The stereotype of Big Bang’s T.O.P (Real name Seung Hyun Choi) and the true himself was totally different in a good way. The two far like the difference between boy and man, and idol singer and a great actor. Even then, he smoothly went back and forth between the ‘Idol TOP’ covered with fabulousness and the lonely ‘actor Seung Hyun Choi. Inside the strong appearance, he had innocent hopes. Childlike innocence, unlikely seriousness from an idol in his 20s, and going nonstop at the challenges. In him, there is variety of color spectrum present.
　
His presence that shows even without saying one word within Big Bang. His charismatic look, and the layers underneath has created his own charisma. In beginning of June, before the movie plays in the theatres, I met with TOP at a café in Sam-Chung Dong.

▶“Even the fans do not know me well”
　
Idol Group Big Bang is in the center of the glamorous spotlight. In the middle, TOP captures the fans with his eyes. But TOP showed his bare face without the fabulous looks of the stage and said “since from young age, I became used to the glamorous stages, from my real self I feel there is a distance”

The image of Jang Bum who is pushed in to war and shuddering in terror in movie ‘Into the Gunfire’, opening in theatres 16th, is not the image of TOP that we know of. His face color has become darker, and his trade mark of eye line is completely erased as well. Jang Bum who has tears on his eyes due to the most extreme fear is completely different from charismatic TOP who captures everyone’s eyes on stage.

“TOP on stage for the last 4 years was splendid. But I don’t think there was an opportunity to show my real self. Even when fans evaluate me sometimes, it makes me think ‘they really don’t know about me’. If it was few years ago, I would have been afraid to take the character of Jang Bum. It would have been embarrassing as if I was completely naked. But now, I want to show the true appearance of Seung Hyun Choi. I actually wanted to find my real self within the role of Jang Bum.

Many idols that have ‘just happened to’ started acting had to experience and tough standard of ‘witch-hunting’, but TOP is slightly away from that. But TOP has shown acting that was way over the expectation in IRIS, and in the movie ‘Into the Gunfire’ he has done his part very well. The movie director Jae Han Lee, who worked with TOP, evaluated him to be “an actor who will grow big in the world of movies.”

But that does not mean that the first movie was easy. Last year, while staying together with the crew at Kyoung Nam Hap Chun, he had to experience the limits of mental and physical pain. In between the filming the movie, he had travel back and forth between Japan and Korea to assimilate Big Bang schedule, and when he came back he had to wear clothes of Jang Bum. Even on the fancy stage, or at a film site, he had confusing days whether he is Jang Bum or TOP.

TOP who says “becoming one with the character and your own body is endlessly lonely process,” claimed watching the movie ‘AVATAR’ with his senior actor Seung One Cha was the warmest moment that he remembers during the filming time.

‘When my energy dropped all the way to the ground, Seung One (hyung) took me to Dae Gu. He reserved ‘Avatar’ ticket secretly. We sat next to each other wearing the 3D glasses together, and my heart was warmed up. At Hap Chun, being far away from the members, the time alone felt lonely, and I tried really hard to live as a person named Jang Bum which was difficult, and it was a big strength for me.
　
▶“Rapper who writes and spits out their own lyrics, they are like actors.”
　
“Experience as a rapper gave my acting wings.”
When he shares feelings with people as rapper of Big Bang, he communicates through many dance moves and eye contact. That has become the foundation of delivery of emotions and communication with the audience. Sometime, having time alone away from extremely pungent life style, as he comforted his loneliness he strengthened his sensuality. The things that he has learned as an idol singer on stage naturally connected to his capabilities as an actor.

TOP, who says “The experience of when I sat down in front of the desk and wrote the lyrics not as a singing singer but as a rapper, has helped me in acting,” emphasized “just as people would remember the rap if lyrics and I need to be one body, in acting the effort to become one with the character (Jang Bum) .”

But still, it is hard to do both in between the identity of idol singer and actor. But his serious view of acting was enough to disregard the prejudice opinion that ‘actor is an idol singer’s light hearted curiosity’
“Although I am not a professional actor, I’m confident in expressions. Movies and character expressions are all sensibility. I wanted to connect the methods that I learned on stage to communicate with the fans with acting. Communication is one thing after all. Sensible part that is passed on through each other’s heart.”
　
Joking around saying that he lost the ‘instinct’ as a rapper because he has been focusing on acting, he says “I will not be going back to Big Bang”, showing his hopes of the activities as a singer. Lastly, he showed the special affectionate love for the members saying “the thoughts of members pulling pranks are for the comforting of one another. Because we can feel the exhaustions without talking. It is for each other and comfort to each other”

Source: Herald Economy
Translated by & Credit: rim21c@21BANGS.com
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