[Interview] Actor Kim Soo-hyun's Song Picks

Kim Soo-hyun [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

There are actors who are born with the genes to do melodramas. And Kim Soo-hyun is one of those few actors who have that rare talent as shown in his role as the younger version of actor Ko Soo's character Cha Kang-jin in SBS TV series "Will it Snow for Christmas?" in how he gazed at a girl while saying, "I'm not interested but strangely, I keep noticing you" and in a television commercial where he practices confessing his love facing a wall but wears a mask, utters the wrong words and runs away when he is actually in front of that woman. With a face with simple features, like that of a character from Mitsuru Adachi's comics, and eyes so dark that they seem unlikely to reflect light, Kim delivers genuine emotions to viewers whether he is smiling or crying.

Kim, who started on the path of acting in high school to change his reserved personality, has appeared in many genres of dramas including MBC's "Kimchi Cheese Smile," KBS' "Jungle Fish" and SBS' "My Father's House." And last year he showed impressive acting as the younger version of Sung-mo (Park Sang-min) in SBS' "Giant." "What I think about and am greedy about doing is making my character attractive. I want to be told that people get a peculiar feeling from my characters and that they're memorable. That's why I focus a lot on my voice and the look that my eyes give off."

Most recently, his role as Song Sam-dong, a boy from deep in the mountains who discovers his talent in music after following his first love Hye-mi (Bae Suzy) to Seoul, was a character he "felt more affection for because of the belief that I'd be able to grow with him." Even regarding the pressure of having to put on various performances for his role as a high school student at a performing arts school preparing to make a singing debut, he had said, "I was worried a lot at first because I'm not musically talented like Sam-dong but I worked hard at preparing and got a lot of help from my fellow actors so I'm having fun filming the show." However, he showed singing and dancing skills as good as actual singers in "Dream High" and sang one of the songs to the soundtrack for the show. Below are Kim's recommendations on albums that stimulate his sensitivity.

1. Kim Hyun-sik "KIM HYUN SIK VOL.6 "
"'My Love By My Side' is usually the song that people think of when it comes to Kim Hyun-sik so I bought his sixth album which contains that song only to find that all the songs on that album were good. My favorite of them is 'Making Memories' and it may be because it sounds as if it is singing of how my character Song Sam-dong feels. I think the emotion expressed goes well with Mr. Kim's unique voice. And the lyrics may be sad but it rather feels like I'm being consoled by the fondness the song delivers... It's an album that makes me think of many things."

2. Boohwal "Loss of Memory"
"I dreamt of becoming an actor in high school and 'The More I Love' was the song that moved my heart. It doesn't contain any fancy techniques but it moved my heart with its calm yet captivating vocals which lingered about my ears. There was a black and white photo of the members of the band inside the jacket's yellow album, the title track to the album was 'Loss of Memory' and on the cover it said 'Controlling your desire to wait is the first step to you making an attempt to forget what is in the past.' I didn't know what it meant exactly but I still thought it was cool for some reason. (laugh) That romantic sensitivity... I think the somehow forlorn melody aroused my sensitivity.

3. Kim Hyun-chul "32℃Summer"
"To start with, the title of the album itself, '32℃ Summer,' is somehow exciting and refreshing. Of the songs in the album, a lot of people like 'The Train to Chucheon' and so do I but if I had to pick another that I like just as much, it would be 'In a black skirt.' If I concentrate on the lyrics by closing my eyes, I can picture what the song is singing of which makes me smile. A girl in a black skirt walking past me silently! It's as if the I can feel the tremor from that overwhelming moment. When do you think I'll be able to see that girl who passes in front of me in a black skirt? (laugh)"

4. White "The Logic Feel"
"I once came across 'Seven-year Love,' the title track to this song, while shooting a photo spread. I was aware of the fact that it was a remake so I looked for the album with the original song. There were a lot of great songs in it but I found myself listening to 'Seven-year Love' the most. I even thought of wanting to be the main character of the song because I envied the numerous emotions and memories he must've made while having eyes only for one person for seven years."

5. Seo Ji-won "Tears"
"This was released in 1996 so it's the most recent album of all the albums I've been listening to these days. (laugh) Each and every song in this album moves me, probably even more because of the fact that we can't hear the late Seo Ji-won's voice anymore. 'Tears' in particular is a song I listen to on repeat because I'm in love with his sad yet powerful voice. The lyrics are set forth as if reading a diary one has kept but it's so earnest that I find myself stopping all else to listen to it. It made me realize how powerful a few minutes of a song is."

Source: 10ASIA
Engtrans: viki.com
Reup by: kimsoohyun.blogspot.com