‘One Big Scandal’ as Nam Jae-woo with Asperger Syndrome
“It’s an honor to act together as Jeon Do-yeon’s younger brother”
Actor Oh Eui-sik played the role of Jeon Do-yeon’s younger brother in ‘One Hit Scandal’ and performed well. PhotoㅣHijieum Studio
Some might call actor Oh Eui-sik (40) a ‘scene stealer’ (a supporting role that gets more attention than the lead role). However, Eui-sik Oh said, “I always think of myself as the lead role and act. He works with the same attitude no matter what role he is given. That way he can produce better acting,” he emphasized.
Even for him, a veteran actor with 18 years of debut who focuses on acting every moment, tvN’s Saturday and Sunday drama ‘One Big Scandal’ (Director: Yoo Je-won, Screenplay: Yang Hee-seung) was not easy. This is because he had to play Nam Jae-woo, who has Asperger’s syndrome among autism spectrum disorders.
Oh Eui-sik said, “I was careful and burdened in acting because it was not an easy character,” and then said, “At first, I looked for works about Asperger’s Syndrome and interviewed people I knew. In the meantime, he came to know of a company with developmental disabilities as employees. The story gave him the opportunity to work with him, and he thought it was a great opportunity.”
He said, “Actually, I went to work with the mindset of helping people with developmental disabilities, but I was just a new employee who needed guidance and they were ordinary senior employees. Some people would not have known that they had developmental disabilities if someone had not informed them. He came to find the correct answer, ‘there must be no right answer in acting’. He confessed, “I came up with the idea of ‘Let’s play Nam Jae-woo’ from the thought of ‘how can I do well in acting for people with developmental disabilities’”.
Would Oh Eui-shik’s worries and efforts work? He said, “I received messages from people around me, including Asperger’s Syndrome family members, saying, ‘It’s good that you acted as a person with a disability without exaggeration’ and ‘Thank you for routinely portraying people with developmental disabilities.’ After hearing words of encouragement, he felt better than ever,” he expressed his joy at the favorable reviews.
Actor Oh Eui-sik expressed his gratitude, saying, “I started 2023 well through ‘One-shot Scandal’.”
PhotoㅣHijieum Studio
‘One Other Scandal’ is a romance between Nam Haeng-sun (played by Jeon Do-yeon), the hot-blooded president of a national side dish store, and Choi Chi-yeol (played by Jeong Kyung-ho), a South Korean math instructor. Oh Eui-sik took on the role of Nam Jae-woo, the younger brother of Namhaengseon, and worked with Jeon Do-yeon.
Eui-shik Oh said, “Many of my fellow seniors and juniors asked, ‘How is it to act with Jeon Do-yeon? Jeon Do-yeon is an actress who is respected by actors. I too have been a fan of Jeon Do-yeon since before, and it was an honor to act together.” The moment I saw Jeon Do-yeon’s eyes, I could become Nam Jae-woo. I thought, ‘Is this the power of Jeon Do-yeon?’” he honestly confessed.
‘One Big Scandal’ ended with popularity, recording its own highest viewership rating of 17% on average on Nielsen Korea’s paid platform nationwide. “To be honest, I didn’t expect that you would love me this much. I was looking forward to it because the set was fun, but it feels good to be with good people and the results are good. It’s an obvious word, but I’m grateful and happy.”
Oh Eui-sik plans to meet viewers through his next film soon. He said, “I started 2023 well through ‘One Hit Scandal'” and expressed his wish, “I want to be remembered as a good actor by many viewers through good works in the remaining 2023.”
Finally, he said, “I turned 40 this year. I think if you work quietly in a good environment with good people, you will get good results. Rather than forcibly doing something for good results, I hope the working process is happy.”
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