Ahn Hyo Seop Compares Himself To His Character In "30 But 17" And Shares How The Role Changed Him

Ahn Hyo Seop spoke about his most recent drama “30 but 17” in an interview with Herald Pop. The actor portrayed a high school student named Yoo Chan in the drama, which aired its finale on September 18.

“It started in the hot summer and ended in the breezy fall,” said Ahn Hyo Seop. “Thanks to so many people who gave me love, I had a lot of fun while filming. For me, it was a fairy-tale like story and I don’t know how three months passed by. It was an honor to play the character Yoo Chan and I want to say I’m grateful and happy.”

Comparing himself to his character, Ahn Hyo Seop explained, “I think Yoo Chan and I are very different. I’m not really someone who’s bright and has cheerful energy like Yoo Chan. There’s a part of me that has a pessimistic outlook on the world and a tendency to focus on negative things. So when I first saw Yoo Chan, I was really ambitious and wanted to portray him. I was curious if any changes would occur while portraying him and I wanted to receive that energy. It was a fascinating experience. One day, I was smiling brightly. I could see that I was slowly becoming similar to him.”

Yoo Chan was an ace of his high school rowing team, and Ahn Hyo Seop talked about how he prepared for his star athlete character. He said, “Even before filming began, I trained like an athlete with the Rowing Association. My skin also naturally became tan, but I’m a bit regretful about my physique. I wanted to show you a healthy image, but since filming was so hard, I unintentionally lost a lot of weight. I’m sad that I may have appeared too skinny.”

He added, “It took a toll on my physical endurance. I received IV drips about two to three times a week.”

In “30 but 17,” Yoo Chan developed a crush on Woo Seo Ri (played by Shin Hye Sun) which resulted in a love triangle including his uncle Gong Woo Jin (played by Yang Se Jong). Woo Seo Ri and Gong Woo Jin ultimately ended up together, and Yoo Chan’s love remained unrequited.

About this, Ahn Hyo Seop said with a smile, “His first love wasn’t requited, but oddly enough, I didn’t feel sad. As a viewer, I also liked the Gong Woo Jin-Woo Seo Ri couple. As a student, he can only feel the feelings of a young crush and first love once. Just the fact that he could feel that overwhelming feeling of love was enough.”

He added, “Yoo Chan is a really innocent, pure character. In the comments, I saw someone say ‘Thank you for acting in a way that reminded me of my high school years,’ and that really touched me. When I first read the script, I also thought that Yoo Chan’s biggest charm was his endless, transparent innocence. I wanted to put my focus on that while acting and it meant a lot to read a comment that noticed that.”

Throughout the interview, Ahn Hyo Seop revealed more of his serious side, especially when talking about acting. “I’m the strictest with myself,” he began. “I was sad when going home after filming. I wasn’t satisfied. The character Yoo Chan is always cheerful, so there was a point when I was over-paced. I went a bit overboard and there were times when I couldn’t portray the things that I had prepared. I was sad that I couldn’t better portray the beautiful character Yoo Chan, so I would come home and practice more. I thought, ‘Ah, I should’ve done it this way.’ To be honest, my body was really stiff and nervous in the previous drama. I was a bit regretful this time as well, but I prepared even more so that I wouldn’t be that way.”

He continued, “I think in the past I would have been sadder. I was regretful because I was playing the role of Yoo Chan, but in the past, I would’ve been angry. In the past, I blamed myself a lot and thought, ‘Why can I only do this much?’ I then continued to think negative thoughts. But while acting as Yoo Chan, I practiced more even though I felt regretful, and became more optimistic. In the past drama, I only reproached myself for the parts I regretted.”

Ahn Hyo Seop concluded, “I want to work hard at acting every single day instead of setting a goal for what kind of position or lead I should be as an actor. Then I will have grown without me even noticing it. Instead of focusing on the past or future, I want to live every day with significance.”

Start watching the romantic comedy “30 but 17” below!

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