Jisoo's acting skills controversy: 'Omniscient Reader' director breaks silence
Cha Hak Yeon shares his thoughts on his character in Oh My Ghost Clients.
Oh My Ghost Clients is a fantasy comedy action drama about the labor attorney Noh Moo Jin, who can see ghosts and his thrilling journey as he resolves labor disputes.
Cha Hak Yeon played Ko Gyeon Woo, a YouTuber who exposes criminals alongside No Mu Jin (Jung Kyung Ho) and Na Hui Ju (Seol In Ah) by going undercover.
Reflecting on his experience, he expressed feeling bittersweet about the K-drama coming to a close. "Many say they have bittersweet feelings when a show ends, but for me, it was purely sadness. I felt sad that it ended, and around the time we shot the final episode, I kept getting emotional, knowing I would part ways with such wonderful people."
He continued, "Kyung Ho hyung would often say, 'Is it over now?' every time we wrapped up. Though it was a line from the drama, it felt like he was really saying, 'It's really coming to an end,' and every time [I heard it], I felt a sad." He added, "It was really a nice production."
How did Cha come to join Oh My Ghost Clients? "To be honest, when I first met with the director, we only talked about dogs. There's a dog I really like — a dog named Deok Bae that my friend raises — and I think I spent an hour or two just talking about that dog," he said with a laugh. "The director thought Gyeon Woo and I were alike, and that's why he called me in. But we just talked about dogs the whole time. I didn't think much about it. I found the script so fun, and after meeting the director and chatting, I ended up joining the project."
He went on to say, "To be honest, I didn't think I had anything in common with Gyeon Woo. I thought he had the lowest sync rate out of all the characters I've played so far. But people said we were really similar, which made me think, 'So I have this side to me too.'"
He added, "The director said Gyeon Woo was a type of person he'd never encountered before, so it was hard for him to relate to the character at first. But after seeing my performance, he told me it helped him understand, 'Ah, so this is Gyeon Woo.' That's why I was able to act with more confidence. The writer also told me, 'You portrayed the Gyeon Woo I had in mind exactly as I imagined, and I'm grateful and happy for that.' So I was really happy while performing."
Did he have any references for playing a YouTuber? Cha Hak Yeon said, "I watched a lot of content. Honestly, I don't usually watch YouTube much. But when I started, I realized every YouTuber has different characteristics of their own. They all have a unique persona." He continued, "To build my own version of Gyeon Woo, I set up a room where I could do internet broadcasts. Saying lines like 'Hey, my lil pickles!' made my ears and face turn red. I realized I should have experience and try doing it myself. So I walked around carrying my phone like a real streamer would. Thanks to that, I was able to perform without being embarrassed on set."
He continued, "It felt very different from when I used to do things like V Live [live videos]. Back then, I was communicating in real time. But the kind of internet broadcasting Gyeon Woo does requires you to structure the information, and you're essentially forcing your opinion onto an unspecific mass audience," he explained. "I tried to speak with a quicker rhythm and gave more variation in pitch and tone."
The actor and idol also made efforts to change up his style. "I used to have long hair, but I cut it short. I even dyed it, though it wasn't very noticeable." "I thought it would be nice if Gyeon Woo felt a bit more funky. I experimented a lot with the costumes, hair, and makeup."
"There are staff I've always worked with, and since they know my personality well, I thought it would be better to have a different perspective when portraying Gyeon Woo. So I worked with the staff on the drama set instead, and they helped express the 'funky' side of the character really well."
He added, "To be honest, Gyeon Woo's style isn't really my taste. There's not a single piece of clothing in my wardrobe at home that resembles his. But when I wore those clothes as Gyeon Woo, I started to feel more confident," he added. "At first, I was really unsure — like, 'Can I even pull off something like this?' But once I saw myself fully styled with hair and makeup, I felt reassured. I relied on that a lot while acting."
Cha also didn't hold back his gratitude toward Jung Kyung Ho. Calling him the "best sunbae," he said,
"After the drama ended, Kyung Ho sunbae called me and said, 'You played a big role in this drama.' Those words felt so warm." "Among everything he said on set, the one that made me happiest was, 'I want to shape this scene like this. Can you help me?' Being acknowledged as both an actor and a colleague made me feel more responsible. Those kinds of words were a huge source of strength for me. He's the kind of senior who made me want to enrich every scene through helping Mu Jin as Gyeon Woo."
