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| Actor and singer Kim Dong-jun meets with reporters after finishing the first season of the JTBC drama 'Chief of Staff,' Friday, in Sinsa, Southern Seoul. Courtesy of MAJOR9 |
After the first season of JTBC's political drama "Chief of Staff" wrapped up with moderate success last week, actor and singer Kim Dong-jun said his role in the drama has some parallels with the early years in his career.
Kim plays Han Do-kyung who has just stepped into the "real world" as a legislative intern for a ranking lawmaker. His character is full of enthusiasm, yet he is an inexperienced newcomer to the legislature.
Before debuting as a member of K-pop boy band ZE:A, Kim followed the typical process of becoming an "idol" ― spending time as a trainee and competing with others to make it into the debut group.
He said he had gone through long periods of instability and anxiety as he was always competing with fellow trainees. "The role aligns with when I first started my career in the sense that I was always anxious about everything and was so clueless," said Kim in an interview with the reporters, Friday, in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul.
"But going through the struggle, I found meaning and happiness as I grew from my experiences," he said.
At his age, he said most of his friends are job seekers or entry-level employees who are stepping into the real world. "I got a lot of help from my friends who have gone or are still going through a rite of passage for newcomers in real work," said Kim.
He asked about the outfits they wore to work and tips on what attitude to have as a newcomer on the job.
Kim tried his best to draw empathy among those who are in the transition to a working life. "I felt great when I found people's comments that they sympathized with the character," he said.
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| A poster for the drama. Courtesy of JTBC |
The drama revolves around Jang Tae-joon ― played by Lee Jung-jae ― who is chief of staff for a lawmaker named Song Hee-seob ― played by Kim Kap-soo. The story develops on the closed-door maneuvering among lawmakers and their staff at the National Assembly. As Jang chases a strong ambition to become a lawmaker himself, he faces betrayal and conspiracies.
To play the unfamiliar role, Kim said that he did a lot of research to learn about the world inside the Assembly and politicians' offices. "I visited two National Assemblymen's offices to get realistic advice from the politicians and their staff," Kim noted.
He even took subways to the National Assembly during morning rush hour to observe people on their way to work. "I tried my best to make my character as familiar and realistic as possible."
Most of the time, he barely put on any makeup to project the modest and work-focused personality of the character.
"I know some men are taking time to groom themselves nowadays. But the director told me that this character isn't one of those and would put far less emphasis on looks."
The drama, directed by Kwak Jung-hwan, drew people's attention even before it was aired because this was the first TV series for actor Lee in 10 years. Kim shared his experience of what it was like working closely with him as his character works in Jang's office.
"It felt so surreal to work with such an admirable veteran actor like Lee. The way my character looks up to Jang Tae-joon is much like how I feel about him."
Ending with the TV series' highest viewership at 5.3 percent, the production company is preparing for the next season.
"It was a bit awkward to have a wrap-up party after the season because we were going to see each other the following week," said Kim. "As for soccer games, we have passed the first half and are in half-time, gearing up for the second half."
The first season's last episode showed Jang yielding to power to work up the hierarchical ladder. "Season two will be filled with new stories and a new environment," said Kim. It is scheduled to air in November.
Kim debuted in 2010 as a singer in ZE:A, but began developing his career in acting in 2011 with the TV drama "Crossing the Yeongdo Bridge." He has since diversified his portfolio by taking part in musicals and reality shows.
