Actor Jung Hae In opened up about the severe insomnia he suffered after the massive success of the drama 'Something in the Rain'.
On the October 9th broadcast of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block', Jung Hae In appeared and shared stories about his transformation from the "perfect son" to a veteran actor.
Jung Hae In dominated South Korea this fall with consecutive hits, from the drama 'Mom's Friend's Son' to the movie 'Veteran 2'.
Jung Hae In, who is riding the wave of popularity, said, "I’m working hard at stage greetings. I've done more than 200, and by the time I finish, it'll be close to 300. I’m doing it very happily," he said with a laugh.
When someone mentioned, "You must wake up smiling every morning," he responded by recalling, "I had set my alarm for the 'Morning Yard' shoot, but I didn’t hear it. My younger sibling woke me up. At that moment, I realized, 'Something is wrong,' but fortunately, it wasn’t too late in the day. I almost hurt my back getting up. It was a terrifying moment," he shared.
Jung Hae In has received widespread praise for playing a police officer who kills people with a kind face in 'Veteran 2', his first villain role. Jung admitted, "It was an enormous burden. I had to accept and overcome it. We shot for almost six months, and the character is a narcissist with strong sociopathic tendencies. I avoided meeting people, and even my parents found me unfamiliar."
Jung Hae In, who is well-known as a direct descendant of Dasan Jeong Yak Yong, said, "I am a descendant of Jeong Yak Yong's second son. Since I lived with my paternal grandparents growing up, I heard a lot about it, but it didn’t really sink in at the time," he laughed.
Jung Hae In said that his talent and creativity come from his mother, sharing, "My mother is very interested in artistic things and loves being in the spotlight. She loves choir singing so much, she practices all the time at home, to the point where it drives me crazy. It’s noisy," he said, bringing laughter.
Jung Hae In started acting in earnest after completing his military service, but he said it was very vague for him at the time. "I failed at every audition I took. I got nervous and couldn’t show my full potential. After leaving one audition, I couldn’t even take another step. I had to go back in and try again, but I still failed." He added, "That’s when I decided I should act without any regrets from that point on."
After many auditions, Jung Hae In made his debut at 27, playing the first love of Deok Seon in 'Reply 1988' and Eun Tak's first love in 'Goblin', leaving a strong impression. After that, he solidified his presence with roles like Captain Yoo in 'While You Were Sleeping' and 'Prison Playbook'.
Jung Hae In then found immense popularity with his breakout role in 'Something in the Rain'. He said, "I was 31 at the time. I think I was lucky. I had help from Ye Jin noona and the director's direction. It was a miracle that I was cast."
Although Jung Hae In became a star with that project, he admitted there were difficult times afterward. "The biggest challenge was my physical condition. I wasn't fully prepared, and I got overloaded, so I couldn’t sleep. My insomnia became severe. It wasn’t just happiness." He continued, "I had never experienced so much love and attention before, and I needed time to become stronger and find my way."
Jung Hae In added, "At 31, you’re still young, right? I thought the negative comments were everything in the world. As someone who has to stand in front of the camera and be judged, there were times when I was scared and anxious. I even questioned my own existence."
He confessed, "There was a long period when I didn’t go outside and lived like a recluse. I also experienced something similar to panic disorder. Meeting people scared me. Back then, I read every negative comment. I kept thinking, 'Why are they doing this to me?' I wanted to understand why people disliked me. But in the end, some people just dislike you for no reason."
Jung Hae In continued, "It all started because I tried to be loved by everyone. After realizing that I couldn’t be loved by everyone, I decided to focus on giving my best to the people who love and support me."
Jung Hae In, who was rediscovered through 'D.P.', commented, "I gained a lot of male fans, and film directors took notice, which is why I was able to land roles in 'Seoul Spring' and 'Veteran 2.' D.P. was a huge part of that."
When asked about his 20s, Jung Hae In said, "It makes me emotional when I talk about the difficult times. I remember hearing people on set say, 'Who brought this guy who can’t act?' I pretended not to hear it, but inside, I sharpened my resolve. I thought, 'I need to work harder and show them a better version of myself.'" He added, "The biggest difference between then and now is that I can appear on shows like You Quiz and receive so much attention," he laughed.
SHARE
