“I had an aversion to tear jerkers, but... this time I wanted to try,” says Ryu Seung-ryong on the cast of Moving

Actor Ryu Seung-ryong. Courtesy of the Walt Disney Company Korea

“Everyone has an aversion to tear jerkers, don’t they? I do, too. But I had a desire to try this once in my acting career.”

On September 25, the Kyunghyang Shinmun interviewed actor Ryu Seung-ryong in a café in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He played Jang Juwon, a man with superpowers--unlimited regenerative power and tremendous strength--in Moving, a web series that recently streamed on Disney+.

Jang Juwon was an attractive character, but Ryu said he thought hard when he first received the script. It was because of a number of scenes where he was asked to sob violently. Juwon in the drama was physically strong, but he had a soft heart and a lot of tears.

“In the course of my career, I particularly had a lot of scenes where I wept passionately. Miracle in Cell No. 7, Psychokinesis, Kingdom... Since it’s the same person doing the acting, when I express the emotions, my facial expressions and voice are bound to be the same. Just like listening to the recording of your own voice, it was hard for me. I was thinking I should avoid crying roles for a while when I received the script.” In the Moving script, there were a lot of sobbing scenes. “It was very specifically written in the script, such as ‘Tears dropped before the elevator.’ So I pushed it aside for a moment, but by the time I finished reading the script, it didn’t feel like a tear jerker. Actually, I willingly accepted the role because of those scenes.”

He also got along very well with the film crew. In the drama, there is a scene where Juwon changes into mourning attire for his wife’s funeral. In a daze, he tries to take his pants off with his shoes still on. The pants get stuck and won’t come off. Only then does Juwon begin to untie his combat boots, breaking down in a flood of tears. It was a moment that finely expressed Juwon’s confusion and grief after losing his wife. The scene was born under the direction of the drama’s director, Park In-je. “We were sharing our thoughts on including a scene where Juwon changed into funeral clothes, and Park added a single instruction, ‘I’d like a scene where the pants don’t come off.’”

Jang Juwon cries passionately after losing his wife when he was away on a mission in the web series, Moving. Courtesy of the Walt Disney Company Korea

Characters with all kinds of superpowers appear in the TV drama, but Ryu Seung-ryong said, “I think the film crew is the one with real superpowers.” When Juwon fights Frank (played by Ryoo Seung-bum) on a box truck, he tears off the door and uses it as a weapon. “The director suggested I tear the door and strike him (Frank) with it since the action was weak. If it’s not included in the continuity script and if it hasn’t been prepared, then the crew should ask ‘What are you talking about?’ But the assistant director, the cinematographer, the stunt coordinator, everyone just came together. They discussed a solution and how much time they needed. No one said anything negative. So they cranked a chainsaw and separated the door to create the scene. Our country is the only place where the crew can do this impromptu.”

Juwon is a complicated character. He’s not a villain, but he resorts to violence when necessary. At the same time, he ponders on what “use” he has and is depressed. Ryu Seung-ryong said he wanted to express the influence of care and love through his character, Juwon. Juwon has no sense of direction. He gets lost even on paths he travels every day. “I think not knowing his way is a symbol. When he is clueless, Jihee (played by Kwak Sun-young) is the only person who understands and comforts him, presenting a path. Along with Doosik (played by Zo In-sung). I thought it would be nice if the audience could feel something like the influence a single person could have.”

A still from Moving. Courtesy of the Walt Disney Company Korea

The scene where Ryu single-handedly fights a hundred opponents was shot bit by bit over a period of six months. They shot the fight scene in the sewerage for four days. “The temperature was -20°C when we shot the scene where I was covered in blood, buried under a falling car. The blood was supposed to flow, but it kept freezing, so we heated the floor with a torch and even added some hot water.”

The series ended leaving a lot of room for a second season. Ryu also seemed expectant. “It’s not something we can ask for, but everyone is waiting. I hope a lot of people who haven’t watched it yet see it over the Chuseok holiday, providing a drive for the production of Season 2.”

A still from Moving. Courtesy of the Walt Disney Company Korea