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| Actor Jung Hae-in plays the role of Ahn Jun-ho in the Netflix original series "D.P." Courtesy of Netflix |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Jung Hae-in said Netflix's military series "D.P." holds a special place in his heart, adding that the project was especially meaningful to him.
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| Actor Jung Hae-in / Courtesy of Netflix |
"As an actor, you can't always get a successful outcome with your work even if you put your best effort into it. And when the results are not good, you get depressed and feel insecure. On top of my personal family-related issue, I was going through a phase of low self-esteem when I started with 'D.P.'"
Jung expressed that the series provided a boost in his confidence, helping him get through the difficult phase.
"The series has helped me gain confidence at a time when I had low self-esteem, making me realize I can do this kind of acting,'' he said. "With 'D.P.,' I showed the acting that I've never shown before, so I think of it as a turning point in my filmography. I feel very grateful because this project has helped me resolve the thirst I had as an actor."
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| A scene from the series "D.P." / Courtesy of Netflix |
The military action series, which debuted its first season in 2021, follows two soldiers ― Ahn Joon-ho (Jung) and Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) ― serving in a special unit called Deserter Pursuit (D.P.), which specializes in bringing back military deserters. As the two take cases to track down deserters, they face different backstories and injustices in the organization that drove the people to flee the military.
The new season, released last week, delves deeper into corruption and injustices in the organizations, which leads to major incidents like a mass shooting on a base. After witnessing the traumatic death of a fellow soldier in season 1, Ahn starts to stand up against injustice and help correct wrongs. Han Jun-hee directed both seasons of the series.
The actor said that he tried not to be affected by the first season's success when filming season 2.
"(Season 2's story) picks up from where the first season left off and handles a major incident. So I had concerns about how to approach it. I felt the way for (the story) to have its depth was to act with a true heart so I tried to keep that in mind," he said.
"Also, if I'm under pressure because season 1 was a success, I knew it would get in the way of my acting. So I tried not to feel overwhelmed."
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| Season 2 of the series "D.P." released last week. Courtesy of Netflix |
The first season garnered popularity with its realistic, detailed portrayal of the military. But as season 2 focuses on exposing the corruption within the organization, some pointed out that the series lost its realistic touch, especially the action scene where Ahn fights dozens of men on a moving train.
"It might seem like a fantasy but Jun-ho actually did boxing before (serving in the military). In season 1, he also shows off dynamic boxing skills. Because Jun-ho has that backstory, it's believable for him to do that. And because it was a running train, he has nowhere to escape so he had to face it," he said. "The director said it's an emotional scene although it has action. He wanted to show why Ahn would go this far and his emotions on the screen with the scene."
Completing a serious genre series, the actor shared that he hopes to star in a romance again.
"I want to try different genres instead of leaning towards a specific genre. I haven't starred in a romance drama in four to five years and I feel it's about time to do another one," he said. "I know comedy is the hardest but I want to try a romantic comedy. It's been a while since I've played a character that laughs in the story. So I want a project that I can be happy and just laugh (as the character)."
