Just lately, Hallyu star Ju Ji Hoon sat down for an interview at a café in Seoul. In the course of the dialog with the native press, he talked in depth about his Netflix sequence The Trauma Code: Heroes on Name, his ideas on Korea’s social hierarchy, the challenges that include adapting webtoons to live-action works, and extra.
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Name follows Baek Kang Hyuk (Ju Ji Hoon), a genius surgeon who has carried out surgical procedures even in probably the most chaotic battle zones. He takes on the mission of main the underfunded and sidelined Trauma Crew at a college hospital.
The Ok-drama is customized from the favored Korean internet novel “Extreme Trauma Middle: Golden Hour”. The novel, penned by Lee Nak Joon (underneath the pseudonym Hansan), a health care provider, is famend for its dramatic development and life like depiction. Subsequently the present was extremely anticipated by followers of the style.
This venture concerned intensive preparation. Ju Ji Hoon, who beforehand stated he and the crew had 10-hour-long conferences for a venture, revealed that The Trauma Code was the venture behind these rigorous discussions.
The actor shared, “For this venture, particularly, I had so many conversations with the director. It wasn’t like sitting down and having a gathering however extra like speaking every single day on the cellphone, catching up, and consuming meals and conversing. I’ve labored on quite a lot of comedian diversifications. My debut venture was Goong [adapted from manhwa]. I’ve most likely completed extra of those than anybody. The difficult a part of such tasks is the hole in views between these engaged on set and the manufacturing employees who aren’t straight concerned on-site. Like there are scenes which can be solely potential in comics.”
He continued, “Plus, comics have quite a lot of redundancy. To provide an excessive instance, if I used to be consuming espresso and I ran out of it, I can simply raise the cup and level to it with my hand. However in a comic book, the character would say, ‘Extra espresso, please.’ Traces like that may break the movement in reside motion. There is a huge distinction between how one thing is perceived in illustrations versus on display. Adjusting these variations in a approach that each side perceive is extremely difficult. As a result of there isn’t any clear reply. However there are issues which can be [or can go] mistaken, and navigating that course of was robust.
“I labored myself to demise for this venture. If I had not less than been paid manufacturing prices [for the amount of effort I put in], I would not have stated that. I simply ended up doing two, thrice the work.”
Ju Ji Hoon on making The Trauma Code medically life like whereas preserving the joys
Having beforehand labored on a medical drama, MBC’s Medical Prime Crew in 2013 (for which the actor noticed surgical procedures, attended lessons, and even participated in open lectures), Ju Ji Hoon highlighted that The Trauma Code shouldn’t be the identical sort of medical drama. Nonetheless, he made appreciable efforts to take care of medical accuracy, significantly in surgical scenes. He pressured, “We’re coping with issues of life and demise [in the drama], so we won’t strategy it flippantly. I ready very exhausting.”
He elaborated, “In actual life, extreme trauma instances, the place each second counts — like performing a surgical procedure the place the affected person’s cranium must be drilled on a helicopter — are unimaginably troublesome. If it had been actual, it will contain performing extremely exact surgical abilities at an especially quick tempo, which is actually exceptional. However I questioned if that [tension] might be conveyed on display in a dramatic approach. Works like these which can be extremely detailed typically wrestle to ship dramatic thrill.”
“We confronted such a problem with Medical Prime Crew additionally. I believe that influenced the director’s general strategy to this venture. In spite of everything, There is a tone and method distinctive to a style like this. The Trauma Code is not meant to really feel like a documentary.”
He added, “If blood spurted out the best way it does within the drama throughout surgical procedure for a ruptured coronary heart, the affected person would not survive. It may possibly occur in a drama like Kingdom. But when we had left that scene out, there would not have been dramatic stress. So in instances like these, we maintain discussions with consultants. We analysis to see if there was even a single case like this wherever on the planet. If we simply wing it with out figuring out, we’re certain to get caught [get criticized]. Even when there are not any real-life examples, we take into consideration how we will current it in a approach that almost all of viewers can settle for it simply. However this is not math. There is not any definitive reply. The one approach is to maintain discussing, capturing, and monitoring as we go.”
He continued, “Specialists may need their opinions, however I felt that even they, [when they watch the drama,] would not say, ‘That is fantasy.’ It wasn’t a matter of ‘It is positive as a result of it is a drama.’ We had the top of the Trauma Middle at Ewha Womans College Hospital on set. Extremely skilled, top-level nurses had been additionally current. Throughout conferences, the cinematographer would ask questions like, ‘With [the patient losing] this a lot quantity of blood, will it look life like?’ We continuously mentioned and adjusted issues accordingly.”
