"I swore I'd never do action again": "The Worst of Evil" Ji Chang Wook Comments

Note: The comments made by the actor are collected from different interviews. The links to the sources are given at the end of the article.  

Ji Chang Wook once again proves his acting prowess through The Worst of Evil.

In The Worst of Evil, actor Ji Chang Wook played Park Jun Mo, an officer going undercover to catch Jung Ki Chul (Wi Ha Joon), the boss of the Gangnam Union, which is the center of the drug trade between South Korea, China, and Japan.

In the K-drama, Ji Chang Wook did an exceptional job portraying the nuances, complexities, internal crises, and challenges faced by Park Joon Mo.

In an interview with Star News, Ji Chang Wook, reflecting on his decision to act in the drama, said, The Worst of Evil is not a work I decided to do for action alone." He added, "The noir genre also piqued my interest, but what mattered more was the [complex] relationships between the characters and trust in the director."

Commenting about the action scenes, he said, "I filmed intensely with my team members, and it's nice to see that [hard work] on the screen. Actually, I swore I'd never do action [productions] again after The K2, but it's been a while since I took on the challenge [of doing an action production].

"It was physically demanding, but because it was a series, it was challenging to maintain the overall flow of the story, character development, and tension. I discussed a lot [about it] with the director."

Talking about his character, Ji Chang Wook explained, "As I [played the character of Park Joon Mo, who] went undercover, I tried to intensify the crisis and internal conflict he faced. I deliberately excluded the moral beliefs and values that a drama protagonist should have and rather focused on his greed and inferiority complex. I thought that by doing this, the process of this person [Park Joon Mo] falling apart would be clearly portrayed."

"Joon Mo is a person with a stubborn temperament, and perhaps that trait gradually surfaces as he carries out his mission. I thought of him as someone who has an inferiority complex, obsession, or someone who justifies his actions. It didn't really matter whether he was a policeman or a gangster. I thought about how he rationalizes his actions and becomes obsessed. I even thought about it to that extent. 'Is [his] obsession over Eui Jung to this extent really love? Or is it just not wanting to lose her? Or is he just like this?' I had many thoughts, and when it came to acting, I didn't lay down a clear answer but left room for interpretation," he told MBN.

After The Worst of Evil, Ji Chang Wook continues to work on his upcoming productions, such as the K-movie Revolver and K-dramas Welcome to Samdalri and Queen Woo. 

Ji Chang Wook, admitting he felt exhausted, said, "It wasn't an easy schedule, to be honest, but as I read the scripts, I kept wanting to work. I think it was especially like that this year.

"Since it's not a realistically impossible schedule, [I thought] it would be okay to reduce my days off. There is physical fatigue, but my passion is even greater."

In an interview with MBN, the actor shared the details about his upcoming drama, saying, "For now, Welcome to Samdalri is in the middle of filming, and I'm working diligently. I think I'll continue to do the same in the future to bring better works. In Welcome to Samdalri, I expect to show a completely different side of myself. It would be more feel-good and lively compared to The Worst of Evil.  

"I like the title Welcome to Samdalri. Although I also like The Worst of Evil, I feel like the title is a bit too grandiose compared to the essence of our work. This is just my personal opinion. I [might] get scolded by the director [for saying this]."

Sources (1)(2)(3)