Byun Woo-seok Expresses Regrets After “Lovely Runner” Ended, “I Want To Film Episodes 9 To 15 Again”

Recently, Byun Woo-seok had an interview at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul after the end of the drama “Lovely Runner”. During the interview, he shared, “Shooting from episodes 9 to 15 were the most tiring. I’m a little disappointed in some scenes that I wanted to film them again. I didn’t control my condition well”, adding “I think I could show deeper eyes when looking at Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) in those scenes. If I could reshoot those scenes, I believe I can do it better”.

Regarding his performance as Ryu Seon-jae of various ages, from a teenage swimmer and high school student to a college student in his 20s and a 34-year-old top star Byun Woo-seok shared, “I played a swimmer, a top star, Seon-jae who remembers Im Sol, Seon-jae who lost memory of Im Sol as well as Seon-jae who lost memory and then regained memory. I was very pressured thinking about expressing those aspects of a character. I discussed how to express the character with the director and the writer”.

“Lovely Runner” was so successful in terms of popularity that Byun Woo-seok’s previous movie “Soulmate” was confirmed to be re-released in cinema. Regarding the drama ratings, the actor said, “I did hope it could be a little higher. My wish was for it to reach 7%”, adding “Nevertheless, since many people loved the drama, I didn’t seem to care about the ratings anymore at some point”.

Expressing his gratitude to co-star Kim Hye-yoon for her help in his portrayal of Seon-jae, Byun Woo-seok said, “I really want to thank Hye-yoon. When she expressed Im Sol’s feelings she acted so well that I just needed to stay still. I think I was able to express Seon-jae perfectly thanks to her performance as Im Sol”.

Recalling his past of failing auditions after changing his career path from a model to an actor, Byun Woo-seok said, “Back then, I wondered if this was the right choice but people around me trusted in me. I guess I would have given up if they told me to do something else. I think I was able to be here today because no one said such a thing”. The actor also confessed that the most encouraging compliment he received was from actress Jung Young-joo, who played Im Sol’s mother.

“Lovely Runner” is over, but actor Byun Woo-seok will keep running. It is true that Seon-jae is the character that helped Byun Woo-seok imprint his presence in the minds of the public. However, it also set a new standard for the actor to overcome and develop himself. Facing this challenge, Byun Woo-seok confidently said, “I’ll do my best”, adding “Seon-jae is successful but I also did my best for other characters I played before. I always act with the intention of improving myself little by little in my next project.”