Kang Ha Neul, one of the lead actors of the highly anticipated series Scarlet Heart, was in Singapore for a date with his Singapore fans last weekend! Besides making an appearance at Punggol Waterway Point, the dashing 8th Prince from Scarlet Heart also had a press conference with the media on 26 August.
The moment he appeared at the press conference, the 26 years old actor kept bowing humbly and greeted all the media friends with his bright smile.
Looking back at his first visit to Singapore almost 10 months ago, he was surprised that so many fans recognised him and turned up to support him then, and he also mentioned that the clean city also left a deep impression on him.
In town to promote his new drama Scarlet Heart this time, Kang Ha Neul shared that he was aware that the original version of the drama was a mega-hit, even before the remake was announced. Being chosen to play one of the important roles in the remake, at first he was worried whether he will be able to do a good job of portraying the character, but at the end of the day, he managed to enjoy the whole filming process, with the help of great actors and actresses such as EXO’s Baekhyun, Lee Joon Gi, IU, as well as the director Kim Kyu Tae.
When asked what he likes about his character in Scarlet Heart, the 8th Prince Wang Uk, he replied “everything”, started giggling, and said he was “just kidding” (all in English!). Then he explained that the 8th Prince is a person who wants to pursue a lot of things since young, but could not do so because he’s a prince, and has the responsibility to do what is needed of him. It was only till he meets Hae Su in the drama, that Wang Uk finds out what he really wants to pursue in life, and this growth element in the character is what Kang Ha Neul really like about the 8th Prince.
In addition, the 8th Prince is also a character that is smart and good in martial arts, but the humble actor says he’s real self is nothing like that, and that he’s ordinary, like the boy-next-door.
As for the appeal of sageuk (history-based dramas), Kang Ha Neul feels that the elements in the sageuk genre are something that modern people find hard to relate to as they have not lived in that era before. Hence, in addition to the traditional elements, the drama also has fantasy factors, so as to appeal to more people, especially the younger generation.
Throughout Kang Ha Neul’s career, he has tried many different roles. When questioned if there is anything else he would like to try, he shared that he would prefer trying a role which is different from what he’s like in real life or has traits he does not have, so that there is something people can look forward to. Recently, he has this thought of acting as a young father who is around his age, as he is curious what kind of image he will be able to portray to the audience.
During the press conference, Kang Ha Neul was at times, stumped by the questions posed by the media. At times like this, he broke out in laughter or even joked and asked if “this was an exam”. Nevertheless, he tried his best to answer all questions and some questions were really well-answered.
For example, on the question “If given a chance, would you want to travel back in time or take a peek into the future?” Although he felt it was a difficult question, his answer was “He would want to go back to the past, because future is decided by the present, and the present is decided by the past. Hence if he’s able to go back to the past, he will be able to decide his future.” With only that short amount of time to think, I would say this was a brilliant answer.
At the end of the press conference, Kang Ha Neul thanked all the media that was present, and said if he had the chance to come to Singapore again, it will be because of everyone who came.
For more photos from the press conference, please visit KAvenyou’s Facebook page:
Kang Ha-neul (강하늘) Media Conference 2016
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Scarlet Heart premieres on 29 August at the same time as Korea, every Monday and Tuesday, at 9pm, first and exclusively on ONE. ONE is available through Singtel TV Ch 513 & 604 and StarHub TV Ch 124, 820 & 823.
Synopsis of Scarlet Heart:
Helemd by a star-studded cast, Scarlet Heart builds on the same premise as the original Chinese series and is based on the Korean Goryeo dynasty instead of the Chinese Qing dynasty. Headlining the series as female protagonist is singer-songwriter and actress Lee Ji Eun (IU), whose character is catapulted back in time from the modern era. In the past, she finds herself trapped within a web of political intrigue and complicated love lines involving the princes of Goryo, who are played by Lee Joon Gi, Kang Ha Neul, Hong Jong Hyun, EXO’s Baek Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk and Ji Soo. Rounding off the ensemble cast are rookie actress Kang Han Na and Girl’s Generation Seohyun, whoboth play princesses. The South Korean adaptation is led by director Kim Gyu Tae, whose past works include acclaimed series That Winter, the Wind Blows.
Article by: Victoria @ KAvenyou
Photography by: Cass @ KAvenyou