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Name turns into probably the most demanding venture of Ju Ji Hoon’s appearing profession
“Now that filming is over, I can admit it. I used to be utterly drained. In my 20 years of appearing, that is probably the most exhausting venture I’ve ever completed. Nevertheless it’s additionally such a vivid and upbeat sequence.”
Reflecting on returning to a medical drama after 12 years, Ju Ji Hoon stated with fun, “The physician’s coat felt a lot smaller this time. That is as a result of I’ve gained 10kg since then.” He added, “That stated, I did not suppose, ‘This time, I would like to indicate them.’ Individuals who know me effectively can inform that I am very introverted. The truth that I will discuss like this now could be due to my social abilities [that I honed over the years]. Having labored within the trade for practically 30 years, together with my time as a mannequin, I’ve developed the social abilities wanted to be a frontman. I’m not an incredible one who has something important to show others.”
Ju Ji Hoon says he is not disrespectful — simply easy
Regardless of being introverted, Ju Ji Hoon believes in “saying what he thinks must be stated.” He defined, “In case you do not tackle a difficulty instantly, the scenario can spiral uncontrolled [later]. Then cash is poured in… If we wait till later when issues have progressed and say, ‘This must be mounted,’ it is meaningless. That is why I attempt to be as trustworthy as potential and say what must be stated. However that does not imply I am impolite.”
In each the online novel and the Ok-drama, Baek Kang Hyuk is portrayed as an easy, typically even impolite, character, however he’s additionally proven as a caring physician who values his sufferers’ lives probably the most.
Ju Ji Hoon commented, “If somebody in actual life is excellent at their job however impolite, I do not like that individual,” including, “I’ve skilled this many occasions in my life: there are individuals who mistake rudeness for honesty. Nevertheless, I do like easy individuals. I am easy myself.”
“Baek Kang Hyuk and I’ve this widespread trait of being easy. Once I was a rookie, the occasions had been such that actors weren’t presupposed to voice their opinions to administrators. I discovered that unusual. I wasn’t disrespectful, however I used to be typically advised I used to be. It is simply that while you say the proper issues, individuals are likely to curse at you. Luckily, it looks like the inflexible tradition of hierarchy has loosened up a bit now.”
Ju Ji Hoon and director Lee Do Yoon had strongly differing opinions about one scene specifically
Ju Ji Hoon, who freely expresses his opinions, and director Lee Do Yoon, who embraces them with an open thoughts, reportedly engaged in intense discussions over a number of scenes. The actor shared, “I argued with the director to the purpose of exhaustion over the scene the place Chief Han Yu Rim’s daughter is present process surgical procedure, however I misplaced,” including, “It would not make sense for an outsider, who hasn’t even been sanitized, to enter the working room the place a affected person has been opened up. Nevertheless, from the director’s perspective, to ship a extra dramatic, emotional affect to the viewers, the daddy wanted to be crying beside her. It is a distinction in perspective.”
He added, “Everybody has their very own perspective, but it surely’s the actors who’re the face of the manufacturing. If the information are mistaken and an article comes out blaming the director, ultimately, it is me who has to take the blame. Even when I insist it wasn’t my resolution, there isn’t any escaping the blame. The burden all the time falls on the actors. With medical dramas, the stakes are even greater as a result of the subject material entails individuals’s lives. There is a important threat of leaving a nasty impression if one thing is mishandled. I nervous lots about that,” he admitted, highlighting the heavy burden he felt throughout the venture.
Relating to his strategy to selecting tasks, Ju Ji Hoon stated, “If one thing is totally completely different from my style, I decline it. But when I see some good features in it, and I do not totally perceive one thing, I ask questions. I categorical my curiosity, like, ‘Why do you suppose that is attention-grabbing?’ and I make ideas. It isn’t like ‘In case you do what I would like, I will do it.’ They don’t seem to be excellent both, which is why we brainstorm. Either side has some good issues to supply, and if we will discover widespread floor and work collectively, we do.”
Director Lee says Ju Ji Hoon is “extra Baek Kang Hyuk than Baek Kang Hyuk himself”
Maybe it is due to this attribute that director Lee Do Yoon, a detailed buddy of the actor, stated Ju Ji Hoon is “extra Baek Kang Hyuk than Baek Kang Hyuk himself.”
