[Interview] "We Are All Trying Here" Oh Jung-se, "Koo Kyo-hwan and Kang Mal-geum reassured me"

Actor Oh Jung-se, is impossible not to love.

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On the 24th, the JTBC weekend drama "We Are All Trying Here" came to an end. The series follows people struggling to find peace after being consumed by jealousy and a sense of inferiority, feeling left behind by their successful peers. By boldly confronting the wounds and insecurities hidden deep inside human nature, the drama resonated with viewers through its relatable portrayal of healing and growth. Word of mouth quickly spread, earning it the reputation of a 'well-made drama', and it wrapped up with its highest ratings yet at 5.3% nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea.

Oh Jung-se played Park Kyeong-se, the husband of Go Hye-jin (Kang Mal-geum), the head of film production company Gopak Films. Though once a successful director with five feature films under his belt, Park Kyeong-se begins to crack under the crushing failure of his latest movie. Oh Jung-se's portrayal earned praise as a 'lovably pathetic man'.

Reflecting on the drama, Oh Jung-se shared, "It was such a precious project and an equally precious time. By the final shoot, I even wished there were a 13th episode because everything went by so quickly. Working with such wonderful people made the filming period fly by. It felt like a tightly packed, fulfilling project. Personally, "We Are All Trying Here" made this year feel meaningful for me".

In real life, however, Oh Jung-se says he is nothing like Park Kyeong-se. He explained that he is not the type to be consumed by inferiority, jealousy, or fear of failure. Instead, he tends to overcome hardships and stress with a positive mindset and accepts fair criticism as an opportunity for growth.

Even so, he expressed gratitude for receiving so much love as the lovably pathetic man', giving much of the credit to his co-stars and director Cha Young-hoon.

Speaking about Koo Kyo-hwan, with whom he drew attention for their 'love-hate chemistry', Oh Jung-se said, "Koo Kyo-hwan was Hwang Dong-man himself. Because my scene partner had built the character so solidly, I could lean on that foundation and freely experiment with my own acting choices".

He also praised Go Hye-jin, who played his wife in the series, saying, "She was incredibly dependable. Even when I made mistakes or things didn't come out right, I never felt afraid to try different things. When I first read the script, the hammer scene felt like a cute, playful moment between the married couple. But actually filming it brought out all kinds of emotions. There was the lightheartedness of an old married couple joking around, but there was also sadness underneath it. It created a complicated feeling that's hard to define".

Although the drama ended only recently, Oh Jung-se is already moving straight into his next projects. He will soon meet audiences again through the action-comedy MBC drama "Fifties Professionals" and the film "Wild Sing", which premieres on June 3rd.

On constantly working, he commented, "People say I never take a break, but honestly, going to work feels more like going out to have fun. I think I rest within the work itself. I try to immerse myself completely in each project and character, and that's probably why I'm able to show different sides of myself every time".

He also shared his affection for "Wild Sing", saying, ""Wild Sing"was a battle against myself. I even took vocal lessons, but I'm not actually a good singer, so I had to perform on set as if I were the greatest vocalist alive. Every time those scenes ended, I felt embarrassed. Standing on stage, I constantly fought that lonely battle with myself. There was even talk about appearing on music programs, but I worried that lip-syncing on stage might inconvenience or disappoint some people".