Bae In Hyuk On Training For "Cheer Up," Being Praised By "The Queen's Umbrella" Star Kim Hye Soo, And More

Dec 18, 2022

Bae In Hyuk has shared his thoughts on recently wrapping up “Cheer Up,” his special cameo in “The Queen’s Umbrella,” and much more in a new interview!

Bae In Hyuk received much love from viewers through his first main lead role as Park Jung Woo, the often misunderstood captain of the cheerleading squad Theia, in the SBS drama “Cheer Up” which ended on a high note. After the series came to a close, Bae In Hyuk sat down for an interview to share his thoughts on various topics.

On acting as Park Jung Woo, a firm stickler for the rules but a romantic at heart, Bae In Hyuk shared qualities from his character that he thought to resemble the most and the least. As for their similarity, Bae In Hyuk said, “I don’t really express myself outwardly, and I tend to bottle things up. I don’t get carried away by momentary emotions even when I’m angry.” However, he also mentioned how at times it was hard for him to understand Park Jung Woo. “Park Jung Woo really doesn’t express any of his emotions at the beginning of the drama. He is someone who controls his emotions so well that he tends to wait, endure, and stay silent because of a certain trauma. However, in my opinion, no matter how mature a person is, there are impulsive emotions and romantic feelings that are completely normal to come out at that age, and it will not be easy to repress that. However, Park Jung Woo is so good at controlling his emotions that it’s hard to act as him.”

Bae In Hyuk further explained that he tried to bridge this gap between his and Park Jung Woo’s personalities through continuous discussions with the director. “In particular, in the scene where Park Jung Woo is jealous because Do Hae Yi (Han Ji Hyun) is with another man, the director said to me, ‘In Park Jung Woo’s case, he is likely to be more worried about Do Hae Yi more than anything else,’ and explained why Park Jung Woo’s action would be valid,” he said.

On playing the role of a cheer squad captain, Bae In Hyuk shared, “We started group practice in February. However, in my case, I needed to practice more because my role was the captain, so I needed a higher level of understanding in terms of dance, energy, and stamina. So other than [the group practice], I took one-on-one lessons from last December to increase my stamina and for my body to memorize how I should apply strength.”

He continued, “I’ve never danced or even learned how to. All the experiences I had was from contemporary dance classes because I graduated from an art high school and some musical and contemporary dance practices that I had to take for college entrance exams.”

Thanks to all the dance routines, Bae In Hyuk revealed he had lost a lot of weight while shooting for the drama. “I gained about 8 kilograms (approximately 18 pounds) while working on my previous project ‘Why Her?‘ but I lost about 10 kilograms (approximately 22 pounds) this time. I also didn’t have time to sleep because ‘Cheer Up’ wasn’t the only project I had going. I lost weight because I would instead take a short nap during mealtime,” he said.

Bae In Hyuk then recalled when he had to also film for “The Queen’s Umbrella.” In the drama, Bae In Hyuk left a strong impression with his special cameo appearance as the original crown prince. Bae In Hyuk shared, “There were so many scenes lying down. That’s when I realized it was also hard to act while lying down. Since I didn’t have enough sleep [because of other filming schedules], when I was lying down, the senior actors’ dialogues sounded like a lullaby. Once, I even surprised myself when I woke up after dozing off.”

Playing alongside veteran actress Kim Hye Soo as on-screen mother and son, Bae In Hyuk recalled how nervous and excited he was going to the filming set. “But Kim Hye Soo would try to create a comfortable environment so that I wouldn’t be trapped in my anxiety and pressure. She kept helping me so I wouldn’t turn stiff and nervous. I was very grateful because she helped a lot,” he said, expressing his gratitude.

Finally, Bae In Hyuk also revealed one thing Kim Hye Soo said that remains an unforgettable memory for him, “After the script reading, Kim Hye Soo approached me and said, ‘Sweetheart, you are so good. You did a great job.’ My heart sank, and I went blank. That is the most memorable moment of 2022 for me. From her point of view, it might as well be something that she said absent-mindedly, but I remember it well because it was said by someone I respected so much.”