Heo Namjun Transforms into a "Manly Man"

Actor Heo Nam-jun received high praise for his portrayal of Cha Se-gye, a malicious chaebol, in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Wonderful New World,' for the character's deep inner self and the curved development in the latter half. In an interview after the drama concluded, Heo Nam-jun revealed he was 100% satisfied with the drama's ending. He mentioned his synchronization rate with the character Cha Se-gye was around 50-70%, recalling that while he initially struggled with Cha Se-gye's way of speaking, it ultimately became an element that made the character appealing.

Heo Nam-jun shared that when he was offered 'Wonderful New World,' he heard that the writer and director thought both the strong and gentle aspects of the Cha Se-gye character suited him. He decided to appear because the script was very interesting and fresh, but admitted he had many anxieties and concerns during the preparation process. He also mentioned that the writer of 'Wonderful New World' had seen Heo Nam-jun's previous work, 'Your Honor,' and proposed the role of Cha Se-gye, and that they were looking for an actor with romantic qualities through other projects.

Heo Nam-jun said he sometimes felt frustrated while immersing himself in the character of Cha Se-gye. He explained that he needed time to understand why the character said certain things and ended up in certain situations, which was the same even when working with colleagues he met for the first time. Heo Nam-jun revealed that while playing Cha Se-gye, he thought, "I just need to show the side of being a top-tier man among men," and approached the role with that mindset.

Heo Nam-jun spoke about his initial struggles with Cha Se-gye's way of speaking. He admitted he wasn't good at using a tone that states "This is the fact, isn't it?" and even asked the writer and director if it was appropriate for a romance protagonist's speech. However, he ultimately trusted that it was written with intention by the writer and director and acted accordingly, recalling that it ultimately became an element that made the character Cha Se-gye more appealing.

Regarding his synchronization rate with the character Cha Se-gye, Heo Nam-jun replied that while the character's range is wide and somewhat different from him, there is about a 50-70% similarity. He explained that he doesn't have the prickly side, but his ability to feel comfortable being attacked or targeted rather than attacking someone when using a sly and humorous tone or wordplay helped him in portraying the character Cha Se-gye.