Laughing, Ju Ji Hoon shared, “The director stated I am ‘annoying.'” “There is a distinction between being impolite and being trustworthy. I am not impolite. It is simply that we have grown so accustomed to talking in roundabout methods. In private relationships, I naturally attempt to categorical myself kindly as a result of, in any case, individuals keep away from individuals they do not like. Nevertheless, in the case of work, I are typically direct whereas guaranteeing I am not being impolite.”
He continued, “However then individuals get upset and name me impolite. In addition they say I am obnoxious. It is exhausting. I am saying this as a result of it is irritating that one thing that could possibly be stated in 5 minutes will get dragged out for an hour. Korean society locations quite a lot of significance on hierarchy, would not it? It isn’t concerning the senior-junior relationship; it is the entire ‘what if somebody will get offended’ factor that I simply can’t perceive. Throughout conferences, if every thing the director says is correct, then what’s the purpose of getting the assembly? It isn’t about who is correct; it is about addressing the difficulty at hand, and I do not see it as a matter of rank. Those that place extra emphasis on hierarchies are likely to dislike me. In fact, director Lee Do Yoon stated I am annoying as a result of we’re shut. He did not imply it actually,” he stated, laughing.
For the online novel, the character of Baek Kang Hyuk was impressed by Professor Lee Guk Jong, South Korea’s prime authority within the subject of trauma remedy and trauma care. Nevertheless, Ju Ji Hoon clarified that he didn’t act preserving Professor Lee Guk Jong in thoughts. “Our work shouldn’t be a documentary-style drama however relatively an action-adventure with parts of fantasy, so I did not check with or consciously maintain notice of each facet of Professor Lee. Nevertheless, watching documentaries about him and his selfless dedication to doing no matter it takes for his sufferers, in a approach, helped in portraying this character.”
Relating to his interpretation of Baek Kang Hyuk, Ju Ji Hoon defined, “I believe the director basically appeared to hope that the viewers would cheer [for that aspect of the character] being ‘annoying’ and boastful. Some works subtly weave in values value reflecting on.” “I hope there are not less than just a few individuals who suppose that it is okay to push again towards some issues.”
He additionally stated, “I nonetheless hate the thought of everybody blindly following the ‘director’s orders’ on set. There are nonetheless individuals who suppose every thing the director says is right, however I do not agree with that,” he stated, laughing.
“That is why the youthful actors like me. On set, after they had questions, as a substitute of responding with, ‘How can an actor not know this?’ I might say, ‘Let’s be trustworthy. The director is not a health care provider both.’ They naturally have quite a lot of questions, and it is vital to enter element about why one thing is not proper to allow them to perceive and alter. I needed to undergo that course of with my juniors. My seniors did that for me, and I actually appreciated it.”
Moreover, Ju Ji Hoon expressed, “I actually admire the director, and I really like our crew, and Kyung Ho hyung. I apologize for repeating the identical factor throughout my three tasks this 12 months, however the extra time passes, the extra I understand the significance of colleagues. Although it is robust, I am assured that working with them is worth it. Whether or not a second season is produced in the end will depend on the viewers’s selection, however I’ve no purpose to show it down,” he stated, praising the crew behind The Trauma Code: Heroes on Name.
Ju Ji Hoon displays on his appearing journey
From being criticized early in his profession for being “too tall, too darkish, and never good at appearing” to now being one of many largest Hallyu stars, Ju Ji Hoon has come a good distance. Reflecting on 20 years since his debut as an actor with Goong, he shared, “It wasn’t simple.” “I did not main in appearing, and I believe that is why issues turned out the best way they did. Once I see my associates who realized appearing in class, I believe, ‘Oh, so they be taught these issues [at school].’ I needed to be taught every thing on set, one step at a time. Again then, the hierarchy between seniors and juniors was a lot stricter. So until you had been the cinematographer, you could not even contact or gaze on the lenses. I might secretly go and ask why they had been altering issues as a result of I used to be so interested in every thing. [I would ask,] ‘Why are you laying down the rail?’ ‘Why are you altering the lighting?’ ‘Why are you swapping lenses?’ Even now, I nonetheless ask these sorts of questions.”
He additionally revealed that he has began nurturing ambitions for producing works. “I am desirous about producing, however I am not contemplating directing in any respect. I really feel like I might turn into a type of terrible administrators that actors dislike probably the most,” he joked. “There are just a few tasks I might like to supply, however I am unable to say a lot about them but. Actually, it is a bit embarrassing. Regardless of my preparation, I nonetheless want funding. It will not look good if I discuss an excessive amount of and fail to safe funding. I will share extra as soon as issues are extra agency,” he concluded.