actor look good is how I end up standing out together."
Saying with humility, "I think I was also blessed with good people. I've worked with all great actors," Sul Kyung-gu was met with the cheeky question, "Who is the best among the juniors you've worked with so far?", to which he responded, "Right now, politically, it's Ryu Jun Yeol," turning the set into a sea of laughter.
Meanwhile, all 10 episodes of "Mousetrap" were released worldwide through Netflix on the 28th of last month. According to FlixPatrol on the 2nd, "Mousetrap" has been continuing its unstoppable global box office run, climbing to 6th place in the global TOP TV shows category just 4 days after its release, and ranking 5th in the Netflix global TV shows non-English category.
[Photo = Netflix]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)